5 Minutes Condensed Practice

Recently, when days are busy, I find myself increasingly turning to this condensed practice to meet daily routine requirements.

1. 108 Om Mani Padme Hum - Chosen this mantra partly due to my karmic affinity with Kwan Yin Pusa, and that this mantra is known to help purify negative emotions, bad karma and to generate positive energy.
2. Sitting Quietly for a Short While - Not using any particular method, not doing anything in particular, just quietly sitting, thoughts and emotions, birds chirping and cars zooming, whatever that arises, come and go, not questioning whether am I in the "correct state" or not, not excluding anything, not holding onto anything...
3. Ten Recitation of Amituofo - Re-commit to my aspiration to seek rebirth in Pure land, followed ten recitation of Amituofo. Finally end the practice with the dedication of merits.

Feeling the Presence of Amituofo

You should try to say the name-prayer of the Buddha of Infinite Light (Amituofo) one hundred times a day with strong devotion.  Then try to increase it.  If you could keep doing more and more, a time might come for you that whatever you are doing, you will always be with the name of the Buddha in your breath and the feeling of his presence in your mind.  If that happens, then when you die, you will die with the name of the Buddha and the feelings of his presence.  If that happens, as soon as you die, because of the merits, the blessings of the Buddha and your devotional habits, all your perceptions will arise as the Blissful Pure Land of the Buddha of Infinite Light.  Your future will be in peace and happiness. You will become a source of benefit for many others.  Isn't it wonderful!

~Yukhog Chatralwa (a Tibetan Master)

Merry X'mas & a Happy New Year to all my dear friends out there.
I pray that this X'mas will be, for you,
a cheerful ending to 2014 and a great beginning to a happy 2015.

Re-affirming my commitment to the daily practice menu for 2015, (1) renew my vows; (2) recite Amituofo (ten-recitation-method); (3) short sittings (method of no-method); (4) work with negative emotions (3R method); and (5) to take pauses.

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo. =)

Unborn Buddha Mind

Re-reading an old book: Bankei Zen.

Great teachings from an 17th century Japanese Zen Master! 
His teachings remain relevant and refreshing to today's world.
The essence of his teaching is on the Unborn Buddha Mind.
It reminds me of Master Seung Sahn's "Don't Know Mind" very much =)

His teaching emphasised that there is no need to attain the Buddha Mind (we cannot attain it actually, as it is unborn) since it is always with us, always available, in the here and the now...

...as you are all turned this way listening to me talk, if out back there's the cawing of crows, the chirping of sparrows or the rustling of the wind - you hear them without making any mistake about them, and that's what is called hearing with the Unborn...

...the Buddha Mind is like a bright mirror.  It reflects whatever is in front of it. It is not deliberately trying to reflect things...

...whether you are going to be deluded or you're not going to, all depends on the present state of your mind...

This brings to my mind also the practice of shikantaza, which also involves effortless and choiceless awareness, all that is required is "opening the hand of thought" ( I quote Uchiyama Roshi) and returning to the present moment, the here and the now, where without any effort or choice, we see, hear, smell, taste and touch...

 May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo. =)

The Magic of Awareness

Recently just completed reading this book "The Magic of Awareness" by Anam Thubten.
Rinpoche speaks with great clarity on the central theme that enlightenment is always available to us in the most ordinary of moments.

One nice para lifted from the book:

When we know how to give rise to this gentle heart (be kind to ourselves), then we are not in a hurry and we no longer have to be antagonistic to ourselves...  We are already Buddha, yet there is compassion toward this temporary dream of duality.  This dream is not going to last eternally.  Believe it or not, the universe will provide us with much magic and many miracles to help us wake up. All dreams come to an end.  It's just a matter of time.

Another nice para:

Whatever helps us become aware of the naturally transcendent state of who we are is the right method, the right technique... Whatever works is the right method.  The method doesn't have to be Buddhist and it doesn't have to be complicated.  It can be so simple that, perhaps, all we need to do is pause periodically.  Perhaps we simply become aware of our breath, or remember some sacred verses now and then.  We may not even need to recite those verses.  Sometimes all we need to do is to remember them.

Highly recommend this book =)

Reflection & Commitment

Came back from Australia for more than 3 months.

When I came back, brought back a relatively serene and calm mind (relative to before departure), after 3 months back in the very hectic lifestyle and work requirements in Singapore, I think the remaining residue of that serene and calm energy now all but dissipated ha-ha =P

Since coming back, have missed the daily 1/2 hour sittings, weekend 2/1/2 hours sitting with Greg and company, and monthly 1 day retreats...

