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.  =)