Original Vow of Earth Treasure Bodhisattva Sutra

After understanding the goals and principles of the Buddha’s teachings, we need to deepen our understanding of the Dharma.  What is the Dharma?  It is the true reality of life and the universe, all the teachings of the Buddhas, which are included in sutras.  These ancient textbooks documented all of the Buddha’s teachings and were recorded by his students.  The most basic one of Mahayana Buddhism is the Original Vow of Earth Treasure Bodhisattva Sutra.  It can be regarded as a textbook for first grade students, within which, the truth was clearly explained, not with spoken language but with emissions of light.  The sutra, as told by Buddha Shakyamuni, begins with his emitting infinite bright lights called:

1. Great Perfection Brightness Cloud,

2. Great Compassion Brightness Cloud,

3. Great Wisdom Brightness Cloud,

4. Great Prajna Brightness Cloud,

5. Great Samadhi Brightness Cloud,

6. Great Auspicious Brightness Cloud,

7. Great  Good Fortune Brightness Cloud,

8. Great Merit Brightness Cloud

9. Great Refuge Brightness Cloud,

10. Great Praise Brightness Cloud. 

Although ten kinds are given, it does not mean that there are only ten.  The number ten is regarded as a symbol of perfection, a complete cycle symbolizing infinity. 

What is called perfection in the Earth Treasure Sutra is called infinity in the Infinite Life Sutra.  Not only can life be infinite, everything can be infinite!  However, of all the infinities, that of life is the most important.  We may have boundless wealth and immeasurable good fortune, but how can we enjoy them if we do not have sufficient lifespans?  Therefore, the Pure Land School uses “infinite life” to symbolize all infinities.  In the Earth Treasure Sutra, the ten Brightness Clouds represent this concept.  “One is all, and all is one” clearly explains the infinite cosmos and life.

Upon what did the Buddha base his teachings of life and the universe?  First is the Great Perfection Brightness Cloud.  The great perfection of Esoteric Buddhism is the true self-nature in Chinese Buddhism.  The true self-nature is great perfection.  The following nine clouds of compassion, wisdom, etc. are perfect, everything is perfect.  This great perfection is our own innate, true self-nature.  It was from this initial point that the Buddha imparted the infinite teachings to us, thus revealing the true nature of all phenomena in the universe.  Everything that the Buddha taught is innate to us.  It is the original true self-nature within each of us.  The purpose of his forty-nine years of teaching was to help us to learn how to live happy and fulfilling lives.  This unique and complete education is for all sentient beings and is much more vast and extensive than our modern educational system.    

People work hard everyday.  What drives them to get up early in the morning and work long hours before coming home?  It is the pursuit of prestige and wealth, especially wealth.  Would people continue to work if they could not receive money or some degree of prestige after having worked for a whole day?  It is most unlikely.  Most would become listless and unwilling to work.  Therefore, for most people, the driving force in our society is wealth, followed by prestige. 

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas desire neither wealth nor fame yet they work harder than we do.  What is the driving force behind this conscientious teaching while expecting nothing in return?  It is the second Brightness Cloud, the Great Compassion Brightness Cloud.  It is like a mother’s love for her children, especially her newborn baby, but it is more profound in depth.  A mother does so out of natural love and compassion, asking for nothing in return.  This love is called a heart of compassion.  The compassion of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas towards all sentient beings is boundless, unconditional and universal.  It is the eternal driving force that compels them to help all sentient beings.  Therefore, the Great Compassion Brightness Cloud follows the Great Perfection Brightness Cloud.

In order to teach others, we practice cultivation as well as encouraging others to do likewise.  We do so to sincerely introduce Buddhism to other people.  What is our driving force?  Compassion.  But if we do so for wealth or fame, then it is purely business and this is totally wrong for it totally violates the very spirit of Buddhism.

In fact, the circulation of the teachings, including sutras and reference works should be unconditional.  Copyrighted materials do not accord with the true spirit of Buddhism.  Every time I am presented with a Buddhist book, I first check for the copyright page.  If it says “This book is protected by copyright; any unauthorized printing of this book shall lead to punishment”, I will not read the book.  If asked why I do not want to read it, my answer is that any true and good knowledge should benefit others unconditionally and that reprinting should be allowed.  It would be a waste of time and energy to read copyrighted books.  Only the writings of those who are broadminded and kind-hearted and who sincerely practice what they teach deserve to be read and studied.  How can we expect a narrow-minded, profit-seeking person to write good things and conclude them with the great perfection?

Compassion is built on rationale and is free of emotions.  To be otherwise, it is delusion and therefore is wrong.  There are two Buddhist sayings, “Compassion is the essence; accommodating means are the way to guide people with different capacities”.  The other seemingly says the complete opposite, “Unwise compassion often incurs misfortunes and accommodating means often leads to immorality”.  The reason behind this apparent contradiction is that if we ignore rationality and instead yield to emotion, compassion then often results in misfortune while doing favors for someone gives rise to immorality.  Hence, this is followed by the Great Wisdom Brightness Cloud, the third of the ten great perfections.  Perfect wisdom gives rise to perfect compassion.  Wisdom is the method of convenience.  Only by wisely utilizing various methods of wisdom and compassion, can we help sentient beings be enlightened and freed from sufferings.

The next brightness cloud is the Great Prajna (Intuitive Wisdom) Brightness Cloud.  What is the difference between intuitive wisdom and wisdom?  The Great Wisdom Sutra states, “Prajna innocence, knowing everything”.  It is intuitive wisdom without knowing and yet knowing everything.  Without knowing is intuitive wisdom; knowing everything is wisdom.  In other words, one is essence and the other is function.  From a different perspective, wisdom is the knowledge of things and the realization of truth.  Intuitive wisdom, our original wisdom, is that which can free people from worries and afflictions.  Acquired wisdom is that which can interpret all phenomena in the universe.  It arises from the original wisdom.  If we cannot completely attain the great perfection of the universe, how can we teach about it to others? 

When worries are completely eradicated and ignorance dispelled, we can attain our own great perfection and restore our original ability.  From that point on, we are in a state of total awareness and capable of doing everything, we are omniscient and omnipotent.  The brightness clouds of wisdom and intuitive wisdom contain profound meanings and are the perfect complete wisdom.

How do we attain wisdom?  It is innate to our self-nature, but it is now covered.  Where is it?  The        Buddha told us that it is not permanently lost just temporarily lost.  When we reach enlightenment, we can uncover this wisdom.  Then how can we free ourselves from delusion and recover our original ability?  One method taught by Buddha Shakyamuni is deep concentration, which is also called the Great Samadhi Brightness Cloud.  Samadhi is another transliteration from Sanskrit meaning the proper enjoyment, which has the same meaning as deep concentration.

Buddhism emphasizes cultivation or correcting our thoughts and behavior.  It is to correct everything that arises from our body, mouth and mind, the three karmas of erroneous behavior, speech and thoughts.  To correct the three karmas, we start from the mind as the Zen School teaches, “cultivation should start from the root”.  What is the root?  The mind.  If our mind is proper then our thoughts, speech and behavior will likewise be proper.  

In Buddhism, there are innumerable methods of practice.  All of these methods are ways for concentration in cultivation.  Not only the Zen School emphasizes concentration in cultivation.  All the schools do, although they may not all use the term meditation. 

Pure Land Buddhism calls it One Mind Undisturbed or purity of mind.  Esoteric Buddhism explains it as Three Mystic Practices, the three karmas of body, speech and mind corresponding to those of the Buddha.  Used here corresponding means concentration.  We can see that various schools emphasize the same principles.  They simply use different terms to describe it.  Therefore, since all lead to the same goal, all methods are equal and no one method is better than another.

We can choose whichever method best fits our manner of living and level of achievement and understanding.  The most important point is to concentrate on just one method.  The more methods we try to follow, the more confused we will become.  The more confused we are, the more difficult it is to succeed.  This is very important, as samadhi or deep concentration, is the key to success in our learning and cultivation.  We explain these as the Three Learnings of precepts or self-discipline, deep concentration and wisdom.  Self-discipline leads to deep concentration.  From deep concentration arises wisdom.  Therefore, intuitive wisdom arises from deep concentration.  This deep concentration in our self-nature is called the Great Samadhi Brightness Cloud.

Of the ten brightness clouds, the first five explain fundamental principles and the latter five explain the methods.  The fundamental principles are the basis of Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings.  The following are the five methods. 

First is the Great Auspicious Brightness Cloud.  What does auspicious mean?  For most of us, auspicious means to get what we deserve.  If we obtain what we do not deserve, then it is not auspicious.  The meaning of auspicious in Buddhism is much more profound: throughout the universal existence, nothing is beyond our knowledge and experience.  This is great auspiciousness.  For example, when we are mindful of Buddha Amitabha and vow to be born into the Western Pure Land, we will attain birth into the Western Pure Land.  If we vow to be born into the Flower Adornment World, we will attain the stage of awakening of Buddha Vairocana.  This is the original meaning of auspicious. 

In our world, Buddha Shakyamuni taught different methods for different levels of understanding and this is the utmost auspiciousness.  First, the Buddha’s teachings never contradict the true reality of life and the universe.  Second, the Buddha always adapted his teachings to fit the audience’s level of comprehension.  His teachings would be a failure if they proved to be incomprehensible for the listeners or if they were too simple and boring.  Neither of these would be auspicious.  Therefore, the appropriate teaching is most auspicious.  The Buddha conveys all he wishes to: we hear all that we can understand and absorb.  This is the utmost, the greatest and perfect auspiciousness.