On reflection, without the "calm energy", mindfulness in daily life as well as awareness of my emotions have diminished resulting in being pulled around by my habitual tendencies as well as negative emotions a lot more than the "norm" in Australia.

Reflected recently on the situation.

Reflected on (1) the rare opportunity of this human life and the opportunity to practice; (2) impermanence; and (3) karma.

Re-affirmed my commitment to the dual practice of chan and pure land.

Re-affirmed my commitment to the daily practice menu set out in August, (1) renewing my vows; (2) reciting Amituofo through the ten-recitation-method; (3) Illuminating silence through short sittings; (4) paying attention to my negative emotions; and (5) to take pauses during my everyday living.

 May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo. =)

My Daily Practice Menu

A dance alternating between awareness and unawareness

One perspective on my practice, is that it is a dance, alternating between awareness and unawareness.

Walking...
breathing in breathing out...
trees swaying, breeze gently blowing on my skin...

Walking...
thinking about my presentation tomorrow...
worrying about another issue at work...

Walking...
A bee buzzing across my head buzzZZ!
feeling the physical sensations of being startled...


 May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo. =)

Basic Buddhism 101

When we first come across the teachings, one basic teaching was this:

Avoid Causing Harm; Do Good; Purify the Mind; This is the Teachings of All Buddhas

It previously came across to me as common sense but vague.

It is only recently that it dawned on me how relevant this is to my everyday practice, in fact it offers a sound framework for my everyday practice.

Avoid Causing Harm

Everyday I cause harm to myself and others when I get caught in my self-centred emotions.  Driven by negative emotions such as anger, unkind speech and action unfolds.  My practice (as already elaborated in previous posts) is to recognise and refrain from following the self centred storylines and to return to feeling the uncomfortable sensations, grounded in the present moment. 

Simple practice but not easy.  Through this practice, I have come to realise how deep my habitual tendencies run.  This is truly a lifelong practice.

 Do Good

When I am not caught up in my self-centred emotions and thinking, it becomes possible to do good.  Nothing spectacular.  I am talking about gentle words and acts in our everyday life, about touching deeply the life that is available in the present moment.  Saying good morning to the bus driver, giving up seat to a elderly auntie, buying tissue from the blind uncle, thanking and encouraging my staff for their effort at work, and smiling lovingly to my wife and son.

Again simple but not easy.  How often I am caught up in some self-centred dream and fail to touch deeply the life that is available in the here and the now.

Purify the Mind

This part serves to remind me to take pauses throughout the day, as and when possible.  Other than formal sitting practices in the early morning and late evening, I just need to notice pauses in between discrete events in everyday life.  There are plenty of opportunities if I stay mindful.  Like during the morning bus ride, like when queuing up for food during breakfast and lunch, like when first stepping into office, sitting down and waiting for the computer to power up.  There are many other little moments when I can pause and press 'control alternate delete' button for my mind.  Put aside all thinking and just pause to enjoy my breathing in and breathing out.

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo. =)

The Purpose of Spiritual Practice

I read the following and felt that it illuminates the purpose of spiritual practice in a most clear and succinct way possible =)

The heart of practice is to generate our own presence in such a way that we can touch deeply the life that is here and available in every moment.  We have to be here for ourselves; we have to be here for the people we love; we have to be here for life with all its wonders.  The message of our practice is simple and clear: "I am here for you."

~Thich Hhat Hanh

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo. =)

Focus

I also shared that:

There are things in life that are important and unimportant.

There are things in life that are out of our control, and those that are within our control.

We spend a lot of time & energy worrying over things out of our control and unimportant

Instead, if we focus our time & energies on things that are both (1) important and (2) within our control, we can potentially be a lot more effective in our life as well as being more calm & peaceful...

Pause

Had a sharing yesterday with my colleagues at work.

That we are often feeling stressed at work.

Shared how we can take little 'pauses' at work.

'Pauses' can take the form of following the breath, just for a couple minutes, where we put down all our concerns and worries and just breathe...

breathing in...

breathing out...

feeling calmed, relax, and peaceful...

when we are recharged, we can return to our work =)

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo. =)

Back at work

back at work this week...

even before actual work starts accumulating and the pace has yet to pick up, it is interesting to note that expectations (that in near future there will be a lot of deadlines to meet, presentations to make, etc etc) is more than enough to trigger old habits of fear and anxiety...

recognising anxiety...
remembering to refrain from following storyline...
breathing in... breathing out...

returning to dwelling in the present:

feeling the tension in the body...
MRT screeching in the background...
hands typing this blog entry...


