Previously shared:

Should We Bother With Forgiving Those Who Hurt Us? (Part 1)


Advice of a friend:
Forgive those who hurt us, because they are just not strong enough. Love and Trust need very tough bones and spine, which many people lack.

“The practice of true reality
Is simply to sit serenely
In silent introspection.
When you have fathomed this,
You cannot be turned around
By external causes and conditions.
This empty, wide-open mind
Is subtly and correctly
Illuminating.”

- Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091–1157)

See also: Buddhism Quote: Illumination Experienced by Buddhist Saints(Part 1)

As a contradiction to the current medical sciences, Daoism does not encourage anyone to be sexually active. In fact, the less of it the better. It's the key and answer to great health and longevity. Chinese medicine and treatment is based on the same principles, accordingly there are 3 kinds of treasure of human body --
(1) essence of life 精, (2) vital energy 气, and (3) vitality 神.
These 3 treasures are easily expended away in great amount when one engages in sexual activity. Even in rightful marriage, husband-and-wife are advised to exercise moderation, otherwise there will be damaging consequences to one's health and well-being (body, mind, and spirit).

Any sexual relationships beyond or before marriage is forbidden in Daoism. It is a serious and sacred matter the same way it is treated in Catholicism and Islam.

The 3 kinds of treasure of human body must be preserved, they are needed to achieve enlightenment. It is therefore a good life path for those not binded by marriage to be a pure single, one that cultivates to free one's body, mind and spirit entirely from sexual desires.

In Buddhism, this is also the first precept to observe: cut-off all sexual desires, when practising The Shurangama Sutra.

Contentment and Happiness comes from DAILY:

1. Simplicity of Just Be Who I Am,
   
2. Good Labour - working efficiently and effectively at carrying out yesterday's plans for today,
   
3. Reflection - honest evaluation of our performance, and
   
4. Setting of Workable Plans of Improvement for Tomorrow.

Number 2 to 4 are to be guided by morals and virtues.
For me, all of Number 1 to 4 are to be guided by the teachings of Confuciunism, Daoism, and Buddhism!

From a twitter's tweet:

Always respect other people's model of the universe. Well, how else are you going to be able to communicate with them?

I add this:

You don't have to lose your own model of the universe, nevertheless, keep it open for improvement.

“The six supernormal faculties of the enlightened are the ability:
To enter the realm of form（色）without being confused by form,
To enter the realm of sound（声）without being confused by sound,
To enter the realm of scent（香）without being confused by scent,
To enter the realm of flavor（味）without being confused by flavor,
To enter the realm of feeling（触）without being confused by feeling,
To enter the realm of phenomena（法）without being confused by phenomena. ”

- Linji (d. 867)

---

Questions from Discussions after I posted this on a forum:

How do we enter without being confused ?

Does this mean to allow the senses to enter but not grasp on to them? Just allow that flow of thought to leave once it enters through us?

My reply:

I am also learning, not able to master yet. What I learn from Zen teachings, especially those by the late Zen Master Seung Sahn, is to practise moment to moment: "put down, put down, put down". Or, keep a "Don't Know" mind moment to moment. Just perceive truth as it is, keep the mind like a mirror, only reflect the truth, don't grasp or hold, red reflects red, blue reflects blue, mirror doesn't hold anything, doesn't add "like-dislike", add judgement of "beauty-ugly" etc., but only reflects.

Maybe our habits is to ADD some thinking and feelings, but those are already our own conditions that set us apart from everyone else and therefore create differences. After lingering a while with thoughts and feelings and ideas and so on, Put Down. Like calculator's "Clear" button, moment to moment, "clear" "clear" "clear". Then we can "calculate" correctly: we can understand our situation correctly, we can perceive truth correctly, and as a result, we also function, speak, act and do correctly in any environment and situation.

Zen Master Seung Sahn taught that Buddha nature, which also means, Great Love, Great Compassion, Great Wisdom, is in us, there's no need to add thinking or feeling to make them appear. As Buddha has said: All sentient beings have Buddha nature, they are merely hindered by their attachments and delusions and therefore couldn't attain it.