Nowadays, people pursue wealth, knowledge, health and long life.  This is called good fortune.  If the Buddha asks us to learn and practice Buddhism but we do not receive what he said we would, then we will reject the teachings.  Why?  If we cannot get what we wish for now, how can we believe we will receive what is promised to us for the next life?  It is all too distant and uncertain.  When will we get to enjoy the promised great reward?  However, if we can receive benefits now, we will be much more likely to believe in the promise of even greater rewards in the future.  By truly practicing Buddhism, we will attain all that we wish for. 

This is similar to a tree blossoming and bearing fruits.  Only when we see the beautiful blossoms, will we believe there will be good fruits.  If the flower does not bloom, how can we believe there will be fruit?  Therefore, we have the Great Good Fortune Brightness Cloud following the Great Auspicious Brightness Cloud.  We must cultivate the cause before we can attain the effect.

The next guiding principle is represented by the Great Merit Brightness Cloud.  All Buddhas spent a long period of time, one hundred eons, cultivating good fortune after attaining Buddhahood.  Why?  A Buddha cannot help sentient beings if he himself does not have good fortune.  People will not believe in a teacher who talks of good fortune but obviously lacks it.  However, when the teacher has good fortune and explains that it comes from cultivation, then people will listen and follow his or her teachings.  Therefore, only if the teacher has good fortune and virtue in addition to wisdom can he or she help sentient beings.  Thus, the Buddha taught us to cultivate both good fortune and wisdom.  However, good fortune is different from merit in that merit helps us to transcend the cycle of birth and death.  We accumulate merit by practicing the Three Learnings of precepts or self-discipline, deep concentration and wisdom. 

In our practice, we need to rely on the next principle of The Great Refuge Brightness Cloud.  This is not what is usually thought of as taking refuge in the Triple Jewels of the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.  Rather, it is to return to and rely upon the Triple Jewels, the great perfection of our self-nature. 

The Great Praise Brightness Cloud symbolizes educating others about Buddhism, praising the perfect and infinite merits and virtue of the self-nature.  What does Buddhism teach us?  To attain our perfect self-nature.  Zen Buddhism often says that we should search for the original state of our perfect self-nature. 

In summary, Buddha Shakyamuni emitted light at the beginning of the Earth Treasure Sutra.  This light has many more infinite, boundless meanings than the ten brightness clouds discussed.  The first five brightness clouds are the Great Perfection of self-nature and the last five are the function of the self-nature.  These ten comprise the basis of the Buddha’s teachings and are to be found in many sutras, often represented by emissions of light.  Many people read of the brightness clouds without any real understanding of the profound meanings within.  Not only this sutra, but also all sutras start and flow from the Great Perfection.

 

The Great Perfection of Mahayana Buddhism 

The sequence of practice in Mahayana Buddhism is represented in China by the four Great Bodhisattvas: Earth Treasure of Jiuhua Mountain; Great Compassion of Putuo Mountain; Great Wisdom of Wutai Mountain; and Universal Worthy of Emei Mountain.

Earth Treasure means stored treasure of the great mother earth, which represents our mind.  Without the earth, nothing could survive.  So, the Buddha used the earth as a metaphor for our mind, which is the Great Perfection.  It encompasses infinite compassion, wisdom, intuitive wisdom, auspiciousness, good fortune, merit and virtue.  Therefore, all that the Buddha told us in the sutras is infinite, is the Great Perfection.  Understanding this will enable us to find the boundless meanings within. 

The Earth Treasure Sutra explains that we begin our learning and practice by being filial to our parents and respectful to our teachers and elders.  Buddhism is an education of honoring teachers and revering their teachings, which is based on the foundation of filial piety.  How can we expect a person who is not filial to his or her parents to respect his or her teachers?  A teacher, regardless of learning and capabilities, cannot impart knowledge to a student who does not respect or listen. 

Therefore, only when we honor teachers and revere their teachings can we truly succeed in our learning of Buddhism.  The Original Vow of Earth Treasure Bodhisattva Sutra is the sutra of the filial piety, which is the very heart of the Great Perfection.  All other perfections arise from it.  From here, we extend this loving and caring for parents to respecting teachers and elders. 

We keep expanding from here until we respect and care for all sentient beings without discrimination or attachment.  This is the enhancement and extension of Earth Treasure Bodhisattva and is the teaching of Great Compassion Bodhisattva.  Therefore, without filial piety, there would be no great compassion.  This is similar to building a house.  The second floor must be built upon the first floor.  In being filial to parents and showing compassion for all other beings, we should not use emotions.  Rather we need to base this compassion on rationale and wisdom.  Only in this way can we attain positive results. 

Next is Great Wisdom Bodhisattva, who symbolizes wisdom and Universal Worthy Bodhisattva who symbolizes the practice of filial piety, respect, compassion and wisdom in our daily lives.  If we practice these principles when interacting with others, handling matters and objects, then we ourselves are Universal Worthy Bodhisattva. 

The teachings of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva are perfect.  As the Flower Adornment Sutra tells us, we cannot attain Buddhahood if we do not follow this teaching.  Why?  This Bodhisattva is perfect in every thought, every vow and every deed.  Without true wisdom, the great vow of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva cannot be fulfilled.

These four great Bodhisattvas exemplify this understanding and represent the perfection of Mahayana Buddhism.  Therefore, from Earth Treasure Bodhisattva, we learn filial piety and respect, from Great Compassion Bodhisattva, we learn great compassion, from Great Wisdom Bodhisattva we learn great wisdom and from Universal Worthy Bodhisattva we learn the great vows and conduct.

The goal of the Buddha’s teachings?

The Buddhist Educational System 

What is the ultimate goal of the Buddha’s teachings?  It is to attain the Perfect, Complete Enlightenment.  Transliterated from Sanskrit, it is called Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.  Out of respect, this phrase was maintained in its original form rather than translated.  There are three stages within this enlightenment; “Proper Enlightenment”, "Equal and Proper Enlightenment” and  “Perfect, Complete Enlightenment”.

The Buddha told us, that although scientists, philosophers and religious scholars may have reached a good understanding about life and the universe, this realization is neither complete nor proper.  Why?  Although they have obtained some understanding, they are far from having freedom from anxiety, from ending their afflictions.  They indulge themselves in the Five Poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt.  They remain mired in all the troubles of human relationships and are swayed by personal feelings.  In other words, they are human. 

If a person has severed greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt and afflictions, the Buddha will acknowledge this person as having attained the first level, that of Proper Enlightenment.  He or she will be called an Arhat, the initial academic degree in Buddhism.  Arhats differ from Buddhas in the way that they use their mind.  They use it in the same manner we do.  The difference is that we still have afflictions while Arhats do not.

The next higher level of enlightenment is that of Equal and Proper Enlightenment, represented by Bodhisattvas.  They resemble Buddhas in motivation but have not yet reached the same level of enlightenment.  The minds of Bodhisattvas are genuine; they remain forever unchanged and are similar to those of Buddhas.  Buddhas use the full and perfect true heart.  Buddhas represent the highest level of enlightenment, which is the Perfect Complete Enlightenment. 

In Buddhist classic literature, the perfect, true mind of a Buddha was symbolized by a full moon.  The mind of a Bodhisattva was symbolized by a crescent moon, which was neither full nor perfect.  And the mind of an arhat was symbolized by moonlight reflected from the surface of water, it is not real.

These three levels of enlightenment can be compared to our college educational system.  The level or degree of Arhat is similar to earning an undergraduate degree.  The level of Bodhisattva is similar to earning a Master’s degree and the level of Buddha is similar to earning a Doctorate’s degree.  The word Buddha is not exclusive to Buddha Shakyamuni, but is a common title for any being who has attained the perfect complete enlightenment.  Thus, Buddha, Bodhisattva and Arhat are only names or titles to represent the levels of enlightenment or a degree we receive in Buddhism.  And they are most certainly not deities to be worshiped.

So, a Buddha is one who has fully comprehended the truth of life and the universe and acquired the ultimate and perfect wisdom.  This is also the goal of Buddhist education; to enable beings to attain this same level of wisdom.  Therefore, Buddhism is an education of wisdom.

 

The Objectives of the Buddha’s Teachings 

The principle of Buddhism is to break through all superstitions and delusions.  It is to resolve delusion to attain happiness and enlightenment, to eliminate suffering to gain serenity and purity of mind.  What is delusion?  When we do not thoroughly and properly understand the phenomenon around us, we tend to be deluded and to have wrong ideas, which lead us to make mistakes.  Then we suffer ill consequences as a result.  However, if we have correct understanding about life and the universe, we will be free from mistakes in thought, judgement and behavior.  Then our result, or effect, will be favorable.  Thus, resolving delusion to attain enlightenment is the cause and eliminating suffering to attain happiness and purity is the effect.