May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

A Very Short Reflection on the Dual Practice of Zen & Pure Land

Short Reflection:

Zen is a matter of practice (learning to dwell happily in the present);
Pure land is a matter of faith (living in Amida's 48 Great Vows).

Zen practice provides the way of life; Pure land faith provides the purpose of life.


Amituofo (with deep gratitude)

Observing different environment & their different energies

Having been in Brisbane one whole year, coming back to Singapore (haven't even started work), I felt a very different environment & a corresponding different energy feel.

In Brisbane I feel relatively more relax and not so hurried. 
Back home now, energies of tension, stress & 'rushing' are coming back to me.
Old and familiar stuffs, so easy and quick to settle into these old grooves, very unfortunately =P

Reflection:

Indeed Singapore does not present an ideal environment for spiritual practice.
But we can also see the same environment as offering many opportunities for practice.
When these energies arises, notice them, refrain from following our self-centred thoughts and let the moment be our teacher.

Yesterday, I had an interesting experience.
A lorry banged into me while reversing, damaging my car plate.
Went into a negative emotion storm. (ha-ha yes I lose my fuse quite easily one)
Am glad I remember to bring a practice perspective into the situation after a few moments.
I was generally able to keep calm and recognise what was going on.

Could see that I was dealing with a very poor uncle in his 60s struggling to make ends meet in his life.  I am not sure but I was confident that the amount of money required to replace the number plate meant a lot to him.

When the emotion storm settled, I was able to see that the best thing to do is really just to pay for a new car plate myself.  This was not clear to me until after he left!
So I called back the uncle to tell him I will settle myself and told him to be more careful next time.
He told me he was grateful, and I felt gratefulness too, Amituofo.


May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Not biting the hook (heart advice from Pema Chodron)

In Tibetan there is a word that points to the root cause of aggression, the root cause also of craving. It points to a familiar experience that is at the root of all conflict, all cruelty, oppression, and greed. This word is shenpa. The usual translation is “attachment,” but this doesn’t adequately express the full meaning. I think of shenpa as “getting hooked.” Another definition, used by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, is the “charge”—the charge behind our tho...ughts and words and actions, the charge behind “like” and “don’t like.” Here’s an everyday example: Someone criticizes you. She criticizes your work or your appearance or your child. In moments like that, what is it you feel? It has a familiar taste, a familiar smell. Once you begin to notice it, you feel like this experience has been happening forever. That sticky feeling is shenpa. And it comes along with a very seductive urge to do something. Somebody says a harsh word and immediately you can feel a shift. There’s a tightening that rapidly spirals into mentally blaming this person, or wanting revenge or blaming yourself. Then you speak or act. The charge behind the tightening, behind the urge, behind the story line or action is shenpa.

You can actually feel shenpa happening. It’s a sensation that you can easily recognize. Even a spot on your new sweater can take you there. Someone looks at us in a certain way, or we hear a certain song, or walk into a certain room and boom. We’re hooked. It’s a quality of experience that’s not easy to describe but that everyone knows well.
Now, if you catch shenpa early enough, it’s very workable. You can acknowledge that it’s happening and abide with the experience of being triggered, the experience of urge, the experience of wanting to move. It’s like experiencing the yearning to scratch an itch, and generally we find it irresistible. Nevertheless, we can practice patience with that fidgety feeling and hold our seat.

 (From Pema's book, Practicing Peace in Times of War)

To me, everyday life practice is all about working with shenpa...

 May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Beautiful New Zealand

Came back from holidays in New Zealand (South Island).

Beautiful scenery.  Literally my car can just pull over at any point of the road trip and I can look at the scenery and go, "Waaa..."

Complete contrast to the concrete jungle back home =P

Looking at the solid mountains and beautiful sky, I can closely relate them to the two types of meditation that I am doing.

Using example of working with our emotional difficulties:

Pure land practice Recitation of Amituofo is a Samatha type of meditation, using the thought of the Buddha to clear away our negative emotions.
We become grounded solidly like a mountain, and our negative emotions are like clouds coming & going but the mountain does not move.

Zen practice Shikantaza is a Vipassana type of meditation, where we rest in pure awareness and be aware of but not identify with the negative emotions.
Our mind become like the sky, and our negative emotions are like clouds coming & going but not affecting the sky which is always a 'big enough container' for all kinds of and amount of clouds.

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Final One Day Silent Intensive in Brisbane

Attended I think around 7 one day intensives with the Brisbane Ordinary Mind Zen Group.
Today's the last one cause I be back in Singapore next month.
Time flies, one year has passed since coming here.