So, go straight into our Buddha nature, which he guided us always by saying "Go Straight Into Don't Know Mind!", function the mind like a mirror. All those senses are merely transient and temporary. Don't be confused by them. When stuck in one confused state, the outside world already changes. So, let go, let go, let go, put down, put down, put down, only Don't Know.

PS: I am only revising, so, just sharing what I remembered from the late Zen Master Seung Sahn's teachings and that of his disciples.

Here's a Tribute to this Zen Master, and his teachings about how to really save this world:
http://taogirl.multiply.com/journal/item/14

Namo Amitabha Buddhaya! :)

Extracted from: A Multiply Friend

Have you ever asked yourself what is costing you to keep carrying this burden of an unforgiving spirit? Think of the bitterness, anger, jealousy and hatred that are eating away at your soul because of your inability to forgive.

An unforgiving spirit hurts us emotionally and spiritually, and keeps us from becoming the people we want to be. It also cuts us off from experiencing peace and joy in our lives.

So, Yes, forgive them, get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, but don't let down your guard if they still can't remove their harmful habits.

In my life, lots of this kind of people. Forgive them, and they think we allow them to take advantage of us all over again. So, draw the lines clearly but keep our soul and spirit free! :)

对一个人的宽恕并不代表就要对其降低防范之心！依然要切记古人言：害人之心不可有，防人之心不可无。

These are what I call, MAGIC!

“In the flash of a single thought,
The agitated mind is put to rest.
All the inner and outer sensations
Become lucid and transparent.
Breaking the great void
By a turning of the body,
The ten thousand phenomena
Of the majestic world
Rise and disappear.”

- Han-Shan Te-Ch'ing

“The moon's the same old moon,
The flowers exactly as they were,
Yet I've become the thingness
Of all the things I see!”

- Bunan (1602-1676)

thingness:

the quality or state of objective existence or reality. The quality of a material thing; objectivity; actuality; reality.

Meanwhile, this is also mind-boggling:

“The thingness of a thing precedes the conscious perception of its sensual properties.”

- 2002, Kai Hammermeister, The German Aesthetic Tradition

之前所分享的相关资料：
1. Finding Peace When People Try Our Patience and Sanity (Part 1)
2. Finding Peace When People Try Our Patience and Sanity (Part 2)
3. 如何应对恶人小人 (Part 3)

一个博客抱怨着：

为什么人可以没有良心？为什么人可以以怨报德？

给我的启发：

孔子曰：以直报怨、以德报德。

以怨报德？可能：

1. 在不留意的地方得罪人了。
   每个人对不同的事情在不同的层面上有不一样程度的宽容和耐力。
   
   
2. 有些太过以自我为中心的人，就可能会变得贪心，觉得他“值得拥有”一切又一切。
   那位博客就如此的抱怨：这些人心不足蛇吞象的人，觉得别人对他们好是务必的。不感恩也罢了，但有些还可恶的满怀心计加害于别人。看到这些人伤害自己的至亲让人愤怒。
   
   
3. 又或者，好心被狗咬！
   我们的好心他们没有吸收到，Frequency 不对。实乃“仁者见仁，智者见智”，他们不仁所以没法看到我们的仁。

以前收过一则 SMS：岂能尽如人意，但求无愧我心。
尽力就好了！

几十年了，自我懂事以来，这世界种种的不平天天在搬演，我已经为之气到 — 变得非常苍老了！可是我再怎么气怎么努力，于事无补，问题依然在，世界还是那种比率：10个人9个坏！自己属于比较傻呼呼的，所以也被打击得很惨很惨，其滋味，回想时依然会落泪！

我们只能保证自己不变坏，并加强防御能力，并指导提醒我们的至亲保护自己。我母亲教导我们：保持警惕，见招拆招！

忠厚老实又容易心软的人，看看这篇吧：
害人之心不可有，防人之心不可无。

精明的人也看看，有时最好不要拆穿别人，除非已经在咱太岁头上动土来了。那时就要见招拆招了。

不管如何：
Love All, Trust A Few, but Do Wrong to None!

今天 20092009。只希望世人觉醒，脚踏实地、老老实实、安分守己。灾难时刻降临，只有规矩的人们得以幸免呀！

末日是天意，下不下地狱却是掌握在自己。人反正都要死，但要怎么死，带着后悔和罪孽？还是无怨无悔心安理得？问心无愧最重要！不要让自己成为连自己都讨厌和不能信任的人。好心有时要吃点亏，忍一时风平浪静，退一步海阔天空！举头三尺有神明，会有还你清白的一天的！

“Love is an irresistable desire to be irresistably desired.”