Only through resolving superstition and delusion, can enlightenment be attained.  This is the objective of the Buddha’s teaching.  This wisdom will enable all beings to differentiate true from false, proper from improper, right from wrong and good from bad.  It can help us to establish a dynamic and caring attitude toward life and our surroundings.  So, we can clearly see that Buddhism is neither passive nor obsolete, nor is it retreating from society.  As said in the Buddha Speaks of the Infinite Life Sutra of Adornment, Purity, Equality and Enlightenment of the Mahayana School or the Infinite Life Sutra, Buddhism can perfectly solve all afflictions and problems.  It enables us to obtain true and ultimate benefits by creating fulfilling lives, happy families, harmonious societies, prosperous nations and a peaceful world.  These are the objectives of the Buddha’s teachings for our world now.  The ultimate objectives of abandoning all worries thus transcending the six realms are even more incredibly wonderful.  Therefore, we can see that it is an education that will enable us to attain truth, virtue, beauty, wisdom and genuine eternal happiness.( By Master Chin Kung)

Five forms of Buddhism

Currently, there are at least five forms of Buddhism.  The first form is the traditional Buddhism I have just discussed.  It is the education of the Buddha’s teachings.  This original form is rarely seen today.  The other four forms are deviations of this one.

The second form is religious Buddhism.  Although originally not a religion, it has become one in the past few hundred years.  Today, it is difficult to deny this.  Why?  The external form of Buddhism today is indeed that of a religion.  It is no longer the education found in a traditional way place where cultivators had up to sixteen hours a day for both lessons and cultivation.  The lessons included listening to lectures and discussions.  The cultivation session included either Buddha name chanting or sitting meditation.  Study and cultivation were used hand in hand to strive for the right and proper understanding and practice, to purify practitioner's minds and to eventually attain the state of enlightenment.

 Since the monks and nuns spent sixteen hours a day on study and cultivation, there was little time for discriminatory or wandering thoughts, and so achievement could be attained relatively quickly.  Unfortunately, this traditional form of Buddhism is seldom seen nowadays in way places for many of them have become a place to make offerings, to pray for blessings and to conduct memorial services.  It is little wonder that people regard Buddhism as a religion.

The third form is philosophical or academic Buddhism often found as a course in college.  This is inappropriate.  Why?  Buddhist education is a complete university in itself, including all branches of learning.  But now it is reduced to merely a philosophical discipline.  Regarding it as such, we miss the importance of the fact that the teachings are a necessity for all sentient beings.  Why?  Because these teachings can resolve all problems ranging from those in our current lives to those in the future, including even those of birth and death.  Buddhism's scope is broad and profound and regarding it as merely an academic field of study is frankly, another deviation.  These two forms cause no serious harm to society.  Religions try to encourage people to be good.  Philosophy strives to pursue truth and to gain knowledge. 

The fourth and most recent deviation is Buddhism as a show.  It consists of a few hours of music, singing and dancing with a short talk in between.  However, the fifth form is a deviation that has gone too far, that of the distortion of Buddhism into a cult.  This deviated form has appeared in the last thirty to forty years.  The exploitation of Buddhism by evil cults has gone too far.  In the name of Buddhism, they take advantage of the weaknesses of human nature, creating chaos by cheating and misleading people, endangering the safety of the public.  Some of their propaganda and deeds can sound extremely enticing and appealing.  However, if we join their activities, which doom us to ruin, by the time we realize our mistake, the damage will have already been done.  It will then be too late to regret.  Therefore, we need to choose wisely which form to practice in order to receive the true benefits. ( by Master Chin Kung)

Introduction of Buddhism

It is necessary for us to a have correct understanding before practicing Buddhism; otherwise, all the time spent in cultivation will be futile, as the most superior result will not be attained.  Therefore, I would like to briefly explain the true nature of Buddhism.

Chinese history tells us that about three thousand years ago, Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism was born in Northern India.  He lived seventy-nine years and dedicated forty-nine of them to teaching.  In 67 AD, one thousand years after he entered Nirvana, these teachings were formally introduced into China.

Prior to acquiring a good knowledge of Buddhism, we need to understand the terms Buddha, Dharma, Buddhist Dharma and Buddhist teaching, as they are important to our cultivation.  Buddha is a Sanskrit word, meaning “wisdom and enlightenment”.  Why was it transliterated as Buddha and not translated into wisdom and enlightenment?  The meaning of “Buddha” is so profound and extensive that these two words were insufficient to cover the original meaning.  Therefore, transliteration was used with further explanations.

In essence, Buddha means wisdom.  In application or function, it means enlightenment.  There are three levels of wisdom.  First, “General and All Knowledge Wisdom” is the correct understanding of the noumena, or essence, of the universe.  It is the wisdom of knowing the general aspect of all existences, the wisdom of Theravada sages.  Second, “Differentiation Wisdom” is the wisdom that can correctly comprehend all the infinite phenomena of the universe, the wisdom of knowing the discriminative aspect of all existences, the wisdom of Bodhisattvas.  How did these phenomena arise?  From where?  In what way?  What were their results?  Third, “Overall and Perfect Knowledge Wisdom” is the exhaustive and perfect perception and comprehension of the truth of life and the universe without the slightest doubt or error, the wisdom of Buddhas.  Buddha Shakyamuni, possessing all three of these kinds of wisdom, completely understood the true reality of life and universe.  

The function of wisdom is enlightenment.  There are three classifications of enlightenment.  First is "self-enlightenment", a state in which one possesses no erroneous thoughts, views, speech or behavior.  Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas in Theravada Buddhism have attained this level of self-enlightenment, but have not yet generated the Bodhi mind to help others achieve enlightenment.  Second, is "enlightenment of self and others", a state in which one helps others to reach enlightenment after achieving his or her own.  Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism have attained this level.  Third is "Perfect Complete Enlightenment", a state in which one reaches perfection in both enlightenment for self as well as helping others to reach enlightenment.  This is the state of Buddhas.

The Buddha told us that this perfect wisdom and virtue are innate to all beings.  The sutras, recorded teachings of the Buddha, tell us that “all sentient beings can attain Buddhahood.” and “every being possesses the wisdom and virtuous character of the Buddha”.  In other words, all beings are equal to Buddhas in nature.  However, due to our discriminatory and wandering thoughts and attachments, which are the root cause of all sufferings and disasters, we have temporarily lost our original Buddha nature.  Thus, we continue being born into the endless cycle of birth and death. 

The more we rid ourselves of these wandering thoughts and attachments, the more we will experience freedom from suffering, and the more wisdom and enlightenment we will uncover.  Once we completely free ourselves from discriminatory and wandering thoughts and attachments, our fixations to certain ideas or objects, we will regain our lost Buddhahood; our original perfect enlightened state, our self-nature Buddha.

Possessing great wisdom and enlightenment enables us to truly know all that exists and all that is infinite.  This includes matters and objects as tiny as a speck of dust or the finest hair on the human body, to those as great as the infinite universe.  All of these are the objects of our perception, or wisdom and enlightenment.

The Buddha used the word Dharma to symbolize all these infinite phenomena.  Buddhist Dharma or Principle, is the infinite wisdom and enlightenment, the perception of all things and laws in life and the universe.  Chinese people often say that Buddhist Dharma is as infinite as the object perceived is infinite and the wisdom perceivable is infinite.  This wisdom is innate to our self-nature.

The Buddha said, “Our innate perception and the objects in the universe perceived are ONE not TWO.”  When we think about it logically, if the Buddha’s words are complete and perfect, then we can believe that this wisdom and enlightenment are ultimate and perfect.  However, if perceived and perceivable are opposites, then wisdom can hardly be complete and perfect, but rather it is limited. 

The Buddha told us that knowable and known, perceivable and perceived are ONE not TWO.  This is called the One True Dharma Realm, the most genuine, perfect and highest realm as explained to us in the Flower Adornment Sutra.  The Western Pure Land of the Pure Land School also belongs to and is not separate from the One True Dharma Realm.  This Western Pure Land, was created by Buddha Amitabha as an ideal place of cultivation as those who are born there are no longer subject to reincarnation within the six realms.

In 1923, a well-known Buddhist scholar, Mr. Jing-Wu Ou-Yang gave a speech at Nanjing Normal University in China, entitled “Buddhism is Neither a Religion Nor a Philosophy, but the Essential for Our Modern Time.”  It caused considerable sensation.  His well-documented speech gave much conclusive support to the proper definition and viewpoint of Buddhism.  

This question arises in all those who wish to better understand it.  Buddhism is a most virtuous and perfect education directed by the Buddha towards all sentient beings in the universe.  This education covers a boundless range of phenomena and principles that is much broader than what is currently studied in modern universities.  In regards to time, it encompasses the past, present and future.  In regards to space, it encompasses everything from our daily lives to the infinite universe.  Buddhism is an education of the wisdom and understanding of life and the universe.  It is not a religion.  The teachings of Confucius concerns one lifetime.  The teachings of the Buddha cover infinite lifetimes.

How can we tell that Buddhism is an education?  Today, the terms teacher and student are only used in school.  We call Buddha Shakyamuni, our Original Teacher and call ourselves students, as did our predecessors in ancient China.  This is unlike religions in which the god and his or her disciples do not have a teacher-student relationship, but rather a parent-child relationship.  In Buddhism, however, it is clearly stated that the Buddha is the teacher and we are the students.  Bodhisattvas and we are classmates; they were the Buddha’s former students while we are his current ones. 

Furthermore, a monk or nun is called He-shang, which is the transliteration of the Sanskrit word meaning a direct mentor who provides teachings and acts as our personal guide.  We share a close teacher-student relationship with this individual.  Temples, or Way Places, have only one He-shang.  Teachers who teach on behalf of the He-shang are called Asheli.  Their speech and behavior can be models for us to follow.  Others who do not directly teach would be called Dharma masters or Fashi.  They are like teachers whose lectures we do not attend or those who do not directly teach us.  All these terms are characteristics of education and are not found in religion.