Am very grateful and appreciative for the guidance, friendship and practice opportunity that the group and their guiding teacher Gregg Howard have given me for the past year.

Without practicing with them, my spiritual practice during my one year stay in Brisbane would have taken a 'sink or swim' approach and more likely sink than swim =P

Learned and focused on two very valuable techniques while I was here.

1. Formal Sitting - I usually sit using following/counting the breath in a rather focused manner (calm abiding).  Over here I begin to appreciate a more open awareness style (clear seeing) using the breath as an anchor (still need some calmness =p).  I have learned and experimented with open awareness approaches in the past but they were fleeting.  Over the course of this one year, I consistently sat with a the open awareness approach and am very grateful for it as it helps expand my container of awareness, even as a beginner =)

2. Everyday Life - Practicing with emotions is something I tried to do for quite a number of years but again it is in this year that I was able to do it with more consistency helped by the fact that this was an area that Ordinary Mind Zen Practice emphasised.  Recognise, Refrain and Return.  Over and over again.  While I still struggle with emotional difficulties obviously as I am still very much a beginner, I am glad that this technique is finally becoming more integrated in my life, the recent dream post where I remembered to do the 3R was an interesting note, where while it was funny in a way, it also demonstrated to me the power of the 3R method =)

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Enjoying my breath in the evening

Sitting this evening.
Feeling agitated over something earlier...
Mind kept going back to the energy of agitation & the swirling of thoughts around it...
Decided to do some guided meditation with the following stanzas learned from Plum Village School:

breathing in... breathing out...
(in) deep... (out) slow...
(in) calm... (out) ease...
(in) smile... (out) release...
(in) present moment... (out) wonderful moment...

grateful for a gentle closure to the day =)

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Enjoying my breath in the morning

Sitting this morning,
decided to do some guided meditation with the following stanzas learned from Plum Village School:

breathing in... breathing out...
(in) flowers... (out) fresh...
(in) mountain... (out) solid...
(in) water... (out) reflecting...
(in) sky... (out) free...

It was really refreshing and a great way to start a day =D

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Evanescence of life

All things are impermanent.
They arise and they pass away.
To live in harmony with this truth,
brings great happiness

~ a Pali Chant

Buddha Nature

Buddha is interesting because he is not an example of what you should become, but what you already are. He is not an exemplar for us in the conventional sense of the word. Usually, we look to other people because we want something: "I want to look like him"; "if only I could sing like her"… In the Diamond Sutra Subhuti asks the Buddha if he got anything when he got enlightenment. The Buddha answers by saying that he didn’t get anything, if he would have gotten anything it  wouldn’t have been enlightenment.

Human beings are always looking outside for the solution, when it is actually already inside themselves, if they would just look. The Buddha even said that he had no teaching to give. His job was to remove people’s misunderstanding, so they could see their own Buddha nature for themselves. The teaching of Buddhism and Zen is just a “pointing”; it points towards us having a direct experience of our Buddha Nature.

~ Zen Master Dae Kwang

Happy Vesak Day

Happy Vesak Day to all my friends back in Singapore.

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Reflection on Zen Mind & Everyday Mind

This post is based on my little reflection.
I changed the title of blog from ordinary mind to everyday mind to reflect emphasis on everyday life engagements. (actually ordinary mind is about the same thing but currently I think everyday mind is more reflective of my intention)

Current understanding and focus of practicing in my everyday life is on the 3R (Recognise, Refrain & Return).
3R is to me, about noticing the ways I get entangled and identified with the various states of narrowed-mindedness or self-centeredness in my everyday life engagements - such as getting caught up in emotional distress, vexations, being unkind, being petty etc...

Practicing 3R helps me to gently release the entanglements and identifications...
Sometimes the entanglements are completely released... (complete the 3R process)
Sometimes I am only able to loosen the grip a little bit... (muddling through the process)
Sometimes I am only able to notice the intensity that's all... (unable to go beyond 1st R)
Slowly slowly over time this helps to bring some light into my self-centred dreams...
Slowly slowly this helps to open my narrow mind & closed heart little by little...

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

I had a bad dream, but it went away

Last night, I dreamt of quarrelling with my mom over something =(
Cannot remember the details though...

But interestingly, what happened was this:
At some point into the quarrel, I recognised myself having an emotional distress (not aware that I was in a dream though haha)
The 3R kick in (recognise emotional distress; refrain from following storyline; return to present moment)
When I reached the 'return to present moment', the dream sort of disintegrated, I sort of woke up and realised it was but a dream...

Interesting...

