Is it really that easy?

Recently I read an article about someone said being enlightened by grass picking. This just reminded me of a friend who commented on some thien/zen monks: “Oh, you don’t need to practice just live in a natural way. That is practice!” She stated this is misleading for the new buddhists.

Years go I had a friend who was from the Yi Guan Dao (Tian Dao/Thien Dao) group. She said: “You just need to become a member. We show you the triple gems then your name will be placed in heaven and removed from hell.

Is it that easy? I have to ask REALLY? Just grass picking, just live life naturally and just be a member of cult then I will be in heaven or enlightened.

Living life naturally is a way of practice in Zen tradition. Let’s discuss the conditions involved.

“The reality shows me that it is very simple, though we work hard all day long, but if we always know how to be cautious, pay attention and observe clearly everything, we can still live fully with the dharma. present - that is, depending on predestination, as Buddha taught. Because careful consideration is the precepts, full attention is concentration and clear observation is wisdom. ” (Excerpt from "Teacher and Student Letter - Letter No. 2" - HT Thich Vien Minh)

“Thực tế cho thầy thấy một điều hết sức đơn giản là dù lao động quần quật suốt ngày, nhưng nếu chúng ta luôn biết thận trọng, chú tâm và quan sát rõ ràng mọi sự mọi vật thì vẫn có thể sống trọn vẹn với pháp hiện tại – tức sống thuận pháp tùy duyên, như Phật đã dạy. Bởi vì thận trọng chu toàn là giới, chú tâm trọn vẹn là định và quan sát rõ ràng là tuệ”

(Trích “Thư Thầy Trò – Thư số 2” – TT Thích Viên Minh)

If we can be cautious, pay attention and observe clearly on everything, we can still live fully for the present moment. This is the way of practice. To Zen masters this is their way to live life. To them there is no need to do any ritual or chanting or even sitting meditation. Meditation to them is be cautious, paying attention and observing clearly on everything, everywhere and every moment. To them is a piece of cake but to us, can we do it? Of course we can but there are prerequisites.

At least we need to know and understand the basics of the Four Noble Truths (suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and the path that leads to end of suffering). Through sitting meditation we can experience the suffering, through suffering we see the arising and passing away (the impermanence) and furthermore we experience the non-self in this phenomenon. From sitting meditation we also build up our awareness and equanimity. Once we master the skill then we can be cautious, paying attention and observing clearly on everything, everywhere and every moment. We can use it on the 4 postures - walking, standing, laying down and sitting.

In this world there has no free lunch mate!  I drink tea a few times per day. I remove grass with my bare hands all the time and I live my life as naturally as I can but still cannot reach enlightenment.

How can we live our life to the fullest?

This morning my husband and I did the usual walk. We walked to the park. I asked him how can we live our lives to the fullest?

He answered: “We don’t need a lot of money to live fully. We need to have enough money for our health, daily needs and money to feed our hobbies.”

I asked him what is enough?!

He then asked me how do you live your life to the fullest?

I told him there is a zen monk Thich Vien Minh who says: always know how to be present, mindful, pay close attention and observe everything clearly, then we will be able to live fully here and now.” (HT Thich Vien Minh - luôn biết thận trọng, chú tâm và quan sát rõ ràng mọi sự mọi vật thì vẫn có thể sống trọn vẹn với pháp hiện tại)

To be able to live in this hectic world we need to be able to multitask. At work and at home this skill is essential, is it not?

Lately a nun called and asked me do I still listen to the 110 mp3 on Abhidharma. I told the nun no, I couldn’t understand and couldn’t hear very well from the mp3. She said, “What a pity! Can you please give it a try again?” I told myself I have to give it another go as she was so enthusiastic.

Well I didn’t tell her I was baking a cake while I vacuumed and listened to the Dhamma talk. I laughed to myself. How could I understand and could hear the mp3 while I vacuumed? So as promised, instead of my normal meditation at 4:30am, I sat and listened to the mp3 in the dark. One mp3 each morning, closed my eyes and paid total attention to the sound. My mind had no inner dialogue, I knew I was listening. It was clear and easy to understand. Every morning during that hour I was present, paid close attention and observed clearly on the sound. I found Abhidharma acceptable. I have no language barrier. At least I knew what it was about. When I looked at the diagram of Abhidharma I knew they are not only colours and numbers.

So how can I live my life to the fullest? I told my hubby just be aware and observe what I do here and now and less multitasking!

COVID19

In this difficult time, I can see people are panicking for COVID19, cities and countries lockdown. There are many types of fear in people's mind. They fear for the virus, fear for not enough food and toilet paper. These fears are torturing them. People are suffering with their fears like a fly hits itself into a glass window. It seems they can not resolve them.