- That's irresistably frightening way to love!

“When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.”

- Oh yes, don't waste food!

“Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which you need most.”

- But if we make it a divine duty to return the money, will that still be a problem?

“We tear life out of life to use it for looking at itself.”

- Why does it sound so violent?

A Multiply friend said:

“when i was young i painted a picture of a man on my window......i waited and he appeared....”

I replied:

I wish I could draw something which came true...

I draw many things in my head, pictures of people becoming less and less selfish, less and less unhappy and uptight, more and more genuine smiles, more and more broad mind and broad heart. So far I am still being laughed at as a clown if I ever explain those paintings to people. :(

I turn now to drawing things about myself in my head, things I want to see myself improve, and ugly sides of me to disappear forever. Hope they come true! :)

Collection of quotes:
Take pleasure in a job well done.

The Journey is The Destination.

Endure when you must!

顺便看看：懒惰不是一个有智慧的选择！

Practice of Contentment:
When nice things enter our life, learn to feel "It's more than Enough!" in the shortest possible time and refuse to take more than enough.


Overcoming Greed:
If we take more than what we deserve, the laws of karma will make sure we'll lose them some day anyway. Imagine the pain of all efforts returning to zero, so, Just Enough is Good Enough!

We are all doing our best to adjust our comfort zones with those of others around us. Sometimes, all it takes is just a redefinition of comfort zones. Maybe, there're no comfort or discomfort zones afterall.
*Hit* become one, we are all in the same zone.
*Hit* become one, we are all in different zones, and that's ok too.

- Some Thoughts after watching a lab mate shift office space from the left cubicle to the right.

A Multiply friend said:

“get in touch with yourself, feel and express joy, let everything else go, it's that simple”

I replied:

I got in touch with myself today, felt and expressed sorrow and pain, don't know what to let go so just let it be, it truly is that simple.

“The great Tao flows everywhere,
To the left and to the right.
All things depend upon it to exist,
And it does not abandon them.
To its accomplishments it lays no claim.
It loves and nourishes all things,
But does not lord it over them.”

- Chuang tzu

in comparison with Zen Quote: Non-Attachment?

The eyes we have, often, we allow them to stray with the outer things they capture, so easily diverting our focus towards materialistic pursuits and attachments.

It is indeed a blessing to have proper eyesight, but even more importantly, to train our eyes to be disciplined. And this apply to all of our other senses and sensors as well - ears, nose, tongue, body, & mind - It is essential to train all our senses to be disciplined.

“People say they love truth, but in reality they want to believe that which they love is true.”

- Robert J. Ringer

People rather be comfortable than to learn the truth, especially when it hurts their pride. Pride/ego management is one of man's weakest skills.

Karma will take care of everything ultimately.
But if one can stop the crooks, such is a great service to humanities NOW, so why wait for karma? They can take place a long time later, much damage would have been done, and by the time those crooks taste their own medicine, they probably have forgotten the lessons!

Note: By the way, there is a difference between the meaning of:
   karma (act, action, performance, intention), and
   karma-phala (results or consequences of karma).
When people say "karma", most of the time they seem to refer to "karma-phala". So the above statement is more correct by substituting: karma = karma-phala.

收到这一则短讯 sms：

“朋友…
孤丹时…才知家人有多珍贵！
无助时…才知知心朋友到底有多少！
生病时…才知健康有多重要！
贫穷时…才知做人应该多布施！
临终时…才知道没做的事情实在多！
朋友~好好珍惜此时此刻，把人生的道路走好难得来到这世界走一趟，
千万不要白白地度过…”

我有感而发：

朋友…
孤丹时…才知原来独自一个人可以那么清静！
无助时…才知自己有限的能力和智慧因此而谦卑！
生病时…才知人的身体很烂不值得太执着！
贫穷时…才知富贵时的迷糊所以珍惜现在的清醒！
临终时…才知终于可以脱离这烂身体而开心！
朋友~好好珍惜此时此刻，把人生的道路走好，来世别再来做人！