Really am very grateful for the 3R practice...

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Enjoy your breathing

A good reminder for new and experienced meditators alike =)

Every in-breath can bring joy; every out-breath can bring calm and relaxation.
This is a good enough reason to sit.
We don't need to sit with an intention like getting smarter or becoming enlightened.
We can sit just to enjoy sitting and breathing.

- Thich Nhat Nhan

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Faith, Vows & Practice

Using Faith, Vow & Practice Framework (classic Pure Land School framework) to frame, clarify & guide my own spiritual practice.  This will replace an earlier (removed) post on my Spiritual Practice Framework. 

I have incorporated a spirit of the dual-practice of Zen & Pure land. From the absolute perspective, Zen and Pure Land are one, seeing the true nature of our mind is none other than seeing Amituofo and his Pure Land.

However, I don't live from the absolute perspective.  I live from the relative perspective in the realm of duality.  From this perspective, there are two distinct practices, akin to taking double major in the University.  Time and space should be devoted to each of the two practices and should not be confused with one another.  So Zen is about learning to live in the present moment while Pure Land is about learning to live in Amida's Universal Vows.  I believe that as I get older, more and more time and space will be devoted to Pure Land practice.

1. On Faith:

Zen requires faith in Buddha-nature; Pure land requires faith in Amituofo's 48 Great Vows.

2. On Vow:

Zen Vows involves walking the Bodhisattva Path and to learn to live more authentically; Pure Land Vow involves the resolve to attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss after this lifetime.

3. On Practice:

Zen practice involves living in the present moment, through getting in touch with the quiet place in our minds that is not touched by the noise and tension of the messiness of our everyday living. It is also involves noticing & releasing our identification with self-centred thoughts & negative emotions; Pure Land practice involves connecting with Amituofo & his Pure Land.  Reciting Amituofo is also expressing gratitude, in a way saying, "I have arrived, I am home" as we continue to live in Amida's Universal Vows.

Formal Practices - Just Sitting (Zen); Ten Recitation Method (Pure land)

Difficulties in Life - Recognise; Refrain; Return (Zen); Reciting Amituofo (Pure land)

Pauses in Life - Enjoying my breathing (Zen); Reciting Amituofo (Pure land)

Another perspective is: Zen is learning to be mindful (present moment); Pure land is learning to be grateful (for Amida's Universal Vows)

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Don't go there!

In Ezra's book: The Authentic Life, while acknowledging that the essence of practice is to be open to whatever arises, he mentioned that sometimes, when we are caught in addictive thought patterns, we might have to change gears, the use of the phrase "Don't go there" as a sword to cut off thinking (driven by the addictive thought patterns) can be useful.  Over and over again, "Don't go there", after a while the addictive cycle will be broken. Then when the mind cools down, we can return to "just being".

Sharing some thoughts after reading the above, from my own recent experience, having included mindfulness of the Buddha's name (Amituofo) into my repertoire of practice techniques, I have found that 'Amituofo' can also be skilfully used as a sword to cut off addictive thought patterns and bring me back to the present moment. Obsessive thinking arises, 'Amituofo', then noticing the whole-body breath, ahhh... present moment wonderful moment...

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Smiling Dwelling of the Heart

Sharing a little moment during the one day intensive today,
one moment of smiling, hands together, bowing to a Tibetan Monk (because there was a Tibetan group practising in the same building).
He did the same.
One human being smiling and bowing to another.
Simple & authentic moment.
In that moment, a deep feeling of peace and joy came over me. 
I then recall that my Dharma Name given by Plum Village is "Smiling Dwelling of the Heart".
So this is what it means...

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

5 Steps to Letting Go of Emotional Difficulties

Sharing this practice based on what was written in Ezra Bayda's latest book: The Authentic Life.
I am halfway thru it, it is very good, so go grab it at your nearest bookstore!

I am sharing this after sitting a one day intensive with Gregg Howard (another Charlotte Joko Beck's Dharma successor) who also shared about the 5 steps during his Dharma talk.  This is a very important part of my own spiritual practice, I spoke about the 3 R in another post earlier (based on Ezra's wife's teaching and is a variant of this 5 step approach) and for past couple years, I have been using a variant of this approach to work with my emotional difficulties.  I am grateful to Ezra's clarification of this approach in his latest book as well as grateful to Gregg for refreshing it during today's Dharma talk.

When emotional difficulty arise...

1. Notice it! From my own experience, recognising it is not necessarily an easy task.  Sometimes anger outbursts come and go without any light of awareness being shine on it at all.  It is also during such times that I realise the extent of my "waking sleep". 