For further examples of how Buddhism is an education, we can examine Chinese way places where the activities are held.  The way place is an educational institution combining Buddhist teaching and art, similar to the combination of a modern school and a museum.  Nowadays, people pursue the arts in everything.  Buddhism, however, practiced artistic teaching as early as three thousand years ago.

The staff organization of the way place further illustrates the similarity to modern schools.  The He-shang is equivalent to the principal of the school, deciding policies, making plans for courses of study and employing the teachers.  Reporting to the He-shang are three associates or program executives, who are in charge of everything directly related to teaching, advising and disciplining, and general services.  In China, a traditional way place was regarded as a Buddhist University.  From this administrative structure, we can further see that Buddhism truly is an education. 

 (by Master Chin Kung)

Do you know whether you have true friends or not?

True friend is someone who can help you when you are down mentally or financially. As a true friend, you can console your friend with your caring heart. As a true friend, if you friend demand for some money to get through the difficult period, you can help him because you care. In the true world, many are just superficial friend, they can only together when both no troubles. Once the friends got troubles, the so call friends are quickly disappear.  Do you know whether you have true friends or not? You can only know the true color of your friends while you are encountering some difficulties and see whether they can help you or not. Even you have 10 over years or more than twenty years old friends, do not think they are your true friends until you ask for their help and then you can see their true colors.
Mr. Malcolm and Mr. Indran are old classmates. They had frequently come out to drink coffee, go for entertainment events and discussing many social issues. In year 2008, Mr. Malcolm got burnt because of buying shares/stocks. Mr. Malcolm lost all of his investment and bank accounts became zero amounts but he needed to pay the broker firm for few hundred to settle the outstanding bills. With this panic situation,  Mr. Malcolm asked Mr. Indran for help requesting to borrow $200. Mr. Indran rejected Mr. Malcolm's repeated requests and gave many excuses like forgetting to bring ATM card,etc.
Although they had known each others for quite sometimes, Mr. Indran could not help him even he was quite well-off.
Mr. Malcolm felt very disappointed with this friend Mr. Indran. It looked like Mr. Indran was not his true friend.
After few months, Mr. Malcolm settled the debt hinself but both of them still continue to come out for drink coffee but Mr. Malcolm never mentioned about the debt.
10 years later, Mr. Malcolm facing another crisis that he was lost all his hard-earned money because of gaming. The new year eve was coming and Mr. Malcolm needed two hundred for giving incoming guests' kids Ang pao -some money to give kids for lunar new year. Mr. Malcolm again asked Mr. Indran for help requesting two humdred dollars. Mr. Indran replied in the SMS" Why not?. Until the new year eve, Mr. Indran still never ready wanted to help Mr. Malcolm. On new year eve, Mr. Malcolm was quite thick-skin, he phoned Mr. Indran but Mr. Indran simply replied " now at city". It was the clear sign that Mr. Indran had totally never concern Mr. Malcolm at all. The following few days, Mr. Malcolm never received any SMS Messages or calls from Mr. Indran.
This time, Mr, Malcolm thought: this is not the true friend at all and he no longer contacted Mr. Indran anymore.
Do you think Mr. Indran can be friend anymore? Is his the true friend of Mr. Malcolm?

On line discipline is very important

On line discipline is very important. Nowadays, many people visit social media and on line forums or blogs. Usually on line users will like to contribute their thoughts or opinions on  issues that being discussed. Can we on line users express our views freely? We ought to think that freedom of anythings, will these bring troubles to us? Yes, anyone can be in troubles if his comments or remarks that create hatred or personal attack or giving threatening words will be dwelt with if it against the law. So, freedom not means you can anyhow say or act anyhow because there is law existing. So, we all have to adopt the cautious and responsible manner while giving our thoughts or comments on line.
Why on line discipline is very important?
We ought not to use vulgar languages or words that contain " hurting elements " while we are enjoying the processing of reading on line. We have to mindful at all time while we are on line. Remember our remarks can be easily pass on to many people in the short span of time. We will be regret later if we gave the extreme comments because we might be sued by someone. And then we have to pay the higher price for that. Sometimes we might go to the jail if we are charged in court and found guilty. This will affect our future life. For those who want to work in civil service later on, he is likely to be rejected because of the bad behavior.
So, it is always good to us and others if we can make rational comments but not making irrational or hurtful remarks on line. By now, you should know how imprtant the on line discipline, am I right?
This is my thought today for my own reading.

How to live longer?

How to live longer? As the human being, it is not easy to live happily from the time we born until the day we pass away.
We see so many people can not ready die peacefully, some met with accidents, natural disasters, violence, protests, wars, kidnapping. Some are willing to die because of some belief that they can go heaven by doing some kinds of " holy acts", usually involving killing people out of hatred and selfishness.
So, you see human beings sometimes create their own bad destinies and thinking that they are right.
How to live longer? We human beings living in this earth full of struggles and we all have many desires that blind us constantly until our last breath.
Luckily, I have the chance to learn something to ready having peaceful life. It is not so difficult to have peaceful life if we can sort it out from our entangled mind. We use our conscious through our six senses and develop our own set of mindset. This mindset ultimately will decide our destinies in this earth. Whatever actions, thoughts are stored inside our sub-conscious mind and it will strengthen our next moves. That's why the importance of using our six senses is so important. People of wisdom know how to filter all information and absorb the good one. They know how to prevent miseries by doing all the good things and prevent misfortunes fall to them.
We can not live alone in this earth because this is the interdependent world. We become human beings because of many factors combined together. Everything exist in this world have the reasons.
How to live longer?
We know killing, stealing, having sex, telling lies, drinking alcohols are the things that highly spiritual people wouldn't do because saints know the importance of curbing all these desires to go back to the origin.     
If we have the mindset willing to go back to the origin, we will be blessed. So now you know how to live longer? Basically we have to get rid of greed, hatred towards the mind of orgin.

Why some actor, actress die so early?

Why some actor, actress die so early? It is because of their bad action, In Buddhism term called bad karma. These actors, actress acted films promoting violence, sex, unhealthy acts will not only affect their destinies-die early. They also influence audiences badly through their bad films. Earning these type of dirty money is ready bad and the bad luck will follow.
In Buddhism, we all have to responsible for all our action. The cause and effect is the truth, all can not escape. We all have to face retribution sooner or later.
I saw many getia singers who performed dirty acts, talk dirty words, sing dirty songs mostly had the miseries either died during the performance or after performance.
This is the great reminder. We ought to have healthy life so that we can live longer. We need to repent whatever bad things we have done in the past and stop doing this again. If we can accept the healthy way of living, we can have better life.

Singapore Buddhist Lodge distribute Hong Bao to needy

Singapore Buddhist Lodge distributed $702,710 to 11,694 needy senior citizens and the disabled on Yesterday, up from the $675,590 given out last year.Singapore Buddhist Lodge is one of the organization always like to do charity works. Singapore Buddhist Lodge helped needy regardless of race, language and religion. Singapore Buddhist Lodge has many members, it has library for Buddhists to read books about Buddhism. Singapore Buddhist Lodge also organize religious talk about Buddhism frequently. This is the one of the ideal place for Buddhist to learn Buddhism.
The amount of money distributed for this year's Chinese New Year makes it the highest amount so far, since the Lodge started the hong bao distribution in 1949.
Elderly folk under the public assistance scheme received $200 in their red packets this year, an increase from $180 per packet in 2012. In addition, Singapore Buddhist Lodge Welfare Foundation also donated $60,000 to National Kidney Foundation for transport allowance for their needy patients.
Acting Minister for Social and Family Development Mr Chan Chun Sing was the guest of honur at the ceremony and cheque presentation.
Singapore has so many organization like to do charity works and many Singaporeans always very generous when someone need help. Singaporeans are the very kind one indeed. I hope all Singaporeans can help each others, rich help poor and make Singapore the warm place to live. No conflict, no protest, solve all problems through peaceful means.... 

Worker party Lee Li Lian can win Puggol east by election

Worker Party Lee Li Lian can win Puggol east by election, Punggol east by-election to be held on 26 Feb 2013, who is the candidate to be likely the winner. I think Ms Lee Li Lian has the highest chance amongst the four.
Let's talk about Desmond Lee who had contested the last general election Punggol east by-election and he had lost the election deposit ten over thousands dollars. Desmond Lee got only 4.5 percent. Desmond Lee will 100 percent sure to lose the election deposit again because this is the four-cornered fight and this is more difficult for him to get more than 4.5 percent this time. The other reason is that he never held any rally on the field. Although he put on line rally on the face book or people can see his video on you-tube but the impact is not that good due to many negative comments there like poor commend of English, etc. Desmond Lee went to Reform Party rally to talk gave people the impression that he was the political joker and he said this was the example of opposition unity, how naive it is. The baby mindset will cost him the lowest support in this Punggol esat by-election. He said he wanted to be the third voice in parliament to check on the two dominant party in parliament. This type of remarks trigger people to think of the past election jokers like Harman Singh.
Now, Let's talk about JB's son Kenneth, although his strength is slightly better than Desmond Lim but his remarks like attacking other fellow opposition party Worker Party's performance on the parliament will upset many opposition supporters. He always pour cold water to the fellow opposition party. People who want to have opposition MP in parliament will not vote for him because they know it is totally useless to vote for him just to divide the potential worker party's candidate Ms Lee Li Lian. Sadly to say Kenneth will also lose the election deposit just like Desmond Lee.
How about Dr Koh? People will think how come so many things never get done during the time of Michael Palmer? Although he will get substantial numbers of votes but the 54 percents will drop. How many percents of votes drop will determine whether he can get elected or not.
Worker Party Lee Li Lian can win Puggol east by election, Ms Lee Li Lian had already contested on last general election on Puggol east, She got 41 percents. Because of her personality and experiences, She will get more than 41 percents this time.I predict that Desmond Lee will get 1 percent and Kenneth will get 1.5 percent of total votes. Worker Party's Lee Li Lian will geet 50 percent and Dr. Loh will get 47 percent, the rest are all invalid votes.
So, Can my prediction come true? It is most likely. See you on 26 Feb 2013.
Worker Party Lee Li Lian can win Puggol east by election, Let's see how Lee Li Lian spoke in the Workers' Party's rally.

