Amla - Phyllanthus emblica (syn. Emblica officinalis)( 余甘子)

Amla, better known as Indian Gooseberry, is widely used in the Ayurvedic medicine (a traditional medicine system in India) system of India. Amla is extremely rich in vitamin C, having thirty percent more than oranges. It’s packed with many vitamins, minerals, tannins and other helpful nutrients. Amla also works well for inflammation. It is a good anti-inflammatory for joints especially. This potent herb is also used to reduce fevers, strengthen the heart, control blood sugar, treat urinary tract infections and improve eyesight. (reference from http://www.herbslist.net/amla.html)

On the way to Vulture Peak, Thay bought some amla fruits for us because we all had sore throat. Thay told us Indians use this fruit as a herbal medicine to cure sore throat. The taste of amla is incredible. The taste of amla fruit is sour, bitter, sharp, astringent, and it is quite fibrous but the after taste is incredibly sweet. The sweet sensation lingered in my throat and between my teeth, it was amazing. I was dumbfounded by how the fruit soothed my throat.

In my opinion, a person who embodies the sentiments of an amla is one who faces their hardships with persistence and courage. Despite of meeting many adversities in one’s life, one will eventually taste the sweetness of success. I believe the meaning of this fruit correlates to the life of the Buddha. Siddhartha gave up his luxurious life and lived as an ascetic for six years. During those six years he practiced with all his might, seeking the answer to end suffering. Through endless meditation he reached Buddhahood and discovered the ‘Middle Path’ .

There are many Chinese idioms for this fruit:

• Light at the end of the tunnel
• Bitterness finishes, sweetness begins (苦盡甘來)
• Pleasure comes through toil

31/12/2011

Can Buddha Dharma (teachings) help the poor?

Someone asked me this question and I have no clue how people will react with my answer. I believe that Buddha Dharma can help the poor. Although living in poverty, a person can still be happy. A person who is wealthy can be unhappy. Buddha Dharma is teaching us how to accept what we have, how to see things as they are not as what we want them to be, and learning how to let go. Buddha taught us Anicca (impermanent), Dukkha (unsatisfactory/suffer) and Anatta (non-self). If we understand the truth then whatever condition we are in, our mind can be content and happy. Although Buddha Dharma cannot bring wealth and things into our daily life, it can make our mind rich and happy.

Why did Buddha strive to reach enlightenment? He strived for enlightenment because he saw all these sufferings and wanted to find a way out from it. I am sure at Buddha’s time, there would be as many beggars as there is today. Buddha illustrated the best example to us by how he became poor, yet could still be happy. He gave up his luxurious life and became a beggar. Buddha begged for food and lived under a tree. All he had was a cloth which he wore on his body and an alm bowl. Buddha always had a serene and happy mind because he understood the truth - Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta . He did not discriminate what was good or bad. His mind had transformed into ‘Pure Land’. No matter how harsh the condition was, the Buddha kept a peaceful mind.

Although there are many poor people in India where Buddha became enlightenment, that doesn’t mean they understand Buddha’s teachings. Buddha Dharma is a mind training exercise, not something that will make you become wealthy.

31/12/2011

Garbage Collector

 

These images are taken from Yoshihito Koizumi

There is a computer language called Java. It has a garbage collector built in. The garbage collector is a form of automatic memory management. It attempts to reclaim the memory used by objects that will never be accessed again by the application. There are sometimes when we are like a garbage collector. We collect all sort of garbage such as other people’s garbage, our own garbage and don’t know how to dispose them. When we see something we don’t like to see, we keep it in our garbage collection; when we hear something we don’t want to hear, we keep it in our garbage collection. Metaphorically speaking, the garbage we collect is essentially what we don’t like or what we like. Its gets to a stage where we can no longer handle this garbage as it is full. Our emotions are dislocated. We feel misery; we feel as though life has deceived us; thus become unhappy because we cannot accept. Simple, the more garbage we collect, the more unhappy we will be. Our unhappiness is caused by how heavy our baggage has become, effecting our ‘happy’ life negatively. One must learn to let go. 

Through others’ speech and actions, we can learn what we should do and what we shouldn’t do. For example, when we see a beautiful sunset, we see it as a beautiful sunset. We shouldn’t expect tomorrow’s sunset to be the same. When we see something we don’t like to see, we can learn from the thing that we don’t like to see. We accept and move on. We should see thing as it is, not as what we want it to be. It’s the same thing as how our thought rises in our mind. If it’s a good memory, we acknowledge it; if it’s a bad memory arises in our mind, we should acknowledge it and should no longer need to follow these thoughts. The past has already passed. The future is yet to come and we must live in the present moment. Let each moment come and pass naturally, likewise as the sun rises and sets. The more we follow our thought the more trouble your mind will get.

If we want to be a happy person, we need to learn how to dispose our garbage. Letting go is the way to dispose our garbage. Why do we need to meditate? It’s to observe what sort of garbage we have inside our mind and learn how to let go.

31/12/2011 Rajgir

Incredible India

I have received many chain emails about how messy, how unclean and how horrible Indians deal with their tourists.

India is incredible to me. It’s expected that India is messy, unclean, and smelly. Beggars scatter around town to town, and it’s a fact. However they are not the essence of India.

I have been in India twice and still enjoy it so much. I like the people there. They always smile at you, wave at you and say hello to you when you go pass. Boys and girls are always happy. They love to have a photo taken with you. Indians are so friendly. They are fascinated by the tourists and we are fascinated by them. They don’t yell. They don’t fight. I honestly haven’t seen it happen even once during my 12 week stay in India.

In OZ land, we have road rage every single day but in India, the traffic is incredibly jammed. All cars, trucks and rickshaws come from all directions. Drivers use horns to alert others to overtake them. It’s like a mutual way of saying, ‘You give way to me and I give way to you’. Their horns have melodies, like a symphony of horns. It seemed the drivers know what they want. At the surface, we focus on the noisy traffic and the hectic bustling on the roads. However, when I look closely I can see how the traffic system harmoniously flows. Harmony is the essence of India. It’s fascinating to watch our drivers driving around through India.

The Indians who I have met have all been friendly. When we get lost and ask for directions, people want to help us, even if they don’t know the way. Although this gesture is somewhat kind, it is a pain because we are lead to the wrong direction.

I often saw beautiful Indian women walking through the dusty streets with colourful saris. Especially in the morning when the air is full of mist, there would be stream of women dressed in colourful saris. It gives the place a sense of mystery.

Religions in India are incredible. The world’s major religions were founded in India – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. Religions in India are like a buffet. You can pick and choose what suits you.

The food and spices are incredible. The spices are so strong that you couldn’t even smell the scent of farts. I know this as I myself have proved this. I love India food. I have tried Mattar paneer in different states and places. Every place had its own distinct interpretation of the dish, which I enjoyed all of them.

India has a bountiful collection of historical and ancient artefacts, including incredible relics from the past. It will take many years to explore closely to all for the caves and forts. India has got my love that no matter how many times I visit, I won’t feel bored of it. India hasn’t put me off. India is incredible and I love it.

31/12/2011