2. Seeing it as our path.  This is about overcoming our resistance to practice.  Our habitual energies can be so strong that we might choose to wallow in our anger rather than to seeing it as our practice.  I also find myself many a times stuck at this stage, noticing but choosing to continue to wallow in my vexations.  Another realisation of the extent of my "waking sleep".

3. Clarifying our beliefs.  Getting this far is quite an achievement.  Sometimes asking "how is it supposed to be?" shines light on where I am stuck.  Other times this stage may be just a realisation of "its xxx again." where I catch myself playing out some of my "favourite tunes".  Sometimes it is not so clear.  In any case, from my experience, it is important not to get stuck at this stage as it may mean more ruminating which adds fuel to the fire of the emotion.

4. Experiencing.  What I see as the most important step.  At this stage we move beyond the thinking mind and return to feeling the physical energy of the emotion.  When the emotion is intense, it can be quite difficult to stay present with the physical sensations.  But when I am to do so, to fully experience the emotion such as anger, the energy usually dissipates. For more intense emotions, it may not dissipate, but definitely I can feel the energy becoming more porous and more workable.

5. Letting go.  The whole process is about letting go of the emotion.  But to say to me "let go" when I am caught up in an emotional storm is unlikely to be very useful!  We want to let go but we cannot.  So this is where this 5 step comes into play.  It can truly help us to let go of vexations in our life.  While I am still very much a beginner in this practice, but having tasted some of the lower hanging fruits, I must say that this has become one of my primary practices. 

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Ten Recitation Method

Sharing Venerable Master Chin Kong's recommended practice for busy lay people:

 

This simple, convenient, and effective way to prac­tice Buddha name chanting is espe­cially suitable for those who find that they have little time for cultivation. The chanting helps us to be mindful of Amitabha Buddha. It brings us joy.

We begin when we wake up. Sit up straight and clearly chant “Amituofo” ten times with a calm and focused mind, aloud or si­lently. We repeat this eight more times throughout the day. Each time we chant “Amituofo” ten times.

The key is regular­ity; disrup­tion of this practice will re­duce its effec­tiveness. When we recite consistently with­out in­ter­ruption, we will soon feel an increase in our wisdom, serenity, and purity of mind. Diligent prac­tice of this method together with unwavering belief, vows, and living a moral life can ensure fulfillment of our wish to reach the Western Pure Land.

 

So there, no excuses no time to practice?
May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

 

Tea

This cup of tea in my two hands -
mindfulness is held uprightly.
My mind and body dwell
in the very here and now.

(verse from Thich Nhat Nhan)

Sipping the cuppa tea, slurppp...
Ahhh...
How wonderful...

When our mind is not clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best moment of your life.

(Wu-men's famous line)

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

凡所有相，皆是虛妄

I was caught in an emotional storm earlier, quite a big one, was totally caught up in it.
Practicing with emotions took a back seat...

But as I stump into a corner completely caught up in the terrible storyline, I started including into my awareness breathing and bodily sensations...

Not sure how long but the gloominess suddenly lifted all of a sudden...

Like an eureka moment... but I can't put my finger on it how it happened... it just did...

A moment of reflection and this thought came to my mind

凡所有相，皆是虛妄

in any case, the children song is also saying the same thing I think ha-ha: row row row your boat, gently down the steam, merrily merrily merrily merrily , life is but a dream...

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Dual Practice of Chan & Pure Land

Recently did some reading on rebirth and related Buddhist stuffs.
Not sure why but the pure land tradition which I had long been aware of, suddenly made perfect sense to me.

Based on beliefs in karma and rebirth, pure land tradition is about resolving to attain rebirth in the pure land to study under Amituofo, where Amituofo has created a place that is perfect for spiritual practice and allows one to practice without regression.

Based on my own spiritual practice over more than 10 years, I have experienced all sorts of regressions over days, months and years due to internal (laziness, cravings, frustrations etc.) and external (overwhelming work schedule, family responsibilities etc.) conditions that are non-conducive for spiritual practice.

Since I believe in rebirth, so why not aspire to a better rebirth in a place that offers the most conducive environment for spiritual practice?

Henceforth, while I continue to practice Chan(Zen), mainly through the methods of mindfulness of the body and breath, I have included the method of mindfulness of the Buddha's name (recitation of Amituofo) into my repertoire of practice techniques.

My practice philosophy has also been adjusted to:

Committed to the path of learning to live authentically;
Supported by mindfulness of the body & breath.
Faith in & aspire to seek rebirth in Amituofo's Pure Land;
Supported by mindfulness of the Buddha's Name.