Dear voters of Punggol East and fellow Singaporeans, welcome to the last rally for this BE! During my walkabouts, I have been asked by residents, young and old alike what I will do if I am elected. I have no million and multi-million projects to announce today, neither am I going to make you empty and false promises. If I am elected, the immediate and most important thing is to take over the town council and ensure a smooth operation, to serve Punggol East residents and take good care of the constituency; a most privileged role, if entrusted to me by the residents of Punggol East.
Today, I would like to speak to you about 3 issues.
Singapore has 5.31 million residents. Approximately 1.49 million of these are foreigners; 530,000 are PRs; and the remaining 3.29 million are Singaporean citizens.

Recently, the Prime Minister said that Singapore can accommodate 6 million people.

The Workers’ Party is not anti-immigrant. We welcome foreigners who can contribute to Singapore and enhance our quality of life. We are grateful to those who do the jobs that Singaporeans do not want to do. Their rights should be protected and we should ensure they enjoy decent and safe working and living conditions.
However, the speed of immigration in the last 10 years has taken many of us by surprise. In 2000, we had a total population of 4 million. In 2005, the population was 4.2 million. From 2005 to 2013, the population jumped from 4.2 million to 5.3 million.  Over 1 million people in just 8 years! And while the PAP government has opened the floodgate, they were ill-prepared for the influx and we, the people, have to pay a heavy price for this.
Our trains are overcrowded to the point of danger. In order to cope with the huge crowds, the frequency of train services had to be increased. This increased frequency led to strain on the train infrastructure. This strain increased wear and tear, and led to many train breakdowns.
The pace of the influx of foreigners must not exceed the development of infrastructure, like public transport networks, hospitals and schools. Unfortunately, for the past 10 years, infrastructure development has lagged behind population growth, which is the cause of so much unhappiness among Singaporeans. We also have to keep in mind Singaporeans’ sense of well-being and identity, as we allow in so many foreigners.
However, we do not believe that immigration is a long term solution to our population problems.
The next 2 issues have been brought up several times by Singaporeans but nothing gets done! I have also mentioned this in my rally speeches in GE2011.
1^st group, stay at home parents,
Work fare bonus is only meant for people with an income.  As an inclusive society, have we forgotten ‘stay at home parents’ who do not earn an income?
These stay at home parents or home makers have chosen to stay at home to take care of the house and family so that other members of the family can go out to work or attend school, and have piping hot meals served to them when they come home.  They are the CEO of the HOUSE but they are given none or very little recognition for their valuable contribution to home and society.
They have chosen a profession that is no less important than any salaried job, and have often put their careers on hold to nurture the next generation.  They should not be forgotten!
The Workers’ Party proposes that stay at home parents should receive the same infant care and childcare subsidies as other working parents!
Our inclusive society has also forgotten the 2^nd group, single parents, who are Singapore citizens and whose daughter and son will bear and nurture future generations as well as serve National Service.
Did you know that single parents can only purchase HDB BTO Flats only when they are 35 and above?
Regardless of marital status, all parents love and want to provide their children with the best they possibly can.  Some single parents need caregivers too, but they are excluded from working mothers’ child relief, grandparent caregiver relief and foreign maid-levy relief.
Babies from single parents are also not eligible for Baby Bonus.
While having children outside of marriage should continue to be discouraged in our society, children born to single parents should not be denied the benefits that children of married parents receive.  The children are innocent parties and should not start life being disadvantaged.  Single parents should receive the same parenthood benefits packages as married parents.
Allow me to quote our pledge, ‘happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation’.  How can there be actual progress when stay at home parents and single parents are being left behind! We, the citizens of Singapore should move together as one people under one Flag!
Currently, the Parliament is made up of 80 PAP MPs vs 6 elected Opposition MPs.  There is a great imbalance in Parliament right now.  That is why there is an urgent need to vote more Workers’ Party candidates into Parliament.
On 26^th Jan 2013, your ballot paper is not just a piece of paper with a cross on it. It is a piece of paper that will send a signal to the ruling party that all is not well.  We need more constructive changes!
Voters of Punggol East, Vote Workers’ Party! Vote for Lee Li Lian!
Undilah Parti Pekerja! Undilah Lee Li Lian!

晚上好！我们又见面了！
很快地，我们来到最后一场群众大会。我要感谢榜鹅东居民，来自新加坡各地的朋友，也要感谢很多工作人员，尤其是义工，以及媒体记者朋友们，这一个多星期来，知道大家都辛苦了。谢谢你们。
我今晚要跟大家谈的。首先是大家非常关注的外来人口。
新加坡的总人口现在是531万人，外国居民有149万，永久居民53万人，剩下的329万人，才是新加坡公民。也就是说，差不多每四个新加坡人当中，就有一个是外国人。
总理最近刚说过，新加坡人口还可以继续增加，到600万人。
大家不要误会，工人党从来不排外，也不反对引进，能帮助建设新加坡，帮助提高我们的生活素质的，外来人口。新加坡人不喜欢做的一些工作，客工进来填 补空缺，我们应该维护客工应有的权益，让他们能在安全有尊严的情况下，在我们这里工作和生活。我相信大多数新加坡人也和工人党一样，都有这样的包容心，去 容纳外来人口。
但是大家还记不记得，我们十年前的人口有多少？2000年，总人口400万；2005年，增加一点点，420万。但是从2005年到2013年，人口突然三级跳，从420万增加到530万！短短八年，人口增加了100万！
谁也没想到的是，我们的行动党政府眼光竟是如此短浅，一边打开大门，大量引进外来人才，却完全没有同时对外来人口涌进来后所带来的种种社会负担做好准备。搞到现在阵脚大乱，然后，一切的后果和代价，要我们人民来承担！
结果怎样呢？地铁上人挤人，为了让地铁不那么拥挤，只好增加地铁班次。但是班次增加了，就表示地铁用得多了；东西用得多当然也就容易坏，所以地铁就常常发生故障！使到上班族叫苦连天，学生也迟到。
重点是，过去十年，我们国家的基础设施的发展，例如公共交通、医院、学校等等，完全跟不上外来人口大量进来后，所带来的额外需求。外来人口越来越 多，也让新加坡人的身份认同变得模糊。这些，才真正是人民不满的原因！ 2011年大选之后，工人党夺下了阿裕尼集选区，行动党政府才好像被掴了一巴掌，才愿意醒过来！
另一个我想要谈的是，放弃工作，全职在家照顾孩子的家长。
现在，只有那些有工作，有收入的人，才有资格领取“Workfare Bonus”，就业奖励花红。 那么，那些为了照顾家庭，照顾子女，而放弃工作的人，他们怎么办呢？他们放弃工作，待在家里，把一家大小照顾妥当，把子女好好抚养成人。这些全职父母的贡 献，难道就不重要吗？难道我们就可以把他们排除在外吗？
所以，我 建议没有工作，待在家里帮忙照料孩子的家长，能够和有工作的家长一样享受育儿津贴。
国会目前有80位行动党议员和6位当选的在野党议员。
大家觉得这是一个成熟的民主社会应该有的国会吗？
6 位在野党议员就够了吗？
一党独大的局面，是我们想要的吗？
今天是榜鹅东补选的最后一场群众大会。请榜鹅东选民，给我一个机会，给工人党一个机会，为您服务。我会尽心尽力维护您的权利，也会管理好市镇会。
一月二十六日， 投工人党一票，投李丽连一票,迈向第一世界国会!

Buddhism teach us the path of peace

I remember when I was the primary school student, I needed to study History. We learned about Singapore history the past and present. We also learned history about neighboring countries. We also had the chance to learn all major religions in the world. So, I had the basic knowledge about Singapore religion.
Every religions are very important for their followers because it give them the guidance in life. All religions are to upgrade people's spiritual level.
Recently I read through some religious books and I found that Buddhism teachings are very useful in our daily life. Actually Buddhism is not the religion in the earlier years and it is the philosophy telling us how to have the happier and peaceful life.
The basis is to get rid of greed, hatred ,stupidity and learn to get rid of desires like greed, and have the stable mind or meditated mind and get rid of hatred and then having the wisdom so as to get rid of stupidity.
The concept of karma tells us that We all must responsible for all our actions and this actions will affect our next life. It tells us that the life is not just present life only. We have past life, present life and future life. If we do not want to get rid of our negative mindsets, we will be living either in heaven, hell, ghost realm, animal realm, human realm according to our karma bad or good. This is called reincarnation.
All these teachings actually were taught by the awaken one Buddha. Through his teaching, we learn how to have good habits. We do not kill any animals out of compassion because all these animals might be the human in last life because of stupidity they now are animals.
After reading all these teachings, I finally find the real path of peace.