This is the best time for us to practice meditation. We can observe our fears. Have we ever thought where these fears are coming from? They are from our minds. Fears in our mind appear as images or words. The more we think about COVID19 the more fears we have. We have been bombarded with information on COVID19 whether they are true or not. These fears may work in our minds 24 hours a day. People might die from a heart attack from fear instead of the virus itself. So once we recognise these fears are the words in our mind, why don't we practice to relax our mind by keeping it silent for maybe 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. Of course the best is to do 30 mins to one hour. But if our mind is too agitated we can keep it short. We can even observe our breathing in the triangle area under our nose - by breathing in we are aware we are breathing in, by breathing out we are aware we breathing out. This will not only calm our minds it also can help to ease our fears.

Let us pay gratitude to this COVID19
For helping the world to reduce less CO2 so it can heal by itself
For helping people to see what is important in their life
For helping people to have a close family bond by staying at home
Equanimous = Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta

May you be free from sufferings (fear)
May you be well and happy

With metta

A lost Dharma sister

Somewhere on the path we must have met
Now on this Buddha land
You and I
Are sharing the same room, stories, habits, and dharma wishes
We seemed match
People even mistake we are sisters
Yes, we are sisters
You are my lost Kalyana Mitra
Trip is over
We might not seeing each other again
But please remember
When we are dwelling in the silence of our mind
There is where we will meet again

The Dharma is operating perfectly when I have no self.

Vạn pháp đang vận hành một cách hoàn hảo khi mình không có cái ta.

Note: dharma means phenomenon. Phenomenon in Cambridge dictionary means
1. Something that exists and can be seen, felt, tasted, etc. especially something unusual or interesting.
2. a remarkable person or thing.
3. Existing thing

Sister Hue Chau taught me a lesson on the above statement. She said whether a person/thing is good or bad, right or wrong- they are only the phenomena. We shall let things be, not to stop, not to interfere, not to put our ‘self’ in it. Whatever will be, will be. We shall move on and not let these phenomena interfere ourselves. We should see these phenomena are our teachers who challenge us to overcome our trouble mind.

What a beautiful and strong statement I will never forget. I have to thank this bodhisattva spiritual sister who taught me an important lesson in life. Now I can truly see how the phenomena is operating. They are purely based on the law of impermanence, the law of interconnection, the law of cause and effect.

They arise and pass away under the right conditions at the right time. We just can’t interfere and if we insist to interfere, the thing or situation will transform into another things or situations based on the law of cause and effect. The world inside and outside us keep changing, changing and changing. We can’t stop instead we go along without letting these phenomena affecting us. If we let these affect us then we suffer. The reason we suffer is because we attach/hold onto the continuously changing thing/situation. This is so logical and yet we just cannot see it.

Gratitude to my father

Anh Thien Tanh lended me a book on “How to Talk So Your Husband Will Listen” by Rick Johnson. It is a very interesting book about men and the skills how to communicate with them.

There is a chapter about the first man in a woman’s life. I think it is chapter 7 - The first man in every woman’s life. After reading that chapter I am so thankful to my first man.

I thank my dad. He loved me for who I am and gave me total freedom to grow up to a woman I am today. He gave me a colourful childhood. He showed me courage to fight in difficult times; he taught me perseverance, persistence, passion, determination, adaptation, love, art of giving, trust, truthful, straightforward and open, always see the bright side of life, humble, independent, to be rebel, to be wild, and much more. All these qualities made me stand strong in all aspects of my life. There were many moments in my life that he made me proud. For sure he is my yardstick from which I measure the greatness of a man, and that was how I have chosen my husband.

He taught me the biggest lesson in life is to let go. During his last 2 days in his life, again he taught me courage to facing his own death. He let go of his attachment (my mother) and went in a peaceful way that rarely others would have followed. His body was soft even on the day he was cremated. The person who dressed him from the funeral parlour told me that he must have had a peaceful mind as he was freed from his body. This person one of Dalai Lama’s student. As a result of letting go therefore his body was soft even though he was dead for six days.

I am also grateful for his love and devotion to his family. He is loved by his family and mostly his little daughter.

The Art of Receiving

On the trip to India in 2019, anh Thien Tanh taught me about receiving. He said not only do we have to learn how to give compassionately; we also need to learn to receive compassionately. This lead me to reflect and helped me realise giving and receiving are one. He told me the story of Maha Kassapa received alms food from the poor to build up their merits.

We often place the importance of giving and forget that receiving is also a practice by itself. Receiving is not easy to attend because of our ego. Can we happily accept people’s helping hand? Can we easily accept people’s kindness such a complement, a smile, a hug? At times we may question the giver’s purpose. Do we deserve all these good complement? We ponder upon the goodness we receive. This is our old habits that lead us to all these negative thoughts. When someone complements us why can’t we receive it with a gratitude and smile?

Why not try to welcome people’s smile, hug, complement and helping hand from others in a way of appreciation. Try to open our doors to people who bring joys into our life. Whatever situation we are in, we just receive with a smile and gratitude. In a mind of wishing that person is happy. Receiving is not only a lesson to open our heart but also honours the giver. It makes them feel that they made a difference in our life. This is a win-win situation. We can make the giver happy and us happy.