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy.
Amituofo.  =)

Choiceless Awareness

I love this quote from Ajahn Sumedho:

Letting go of form is trusting in the immediacy of awareness.  And awareness is real.  It isn't abstract; it isn't just some kind of concept I have that I don't recognise immediately; it is more like the space in this room and the forms in space.  They are what they are.  and I no longer go from one thing to another saying," I like this; I don't like that." but recognise that whatever is in this space belongs here in this moment.  It doesn't whether I approve or disapprove of it, or whether it is good or bad.  If it is here, this is the way it is; and this is learning to trust in awareness, which doesn't pick or choose.  It is choiceless awareness.  

It is the type of quote that produce a little "ahhh..." moment doesn't it? =D

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy =)

Looking at strong emotions as storm

Love to read Thich Nhat Nhan's books =)

Something on working with strong emotions, a very useful and helpful analogy:

Look at strong emotions as a kind of storm.  If we know weatherproofing techniques, we can come out of it intact...  If we master the ways of calming and steadying our mind, we can pass through the storms of emotion with relative ease...  don't think. Stop all your ruminating, and just focus on the breathing.  When trees get hit by a storm, the treetops are thrashed around and run the highest risk of being damaged.  The trunk of the tree is more stable and solid; it has many roots reaching deep into the earth.  The treetops are like your head, your thinking mind. 

When a storm comes up in you, get out of the treetop and go down to the trunk for safety.  Your roots start down at your abdomen, slightly below the navel, at the energy point known as the tan tien in Chinese medicine.  Put all your attention on that part of your belly and breathe deeply.  Don't think about anything, and you will be safe while the storm of emotions is blowing.  Practice this every day for just five minutes, and after three weeks, you ill be able to handle your emotions whenever they rise up...

I hope you find this useful.

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy =)

4 kinds of working with my emotional difficulties

I made an interesting observation recently with regards to my practice working with my everyday emotional difficulties.  There seem to be 4 kinds:

1. Those of the very mild variant, like maybe when someone cut my queue.  Mere Recognition of the thoughts arising would suffice to dissolve the emotion and prevent a self-centred drama from developing...

2. Those slightly stronger ones, or even mild ones, but were discovered a little late when a short self-centred drama has already been developed.  After recognition, a long out-breath with a "sighhh" seems to release the tension completely...

3.  Sometimes the emotions were stronger and the urge to play out the drama were strong.  I find it useful to Refrain from continuing the thought train and Return to the moment, focusing on the experience of uncomfortable physical sensations in the body.  Grounding myself in body awareness is a useful practice...

4. Sometimes it can be just too overwhelming and all I can do was to do my best to not escalate the drama and emotions.  Just breathing in, breathing out...riding out the storm...

And then there were many times when mindfulness was simply absent throughout the emotional drama and habitual tendencies took over completely.
The only thing I can do was to forgive myself as an after thought =P

More mindfulness needed!

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy =)

Why do I meditate?

When asked this question, I think my answer evolved and changed over the years.  It will also differ dependent whether if the person asking is involved in spiritual practice as well.

Anyway, when asked this question today, my answer goes something like this:

First, I meditate to refresh my mind.
It helps to relieve stress and therefore better cope with the challenges of everyday living. 
Our mind is like a calculator whereby it adds numbers after numbers and we can get overwhelmed. 
Meditating is hitting the clear button on the calculator, and our mind gets refreshed =)  

Second, more deeply, it helps me to connect with our basic goodness. 
When faced with difficult situations and emotions, like dark clouds during a thunderstorm, my mind can become very dark and narrow, leading to doing, saying or thinking stupid things. 
Meditation helps to put things into perspective, reminding me that the thunderstorm is temporary (this too will pass) while our basic goodness, like the sun, is always present, thunderstorm or not. 
 
May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy =)

Peace, No peace, Coming, Going...

Today I did a one day silent retreat with the Ordinary Mind Zen Group @ Mercy Place.
I am very grateful to Gregg and the Zen group for the wonderful opportunity to intensify my practice...deep bow...

In between wandering thoughts and drowsiness, there were short moments of relative silence as well, letting go of my thinking, just hearing the air-con, just breathing in, out on my cushion or during breaks, just hearing the birds chirping, just looking at the greenery...
Ahhhh... Silence... Stillness...  Peace...

The retreat was from 9 - 5pm.
After which we went home.

After returning to the muddy waters of everyday life, over the most trivial matters, irritation and frustration took over me.  I went into unconscious reactions and negativities...
Grrrr.... Spinning storylines... Uncomfortable physical sensations... No Peace...