Punggol by election rally Schedule

 Punggol east by-election rallies.

The Workers' Party (WP) will hold a rally for the Punggol East by-election on this Wednesday 23-01-2013. The rally site is at the open field in front of Blk 183C Rivervale Crescent between 7pm and 10pm.This is the final rally for the Singapore Worker's Party the Singapore responsible, rational and strongest opposition party which had the strongest support in opposition camp. Singapore Worker's party was performed extremely excellent in GE2011, It finally broke through the monopoly of GRC being controlled by the giant PAP since 1988, how many years? About 22 years, nobody broke through but Worker party shattered the PAP''s dream finally. Can Worker party break through the SMC seat in this Punggol east by-election. It is possible even those SMC seats usually are the strongest wards. Why I say that, in the last general election, no opposition parties could win SMC seats beside Hougang SMC. If Punggol east voters are willing to give chances to Worker's Party, then We all can have one more Worker's Party MP soas to quicken the balance and to cut a bit of power from PAP. I think this is ready the very good development. I think the chance is very high due to the fearless voters nowadays.

The WP candidate is 34-year-old sales trainer Lee Li Lian. She will give her speech on the rally. Lee Li Lian  had previously said she intended to hold "about three rallies" during this campaign. Lee Li Lian is the outgoing, sincere person, She will bring out many concerning issues in Parliament. Few days ago, She talked about MALE Maternity leave and now we have heard the good news that government has announced the plan now, wow, so fast response...good news. To have more good news, vote for worker party's candidate Lee Li Lian is the only and the best choice.Vote for the hope and moving towards first world parliament.
Many Ponggol east voters will go to the rally to support her. A very big crowd is expected because The Worker's Party rallies people simply enjoy it.....

Desmond Lim the ultimate loser in Punggol east by-election 2013

In this Punggol east by-election, we can learn something from all candidates. Let's talk about the veteran SDA candidate Desmond Lim, Can Desmond Lee get more than 4.5 percents of total votes. In the 2011 Singapore general election, there was three-corned fight, Mr. Lim got 4.5 percent of total votes in Punggol east SMC. 4.5 Percent was considered quite good for him from my point of view. Actually I predicted that he would get 1 percent, so my prediction was wrong.
How about this Punggol east by-election, Can Demond Lim secured his 4.5 percent strong votes, it is unlikely because this is the four cornered fight, I predicted that Desmond Lee will get less than 4.5 percent and I think he will get about 1.5 percent of total votes, he wouldn't so lucky to get 4.5 percent as last general election. This time there is one more party slightly better than SDA''s. Amongst all the four candidates, Desmond Lee is the last choice because majority of voters will not vote for him simply because he is the confirmed loser based on his track record in his longest political work. If I am not wrong he was already in politics more than 15 years.
Why more voters do not want to vote for Desmond Lee because of the following:
Dsemond Lim does not have the charm as political guy from my personal view . Although he was creative or innovative in certain things like using van with his photo, hand phone nos but why all these could not translate it to the victory or more votes?.I think he is more suitable to be the salesman rather than being the MP.
Desmond Lee just like the ox but he is wasting his time and efforts because he will be the confirmed loser based on his past performances in GE2006, GE2011. Why he wants to waste the deposit? But We all have to respect his decision because of democracy process, anybody can contest as long as you are the citizen.
Although he was having the most propaganda from the local newspaper in GE2011, But all these could not help him much. I think the negative impact from the conflict with the respectable Chiam See Tong cost him much. Desmond Lim should have established the harmonious relationship with the legend Chiam See Tong. Desmond Lee made the wrong move not only cost his own political life. If he could helped Chiam See Tong in GE2011, He would possibly the winner in the future.
If he can change the mindset and adopt this mindset  the unity of opposition parties. Then he has the chance to win next time, unfortunately he has no such mindset. In this aspect, Mr. Chee is more rational. Unlike Mr. Chee, Desmond Lim said he is going to check on PAP and WP in the parliament if he is elected. Is this the joke? I think he has to adopt the above-mentioned mindset-unity of opposition parties and build up his own party first. How come we only see a group of youngster? How about the SDA members or SJT members?
I have to say he is not only losing his election deposit this time and many times.

Lee Li Lian speech on Punggol east by-election 2013

Lee Li Lian speech on Punggol east by-election 2013
Good evening everyone! I am Lee Li Lian, the Workers’ Party’s candidate for Punggol East SMC.
I am very happy to be here to speak to you again. Thank you for coming tonight to show us your support!
I joined the Workers’ Party in 2006, more than six years ago. I met many of you in my walkabouts in GE2011 and you have shared your concerns with me. And you gave me 41 per cent of the votes. Thank you for your faith – I hope I can build on this for this by-election.
I have been working in the Eunos division of Aljunied GRC with MP Pritam Singh. During these past two years, I gained valuable experience in addressing the problems of many ordinary Singaporeans left behind by the PAP’s policies. This will better help me serve you as your MP.
I have met with young families who cannot afford to buy their own HDB flats or struggle to pay off their loans; elderly Singaporeans who have no savings or are struggling to pay their medical bills; parents who worry about the rising cost of education and increasing competition and  families who struggle to take care of both their children and elderly parents. I worry if our children can afford to live in Singapore 20 years down the road?
My fellow Singaporeans, like you, I am a heartlander working hard to make a living. I share many of these concerns.
Tonight I would like to talk about some of the problems that many Singaporeans, young and old are facing. Many of you shared some of these problems with me in 2011 when I was walking the ground then. Now 2 years later, many of these concerns still remain.
Punggol East has many young families – couples who are thinking of having children, or parents who already have children. Many also have to take care of their elderly parents.
Do you know that fees of childcare centres have gone up 34% in just five years?
In 2007, the average fee for a full-day childcare and infant-care programme was $680 a month. In 2012 it was about $914 a month.

In the same period, the number of childcare centres grew from 743 to 1,009. Usually greater competition means better prices. But this is in fact the opposite! Why? Because of rental costs.
Since 2009, “Anchor Operators” have dominated the childcare industry in Singapore. These Anchor Operators enjoy many public subsidies. They enjoy grants for:
(a)  rental cost;
(b)  set-up and furnishing cost;
(c)  teacher recruitment; and
(d)  manpower training.
These grants come up to an estimated $69 million since 2009. This is over half-a-million dollars of taxpayer subsidies per new childcare centre built by the Anchor Operators. In addition, Anchor Operators operate mostly from HDB void decks at rents of between $2 and $4 per square metre!
There are only two childcare centre operators that qualify as Anchor Operators. They are My First Skool – run by the NTUC; and PCF Sparkletots – affiliated to the ruling People’s Action Party.
If NTUC and PCF enjoy such huge public subsidies, why are childcare centre fees going up?
Young fathers today want to contribute to caring for their babies and easing the burden of their wives. Survey after survey shows that younger men are more involved in taking care of their children.
A number of businesses have signalled to the government that they are open to the idea of government-supported paternity leave because this is likely to increase productivity and well-being in the long-run. Wives have already expressed their support for longer paternity leave for their husbands.
So what is the government waiting for?
After worrying about the costs of living and having children, we then have to worry about our stressful education system. The PSLE in particular seems to end up being a hugely stressful experience for both children and parents.  Please do not get me wrong. I believe that healthy competition can be good.
But should a 12 year old child face the most important examination of his pre-teens life – an examination that may affect his entire future?
We are seeing unhealthy stress levels in our education system. We have students committing suicides because they did not do well enough for their exams. An estimated 1 in 10 children aged 6 to 16 suffer from mental health disorders. One child lost is one child too many.
While it is good that the Ministry of Education has decided not to name the top PSLE students in the media, to help reduce  competitiveness and stress, much more can still be done.
PSLE is still a high-stakes examination. If you do not do well at PSLE, you will always be struggling to catch up with your peers because of secondary school streaming. The formative years of our young children should also be better spent on nurturing their many talents and interests rather than forcing preparations for high-stakes examinations on them. We should study the feasibility of a primary-secondary school integrated programme and other ways to reduce the pressure to perform in the PSLE.
While Punggol East is a relatively young estate, we must not forget our senior citizens who have worked hard and contributed to nation building and growth of our country.
At the age of 75, most of our senior citizens are unemployed.  For those who are employed, they can hardly make ends meet.  This is why our seniors who are 75 and above should be allowed to use their Medisave for medical treatment without restriction. Medical cost has become a huge necessity as one grows older. At the age of 75 Medisave should be used to support immediate needs. Life expectancy in Singapore is 82 years. If our seniors cannot used their Medisave funds for immediate medical needs when they are 75 years old, when can they use it?
Allowing unrestricted use of Medisave for them will also ease the burden on families who have to take care of elderly parents and young children as well.
My fellow Singaporeans and residents of Punggol East, if we want to build strong and stable families and truly invest in the future of our nation, we need to get our policies right.
I am also an ordinary Singaporean. I grew up in a three room HDB flat. I am not a high-flier or government scholar. I did not do very well earlier in my schooling years but I worked hard and made it to Ngee Ann Poly and eventually graduated from Curtin University in Australia. In order to ease the financial burden on my parents, I did part-time work when I was just 15 years old.
I am running for this by-election because I want a better Singapore not only for us, but also for our children.
Residents of Punggol East, WP has the experience to manage the estate and constituency and I will strive to build a strong and engaged community in Punggol East. I will work my hardest to represent you and be your voice in Parliament.
Vote for our future. Vote for the Workers’ Party, and vote for me, Lee Li Lian, on polling day next Saturday, 26^th of January.

