In a loop of understanding, where there is nothing much I can say, but to smile.

The heart beats.

The mind is still.

dhammaeverywhere:

You can meditate anywhere, anytime.

—Sayadaw U Tejaniya

(cartoon by Hor Tuck Loon)

To learn and understand more on Buddha’s teaching; The Dhammapada: Verses and Stories in Pali text and English translation. 

sharanam:

Is the human brain your brain, or is it the brain of mankind? This is really a very serious question. Is your brain an individual brain or the brain of humanity? When you say it is my brain, when you say it is my consciousness, is it so? Or is it the consciousness of mankind? Enquire into it. You suffer, you are uncertain, you are anxious, you are in agony, pain. That is what you are. You have belief, knowledge, character, and that is what you are. And that is exactly what your neighbour is. He is suffering, he goes through agony, sorrow, pain, trouble. So, is your consciousness separate from the rest of mankind? No, of course not. If you admit that, if you see the truth of that, then are you an individual? You may think you are an individual because you are dark, you are short, because peripheral activity makes you think you are an individual, but deeply, are you not the rest of mankind? When you realize that, the truth of that, you will never kill another, because you are killing yourself. Then out of that comes great compassion, love.—J. Krishnamurti

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by Lim Kooi Fong, Petaling Jaya

Crystals in the Sand (Sharing of Heart Warming Experiences)

I had a solitary walk in the forest over the weekend and the strangest thing happened.

A leaf floated from above and fell straight into my palm, which I had held out to see the shadow crafted by the canopy above. It was not a particularly old, dried leaf. Matured, burnt seine was more of a likely description. I guess it was from one of the many which flew down from the canopy of the teak trees that surrounded me.

Why did that leaf choose to float and land onto my palm? Why did I choose to be there the moment it happened? And what was it that the wind found to take that leaf to me? I figured there was nothing to speculate, really. This rare but quaint moment occurred because WE were all there. The leaf, the wind and me. Even if one of us were absent, that poignant stage would not have occurred.

As it landed onto my palm, and as I looked at it with a surprised look as if discovering a long lost friend, I inhaled the fresh aroma of the green embracing me and pondered a little further. This little leaf had taken months for it to drop. Just like us, like every living thing, it first grew as a stipple, then progressing to become a young, fresh leaflet, then blossoming into a matured petal.

By itself, it would not have survived. But with its thousand cousins blooming all over to dress the tree with its vast foliage, its little life is nurtured by the rest. Turning sunlight into food and being an outlet to let off oxygen, that humble leaf also helped to nurture the air.

Without this humble leaf, there would be no great rainforest. And without the vast foliage of the forest, rain would be no more, and life won’t be like as we know it. As I looked deeper into the life story of this spent, humble leaf, I awoke to its lesson of life’s intricacies.

The air that we breathe, the ground that we walk on, and the water we drink, that little leaf had a role in it. When we look at the leaf like this, where can I have the heart to crush it in my palm? The realm of existence was there, right there on my palm.

At that moment when it made contact with me, it seems that a cosmic fusion was taking place. At that point, looking into how life has evolved from the days of our ancestors, and the many fellow human beings who have contributed to give us life as we know it, I see that the leaf and I are indeed long lost friends in this great cycle of birth and death.

The story of the whole universe is there right on my palm. It’s telling me tales of joy in birth, the arduous tasks and challenges of growing up, the role chosen by nature which we were to play throughout our lives, and the inadvertent slide into old age, and then fading into demise.

This cycle does not care whether it is about human beings or a humble leaf. It is the natural law which affects everything. When we can understand things like this, we can then say that although there is a leaf and a human, there is actually no leaf and no human.

It’s just a cycle of life, that’s all.

To see the leaf as a leaf and us as a human being, we separate and disharmonise reality. This is a function of duality. But when we fuse the role of the leaf and the role which we play as humans to weave the web of life, we see the leaf in us, and us in the leaf. 

Both becomes one.

With this, there is perfect harmony between the microcosm of two different species, united with a purpose to preserve and nurture the delicate pattern of nature’s intricacies.

The Buddha teaches us that the fact of life is just a matter of observing impermanence, non-self and suffering. When we open our eyes to this natural cycle, we become aware how intricate and interdependent we all are with everything else on this planet.

Without one, there would not be the other. When we begin to think like this, we will be mindful to treasure all that surrounds us, whether big or small, far or near, seen or unseen.  

Leaf on my palm. Story of seed of the universe. There is so much to learn even from that. 

It was an interesting morning. My parents and I had breakfast with a wandering monk in his yellow robe walking on alms-round with his dana bowl. He is from Thailand. His name is Nong; Ajahn Nong. We always see him wandering around our housing area. We always gave dana to him and try to communicate. He is always smiling.

We offered our dana to him; a drink and breakfast. He sat down and we talked about Panca Sila. We could hardly understand each other’s languages, but somehow we managed to communicate.

He taught me how to count in Siamese/Thai. “nung, soong, saam, sii, haa, hok, jet, bpeet, gaao, sip…” And boy, he actually counted till ‘haa sip’ (fifty) for me!

I am a patient person. I knew who I was, normally only when I think back after an event; in other words, only when I relive my past. But this morning was extraordinary. My awareness arised at that exact moment when he was counting, and I was not even trying.

It was because he did not stop counting that made my awareness awoke. And because I did not have any ill feelings, or even the thought of hurrying him up, or even a wondering thought of when is he stopping, my awareness of my own patience grew. I was just listening… 

It was him counting patiently at that present moment, instantaneously brought me the awareness of my own patience. Then, I was also aware, of the awareness and listening at the same time. That awareness, although not long, just in seconds, is so liberating. Awareness which happens in present moments like this, feels like nibanna. Aahhh… Only if we do not get so caught up with our thoughts of past and future… the present moment can be beautiful, really.

He blessed us all and went away. I am sure we’ll meet again.