Anyway, luckily impermanence came to my rescue and the storm was over.
I forgive myself for not being at peace =)

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy =)

Seeing Negativity as Reminders to Practice

Negativity arises throughout my daily living, ranging from little ones like irritation or impatience to big ones like anger outbursts and depressions.
Question is whether I am able to see the arising of negativity as reminders to practice?
Often negativity is a sign that I am holding onto some self-centred thoughts, hence they offer great opportunities for spiritual practice and possibility of insight into the roots of some of my usual vexations.
Question is whether I am able to perceive clearly what is actually happening, see clearly the facts of the life situation, the storyline I spin around the life situation and the uncomfortable physical sensations that accompany the storyline?
I have found working with little ones like irritation useful as they "prepare" me for the bigger ones like emotional outbursts.  Intense emotions can be quite overwhelming and just staying with the physical sensations can be a real challenge! 

Here is something from Eckhart Tolle that I find useful:

Use negativity as a kind of signal that reminds you to be more present.
Whenever you feel negativity arising within you, look on it as a voice saying,
"Attention. Here and now. Wake up. Get out of your mind. Be present."
You may be able to just drop it once you realise this energy field inside you and that it serves no purpose.
If you cannot drop it, just accept that it is there and take your attention into the feeling (physical sensations).

~Eckhart Tolle

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy =)

The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying

Currently reading the Tibetan Book of Living & Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.

It is truly a spiritual classic that even before finishing the book, I made intention to re-read this book in the near future to reinforce my understanding of the wisdom contained within.

Reflecting on death is one of the central theme in this book and I must say the effect on me is that it serves as a gentle (or maybe not so gentle...) admonition to make that extra effort to do my spiritual practice while I am still alive!

From the book, a Tibetan saying goes, "We do not know, if tomorrow comes first or next life comes first."  What an admonition!

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in finding out more about the meaning of life & death.  It is truly inspiring, offers a wealth of wisdom and plenty of practical & compassionate advise on spiritual practice, living & dying.

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well & happy =)

Our Spiritual Journey

A very beautiful quote from Pema Chodron that I find a lot of inspiration from:

Often the powerful moment on the spiritual journey is the moment when pain is getting very strong, and we feel we've met our edge and there's no way to pretty up.  Usually we think spiritual practice is about getting rid of that moment - but actually, that is the moment from which all the patterns of concretizing, of grasping, of spinning off into all these habits to try to get ground under our feet - they all come out of that moment.  So at that very moment, we can do something different.  And by doing something different we can liberate ourselves.

In the practice I'm recommending, doing something different means staying with that moment.  I talked about this in terms of meditation practice, how we must let the thoughts and words go and feel whatever is happening.  We must change our whole view about pain and difficulty and realise that pain is a prime time for spiritual practice.  You might say, "This is prime time?!"  But it is prime time because at that moment, you can either harden into an old pattern or you can soften and do something different. And often doing something different, as I say, is really just staying.

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy =)

Recognize, Refrain, and Return

Recognize what’s going on; second, we Refrain from getting pulled into the story or mental chatter; and third, we Return to being present—letting our experience just be.

Quote by Ezra Bayda

I find the 3 Rs to be a very good summary of the basic meditation process.  We become aware of our unconsciousness, avoid getting ourselves sucked into the drama that the thoughts or emotions is creating and then come back to our method or just coming back to the present moment.

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well & happy =)

Forgot to pull out the trash for the garbage truck!

This morning, horror of horrors, I forgotten to pull out my house's garbage for the weekly garbage truck run to clear the trash.
The next run is 7 days from now and terrible thoughts of the filthy, overfilled garbage bin (in summer, worse! think maggots!) for the coming week and so on filled my mind...
Before I know it, I was overwhelmed with emotion and an emotional drama that was blown way out of proportion...

Suddenly remembering my practice to work with my emotions, I recognised what is going on, dropped the storyline, breath in with my emotions and feel it.

Tuning into my physical body, I feel very vividly the sharp painful sensations in my heart.
But in just a few moments, the feeling subsided...
Becoming more present & grounded, there was a quiet joy...

I realised very clearly in that moment, that the storyline was escalating and driving the emotions, dropping the storyline, I sorta pulled the plug on the whole drama, and it fizzle out...

But I also realised the job's not done, I gotta maintain mindfulness, as the storyline can creep back in rather quickly, e.g. thinking about the maggots will do the trick... and the emotion will follow like its shadow...

Will continue working with my emotions...

May all of us continue to enjoy our practice and be well and happy =)