Coffee & Tea

Hello readers :)

It is not a picture taken by me wekekeke!

I am in The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Toa Payoh right now :), enjoying my ice blended green tea plus applying job while waiting for appointment at 7 p.m.

Now it sounds like I am a young executive whose life are full of appointments! xDD

Anyway, Readers, I would like to share with you about my BIG self-centered mind. I am not angry with it, I accept it as it is because I am still a usual human being with many positivity and negativity inside. Hopefully by this experience I can eradicate my envy, jealousy, wrong view and learn from it :)

Yesterday I found out that my friends whom I trusted and thought that they would share everything with me.. are indeed not. They had done their own ways and (if my memory is correct) never told me about it. It is like I have lost my sense of trust to them after I know that fact.

The biggest regret I have in my mind is to my parents. They always told me not to be too open to those friends, yet I did not believe them and even gave them a long lecture about being honest to friends haha! (and because of this, my parents were sad; their eldest daughter thought that herself were cleverer than their parents who have gone through many life experiences??). Right now, I know that everything cannot be shared to those friends because they don't share with ME as well, they don't care about ME, they bla bla ME bla bla, bla bla bla ME bla bla...

Readers, can you see the self-centered mind?

Hahaha! Yes, it is always about I, ME, and MY!! Although some guilt are still in the heart, yet I am grateful to take the lesson (FYI, guilt is bad to be cultivated, it is a self-centered mind too; thinking of only I am wrong! I do the mistake! I am bad!). Nevertheless, I am trying to watch the guilt, see it, and let it go... :) :) :)

And for reminder to myself, I would like to post it out:

"After all, this is NOT a competition about who will be the winner or loser! This is just a path of life about how to do your best and effort in order to achieve something successfully."

Okay Readers, time moves fast.. It is time to go.. See yaaa

"Skies of Merit" Retreat (Day 2)

Hello everyone :)

I am sorry, yesterday I could not update you with the "Skies of Merit" Retreat (Day 2). After the retreat, I went to my cousin's place to meet with her father and other cousin. My cousins and I went to Clarke Quay and enjoyed the night there by sharing and taking photos. What a wonderful night we had! :)

Okay.. so the retreat on day 2 was as great as the day 1. The remarkable moment, for me, was when I and some people took the refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha) and precepts. Ven. Thubten Chodron said that by doing such activity, you have made your deep commitment as a Buddhist. Actually this kind of ceremony is only an official thing, what important is when you can plant it at the bottom of your heart and promise yourself to do your best to keep the refuge and precepts until the end of this life.

I am very glad as well, when Ven. Thubten Chodron gave me the name of "Thubten Tsepal" :). Later on, I asked her the meaning of Tsepal and she described it as Noble Life. Hopefully, with my new name, I can change myself to be a better person and live a noble life according to the Buddha's teachings - Do good, avoid evils.

Apart from that, I learn from Ven. Thubten Chodron to REJOICE after we do something good, and also REJOICE for virtuous actions done by others. Rejoicing can be done as well when we remember all of the good qualities of Buddhas and Boddhisatvas. By rejoicing, we are trying to reduce our ill-will, envy, and jealous mind thus experiencing Mudita.

May you be well and happy always :)

"Skies of Merit" Retreat (Day 1)

Hello readers! :).. Nice to be able to meet you again :)

Ven. Thubten Chodron

Today I attended the "Skies of Merit" retreat (part 1) that was guided by Ven. Thubtren Chodron. To my surprise.. until the last 5 minutes, I was mistaken Ven. Thubtren Chodron with Pema Chodron haha! I thought Ven. Thubtren Chodron was Pema Chodron, and before I knew the reality, I was so glad that I was able to meet the teacher whom wrote one of Buddhism great book hahaha. 

Nevertheless, I am not disappointed and have no regret at all to be able to meet, listen, and join the retreat under Ven. Thubtren Chodron. I have found so many sparkling lights come to my mind  because of her words :). And I learn a new approach - the Tibetan way. It is great when you learn how each different ways are actually leading to the same destination.

What did I learn today? 

1. The prostration in Tibetan way    In this way, we put our palm together and bend both thumbs inside. This is called anjali. The space in between the palm indicates EMPTINESS. Right hand indicates COMPASSION, and left hand indicates WISDOM. So, it means that compassion and wisdom should come together; not separating them in our action.
    Prostration is divided into two; short and long prostration. For the short one, firstly, we need to put our hands in anjali, to our crown (the top of our head), forehead, throat, and heart. Then put our hands on the floor (let go the anjali), bend our knees, and lowered our head. We repeat this kind of action three times and closed by doing anjali to our crown, forehead, throat, and heart. For the long prostration, we do exactly the same as the short one, but here, despite of lowering down our head, we lay our body on the floor, straighten our hands aside our head, and bend our palm 90 degrees upward.
Anyway, do you know what is the meaning behind all of these?? Yeaps, you are correct, it is to reduce our pride, ego, and self-centered mind.

When we put our anjali hands to crown, it reminds us of the Buddha who has reached enlightenment, thus motivate us to be a Buddha. When we put our anjali hands to forehead, we invites WHITE LIGHT from the Boddhisatvas to come and purify our bodily actions, i.e. protecting lives of other beings, doing generosity, and developing true love. When we put our anjali hands to throat, we invites RED LIGHT from the Boddhisatvas to come and purify our speech, i.e. being honest, framing our words differently to avoid harsh speech, speaking to create harmony, and be mindful with your speech (sometimes we need to just be QUIET instead of talking). When we put our anjali hands to heart, we invites DEEP BLUE LIGHT from the Boddhisatvas to come and purify our mind, i.e. being contented, rejoicing, developing kind thoughts to every beings (to our enemies too), and setting up the right views. It is advisable to meditate each morning and set out your mind to do goodness for today, and do reflection before you go to sleep at night.

2. Offering
    In fact, offering can be done actually and mentally. So, it does not matter whether you are rich or poor, you still can do offering to the Triple Gems (Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha). Actual offerings are more to material things (money), protecting other beings, loving other beings, and giving the Dhamma to yourself and others. Mentally offering is more to visualizing beautiful things. For example, when you offer a flower, instead of just thinking of ONE flower, you may visualize a garden of beautiful flowers, and then you offer them to the Triple Gems.
    Ohh yaa.. and I think Ven. Thubten Chodron mentioned a good way about offering something/ someone that we are attached to the Triple Gems. It is much better for them to be taken care by the Buddha (Triple Gems) rather than taken care by only ME, isn't it? :)

P.S. Thank you for so many wonderful people that allow me to do this precious deed in this present life :). It is said that the gift of Dhamma excels all gifts.

May all beings be well and happy always!!!