Time to wake up

Time to wake up.This is the post to remind me to wake up. I had been having the long deep sleep recently. When I mention " long and deep sleep ". I mean I was in the state of confusion and I need to wake up now.
Although I had been quite awake in the past, but I slowly fall into confusion and now I need to wake up one more time.
Life sometimes is unpredictable, we can not assume that every things will be gone smoothly. Yes, Time to wake up.
Time to wake up. The more you want to change for the better, the more obstacles will come to test you. Sometimes the negative forces were so strong that you will slowly dance with the negative forces without ready noticing it.
Luckily there are always someone who will advise us when we were astray for a while. Life is the journey, we ought to learn from all setbacks and obstacles.
Please do not give up, we ought to be strong so that we can ready live happily. This post is specially dedicated to you-the hero.

Good bus captain

Taking bus home sometimes can be the happy journey.  Yesterday morning, I took SBS Bus no. 174, I felt so happy on the bus. The driver or so call Bus captain was so caring, friendly and passionate. He is the Indian driver around 40years old. When you go to the bus, he will greet you" Good morning ", he greets every passenger. When passengers go down, he will say:" Have the nice day, bye bye." When the weak old man or woman go up the bus, he will wait until he get seated then moves the bus. He pass by every bus stop to see any passenger need the bus service. He indeed the good bus captain.
This type of caring, courteous bus captain, I think we need more. When the bus reaches Interchange, he will stand up and say to all passengers " have the nice day ". The bus captain make every passengers happy and of course he also feel happy.
Thanks Mr. Good Bus Captain.  Note: Encounter date 25-11-2012, time around 0800hrs to 0840 hrs, SBS BUS NOS : SBS8203E, 40 YEARS OLD Indian DRIVER.

Buddha quotes

Buddha quotes :

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

Coolinstar9's comment:

Yes, our life actually are decided by our own thoughts. If we have bad thoughts then we will definitely do bad action. If we have non-violence thoughts then we will always mindful not to carry out cruel acts.

Thoughts are so powerful that can benefit people or hurt people. Just look at Hitler who had hatred towards Jews then Hitler carried out the killing operation, put poisonous gas and killed so many Jews. With the conquering mindset, Hitler conquered neighboring countries and brought agonies to people. Hitler finally killed himself.

Some other people like Teresa went to India to help the sicked, the poor. It benefited many people there and showed us what the love was.

So, thoughts are so important in our daily lives.

How about if we have pure mind, it will be very wonderful because the indescribable joy will follow us just like the shadow always follow us if we under the sun.

Nobody can actually change your mind, you are the one can actually change your mind for the better. That's why pure mind is the best. But do not force yourself, many people have to go through siffering life then he can finally realize this a bit. The rest of us sadly to say that they will like the leaves on the flowing river.

See you in the next Buddha quotes.

Buddha quotes

 In this world, we can see many Buddha images everywhere. Buddha was the person of highest wisdom, he knew the truth of the universe and ways of living peacefully. Many people are still benefited by Buddha's teaching. Its teachings are always practical even today. Let's start learning Buddha quotes to see which one can apply to our daily life.

Buddha quotes nos 1

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Coolingstar9's comment:

Yes, it is so important to focus " now". The past had already past, if we had done something not proper, do not always think that and block us from moving forward. We have to rethink and do not repeat the mistakes again. In order to have bright future whether in business and spiritual life, we have to start concentrate now. Remember the time is precious, once we miss it, we will forever lose the time.

Dear friends, if you have any plans, please focus it now.

This Buddha quotes actually are benefiting people not just me.

See you again, enjoy the next Buddha quotes. Sometimes few words can awaken us. As you know Buddha wanted us to experience ourselves, do not just follow blindly. It is important to have more-opened heart and big heart after learning all these quotes. This is the toughest challenges for us to slowly get rid of greediness, hatred and stupidity. It is so fortunate that we have the chances to learn Buddha quotes. We need to have big heart as big as the sky.  

Do necessary things in life

Do necessary things in life.Looking back, I find that I have wasted a lot of time on unnecessary things. I wrote those blog posts that related to Singapore general election, USA Presidential election, Gaagnam style topics  and many blog posts that will not benefit readers in positive ways. With so many rubbishes in my mind, it is time to stop all these and turn the new chapter.
To turn on new chapter, we have to prepare to adopt the life style that different from most of people.
Do necessary things in lifeIf we continue to adopt the non-enlightened ways and pass day by day. We will be wasting time.
But many of us will never think of improving our spiritual level even before he dies.  They totally do not understand the benefits of it. They just focus on their bodies excitement, materials gain, chasing all unnecessary things.
Luckily there are still someone who show good examples and we can learn from all these people.
Do necessary things in lifeI intend to stop going for Internet forums and discussion because too many negative people there and it is hard to communicate with most of them because they have too deep attachment on bad deeds.
See you next post here....

Peace is the highest happiness

My friend just recommend me to see this you tube video: Peace is the highest happiness . I think this video may be can give you some hints in your life. We need freedom earlier ...

Change our fate

 Healthy life is so important if we want to live happily without any misfortunes. How to have healthy life? Please read all the posts from now on.
Fate is the outcome of the past. Do not let the past control us. We can change it by doing all kinds of good things with sincerity. Always keep our mind pure and free from cunning mindset, we will be the truly happy person. Obstacles are bound to have, please do not scare and this is the testing to see how good, how patient we are. Life is ready short, time to rethink our goal. We all have to prepare for our next journey. How to prepare? Stop all the worldly desires because this desires can not help us to go to the peaceful world after death. Free from all unwanted thoughts, comparison , we will be peaceful. Please rethink and go towards the path of harmony.

Buddhism Questions and Answers

Time to learn something useful from the awaken one-the Buddha.

Is Buddhism a religion?

Buddhism is neither a religion nor not a religion.

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is the teachings of Buddha. It shows humanity how to avoid suffering, attain happiness, unfold our wisdom, become enlightened and in this way benefit self and others.

Who is Buddha?

Shakyamuni Buddha. He was born Prince Siddartha in Lumbini near Kapilavathu, northern India, (present day Nepal) about 2,500 years ago. He attained the Supreme Enlightenment and thus became the "Awakened One". He was born in this world because humanity needs a teacher of the Truth - the natural order of all things in the universe.

What is the meaning of the word "Buddha"?

It means "Awakened One".

What are Buddha�s teachings?

Buddha teaches one to be free from all illusions and to view things as they truly are. He teaches one to avoid all evils, do all that are good, and to purify one�s mind.

Do Buddhists believe in God?

If the meaning of God is one who is the creator of all things, then Buddhism neither shares this belief nor teaches this concept.

Why do Buddhist practice Buddhism?

They do so because they wish to avoid suffering and attain happiness, unfold their wisdom, eradicate their undesirable conduct, seek liberation and lessen the hindrances of their negative Karma.

What is Karma?

Karma are actions created by one�s body, speech and mind. There are two kinds of karma - virtuous karma and evil karma.

How do Buddhists practice Buddhism?

Buddhists practice Buddhism by Being With Buddha at all times in the course of their daily lives, because Buddha is compassionate, wise, has eradicated all evils and cultivated all that are good, and the Buddha mind is calm and pure.

Why do Buddhists worship the image of Buddha?

Buddhists do not worship Buddha. The image of the Buddha is to enable Buddhists to pay their respects to the great teacher, Buddha. Since the Buddha has great compassion, wisdom and a pure mind, the image of Buddha also serves to remind Buddhists to remember, learn and emulate these virtuous qualities.

What is a Bodhisattva?

An awakened being, who has feelings, enlightens self and others, and benefits self and others. A Bodhisattva can become a Buddha through observing the six Paramitas (Giving, observing the Precepts, endurance under insults, zeal and progress, meditation on Zen & Samadhi, wisdom), but vows to remain in the realm of incarnation to save others.

What does "Three Treasures" mean?

The Dharma is taught by all Buddhas of the past, present and future. If not for the sublime and wonderful teachings of the Buddhas, all sentient beings will never be able to receive the benefits of the Dharma. If not for the selfless efforts of the great past, present and future Bodhisattvas and Sangha who shoulder the responsibility of spreading the Dharma and continuing the Buddha-wisdom life, it would not be possible for the Dharma to remain in this world for long. The "Buddha" who is capable of expounding on the Dharma, the "Dharma" that is expounded by the Buddha, and the "Sangha", the community of monks and nuns spreading the Dharma, are of value which cannot be measured with money. They are therefore called "treasures" and, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha are called the Three Treasures.

What are the "Five Desires"?

The five desires arise from the objects of the five senses: things seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched. They also refer to the five desires of wealth, sex, food-and-drink, fame and sleep.

What does "Root" mean in Buddhism?

Root means a source which is capable of producing or growing something. The six-sense organs of a human being, namely, eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind, are the six roots. Through these six roots, the distinguishing senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and thoughts are produced. 

 Let us see article from  Tan Chade Meng as below:

This essay tells of my experience as a practitioner of the Dharma and my practice of Mindfulness. It also explains the importance of mindfulness in the practice of Buddhism and how one can develop it.

LIVING THE DHARMA - ONE MAN'S FIRST BABY STEP
by Tan Chade Meng
The Dharma (the Teachings of the Buddha) is a living knowledge. The Dharma is neither just a collection of discourses, nor just a system of belief. It is an art of living in peace and happiness. The Dharma has to be "lived".
What does one mean by "Living the Dharma"? For me, the entire essence of living the Dharma can be summarized into one very skillfully coined word, "Mindfulness". "Mindfulness, I declare, is useful everywhere", declared the Buddha some 25 centuries ago. After practicing Mindfulness for a while, I found the fruits of the practice to be enormous! I discovered that by being mindful of myself, my body, thoughts, state of mind, feelings and emotions, I became much happier.
Firstly, I learned to appreciate things much more. In life, there are too many things most of us take for granted most of the time. The love and company of our families, friends and loved ones, the roof over our heads, the fact that we are not in some form of extreme pain, even the very air that we breath in! We take all our blessings for granted. The unfortunate thing is that most of us don't appreciate what we have until we lose them. Only if we go blind will we start to think, "it was so nice when we could see". I discovered that if we are constantly appreciative of what we have, we become much happier. Mindfulness certainly helped me towards this end. By being constantly mindful of myself, I found that I become more able to appreciate all the little things around me. Hence, this is a source of happiness.
Perhaps the more important power of Mindfulness is its power to deal with distress. After practicing Mindfulness for a while, we would make an important discovery, that we tend to REACT towards situations. When something happens, or somebody says or does something, we react with anger, or happiness, or hatred etc etc. From here, I learned the first and most important lesson about happiness, that I am fully responsible for how I feel. Thus, it is not skillful to say, "he MAKES ME feel angry". If he "MAKES me" feel angry, then why is it that ten other people in the same situation would react in ten different ways? And not all of them would be angry.
The truth is that *I* react with anger to the situation. So it's more skillful to say, "*I* feel angry about what he said", instead of "*HE* makes me...". There is an important difference here. The difference is that I take full responsibility for my own feelings instead of putting the responsibility on somebody else, and I started to look towards myself for my own happiness. That, I realized, is the key to happiness. If only we could work with our reactions, we would stop being angry, or be less angry, in the same situation. The same applys to other painful feelings like disappointment, hatred etc.
This is where the power of Mindfulness lies. When I am mindful of my state of mind and emotions at all time, I begin to get a "feel" of how it works. When something happens, I notice "anger arising...arising...", and after a while, "anger falling ... falling..., feeling of regret arising ...", and so on. What is most amazing is that after a while, I began to develop some mastery over my reactions! So when anger or hatred arises, I was mindful of its arising and thus able to dissipate it. I was no longer a slave of my reactions, getting swamped by my feelings, but I had developed some say of how I should feel.
The wonderful thing is that now, I was able to practice what I already knew. In the past, I knew, for example, that I should not have shouted at my friend. Unfortunately, I couldn't control myself, and this "I knew I shouldn't have" becomes just an elusive, useless knowledge. It's just like a compulsive gambler, he *KNOWS* for a fact that what he is doing is hurting himself and his family, but he simply couldn't help it. He has no mastery over himself. With Mindfulness, I began to develop some mastery over myself and I became more able to apply the "I should not do it" knowledge to make my life better.
I discovered that with Mindfulness, I am more able to work with my feelings. I became more patient, less likely to be angry, more able to take disappointments, more able to accept myself and those around me. I am also more appreciative, my emotions more peaceful, and my mind more concentrated. Simply put, I feel better.
I learned the art of developing Mindfulness from a few Teachers. The instructions I received for the practice of Mindfulness is surprisingly simple.
The first step of the practice is some sitting meditation. Find some place quiet and sit in a comfortable position, keeping the spine straight. Put your hands on your lap, close your eyes and be aware of your breathing. When you breath in, know that you are breathing in. When you breath out, know that you are breathing out. After a few minutes, when you feel calm, bring your awareness to your body. Be aware that your body exists. Be aware of its sensations. It is amazing how much of our sensations we miss out when we're not observing our body. If an itch develops, be aware of that. Try to observe it, and observe your reaction to the sensation. Learn not to "judge" the sensation. Don't think, "this is *MY* itch", just think of it as "this is itch". Just observe it as a feeling and try to accept it and come to terms with it. If the itch becomes unbearable, observe your aversion to it, observe your intention to scratch. If you really have to scratch, slowly reach out to the "hot-spot", observe every step of the movement, and observe the the entire process and sensation of scratching. After that, observe your reaction to the scratching and slowly put your hand back.
After observing your body, try to observe your thoughts. If a thought arises, observe its arising. If one thought leads to another, observe that. Observe your reactions to your thoughts and any intentions you may have. Upon observing your thoughts, try observing your emotions. How do you feel? If you feel happy, observe this feeling of "happiness". If you feel sad, observe this feeling. Try not to think of them as "*MY* feelings", but just think of them as "feelings" and fully experience them. See how they feel like, see how you react to them. Try to come to terms with your feelings and fully accept them. After observing your feelings, repeat the full cycle again for as long as you feel comfortable about it.
After sitting meditation, it is extremely useful to do some walking meditation. The meditative state of mind we developed in sitting meditation helps us to be mindful about ourselves. Walking meditation is an extremely good compliment to that because it helps us to maintain that Mindful state in non-sitting situations. In other words, it helps us to maintain Mindfulness in our daily lives.
The instructions for walking meditation is very simple. There are a few forms of walking meditation, but we'll just discuss one. Just stand straight and look 5 feet ahead of you. Mindfully lift one foot, and observe that you are doing so. Slowly thrust it forward and be aware of that. Then slowly step it down and observe that. Do the same with the other foot and so on. When you reach the end, remain standing and observe "standing .... standing ....", then slowly turn back, observe "turning .... turning ...", and continue walking again. Do it for as long as you feel comfortable with.
With some practice, we will find that we can gain some degree of constant awareness about ourselves. We will find ourselves more able to experience our feelings, and more able to come to terms with them. We will also begin to gain some insights about ourselves, how our minds and emotions work, how we keep reacting to sensations. In time, this insight can give us some mastery over our reactions. That is when we begin to be able to dissipate anger, handle disappointments, etc. It is here that I understood the Zen saying from the great Bodhidharma, that when one gains insight into oneself, one walks towards Enlightenment (the cessation of all sufferings).
Many of us face one problem, we try too hard. We get very tensed up expecting fast results. When we don't get the results within a few days, we get very frustrated. I discovered that in meditation, and in life in general, learning to love oneself is very important. One very important point is learning to be gentle to ourselves. If we are not getting fast results, remind ourselves that we have just started. Think of ourselves as babies learning to walk. See the baby trying to make a step and falling. So cute, isn't it? Notice we never blame the baby, but instead just laugh at that failure and gently encourage the baby to try again? Such loving gentleness. Try putting this feeling towards ourselves. The least helpful thing for us is to be ashamed of our failures. Accept our failures, and try to give ourselves some gentle and loving encouragements like we would to a baby. This attitude of loving oneself is extremely important, for life in general and meditation in particular.
Many beginners have a problem "breathing". We have this problem because we think that the breath should be smooth and steady, but when we try, we often run out of air and have to take in deep breaths every now and then. Then we start to blame ourselves for doing it "wrong". Actually, there is no "wrong" way of breathing. If we have to take a deep breath, just do so, and just observe that we're doing it. If we take short breaths, or run out of air, we just remedy it if necessary and observe it. In time, our breaths will be smooth like experienced meditators' because we stop being worried about what is the "right" way to breath. This is one example of a problem that exists only because we worry about it.
Of course, there are also many of us who often go to sleep in the 2nd or 3rd minute of sitting meditation. Here again, I suggest that loving oneself is important. If we feel we're not trying hard enough, try to give ourselves some loving and gentle encouragements to try harder. It is very unhelpful to feel guilty. Laugh at and with ourselves and give ourselves gentle encouragements.
One wonderful thing about this meditation is that it can be practiced by anybody, regardless of religion or lack of religion. The meditation asks for one to be aware of one�s breath, thoughts etc. Whatever our religion is, we will definitely have breath, thoughts, emotions etc, and no religion would say it is wrong to be aware of them. Most importantly, whether or not we believe in some God or gods, the same benefits of Mindfulness can still be reaped. The Dharma is truly an universal teaching.
In recent years, "meditation" has become some sort of a popular sport. People makes all sorts of claims about the miracles their "meditations" can do. I'm sorry, but the Mindfulness meditation I described above is *NOT* designed to help us to hear celestral sounds, or see images, or go out-of-body, or "feel-God", or float in the air. All the Mindfulness meditation did for me was to make me more mindful, develop insights about myself, develop more mastery over my reactions, and make me more able to be happy. The only "miracle" it can give is the miracle of happiness. If you are looking for other miracles, sorry for your time wasted with this article.
Mindfulness is a truly wonderful thing. The Buddhist meditation for the development of Mindfulness is Vipassana Meditation (or Insight Meditation), which is the meditation I have learned. What I described in this essay contains what I have learned, but I do not claim to teach Vipassana because I have only learned so little.
I have only taken my first baby step. There is still a lot more ground to cover. I believe that I have found a most wonderful teaching. The Dharma is like a great lake. It is calm, deep, wide and beautiful. It is a great nourisher of life within and around it. When its full potential is unleashed, it is awesome. I wrote this article to share what I have found with you. I hope your path towards peace and happiness is a fruitful one.

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"Everything we do is an act of poetry or painting if we do it with Mindfulness" -- Thich Nhat Hanh