Tan Hiep - Hoc Mon - Ho Chi Minh
Friday, 03/24/2023
Specific Items of Consult
Mindful Awareness
Update: 19/04/2015
Answer:
Yesterday was a dream; tomorrow will also be the dream; what is happening today which can’t be held forever, so it is also the dream!
The past was already the dream
The present is also the dream
The future will be the dream
Only man knowing dream
Those people have no illusion
Every passing minute is the dream. If we can be aware of every present moment, we will have no mirage. On the contrary, although we are still alive, we are just living in our own dreams.
In the Buddha’s time, there was a Buddhist novice named Tang Ho, who became a monk with a master, his uncle. Once he went to the market and everybody offered two good quality packages of cloth. He happily carried these ones out and gave them to his master. Not only did his master not give him any compliment, but also showed a dry manner as if nothing had happened.
The Buddhist novice felt dejected on the inside and didn’t want to cultivate any longer when he was fanning for his master. He thought he would bring these packages of cloth to the market for sale and bought some animals to feed.
After feeding for a while, these animals would give birth and he would sell their children for a lot of money to get married. And then, the married couple would give birth. When the baby grew up, they will bring him to bow the Bonzedom. On the way, these two people outdid one another in carrying a baby. Unfortunately, the baby fell down to the ground.The husband was so angry that he bit his wife.
At that moment, the Buddhist novice suddenly heard the voice from his master:†My disciple! You didn’t hit your wife’s head but my headâ€. He awaked from his dream and realized that he was using the fan to hit right at his master’ head. Because his master attained Arhat and had a superpowert of Paracittajnana (intuitive knowledge of the minds of other beings ) from the beginning to the end he knew his master is“dreaming in open eyesâ€.
Do we often†“dream in open eyes†like that? How many hours within a day do we really live? That question is very important in human beings’ life. It is needed to be aware in every gesture and action to feel the true value of life. We sometimes think our happiness which is far away from us is opposite because of its unexpected existence beside us.
Once upon a time, Most Venerable Linh Van had gone away and looked for the right path during more than 10 years, but he couldn’t understand thoroughly the moral principle yet. One day while passing across a cherry flower garden, he saw the cherry flowers bloomed and suddenly understood deeply the moral principle and composed the poem right then:
I had looked for it over thirty years
Several times dead leaves left bare tree branches
When I saw the cherry flower blossoming
Heretofore I felt it obviously
Through looking at cherry flowers, the ancients become awaken to the truth. If we see something nice, we will bring it home to exhibit. Green trees grow on the side of the street; bloomed flowers give a fragrant smell; cluster of clouds sails in the air; all of them are very beautiful and show a miraculous feature of life.
If we can see myriad beings in our Buddha’s name reciting pure breath, our mind will be bright like mirror. We will feel marvellousness of universe and miraculous, beautiful and adornment things at present moments. However, if the mind isn’t pure, it hates everything it sees; nice people become ugly people. Thus, all of the affliction or pureness derives from our heart. We can’t blame on outside circumstances.
Networks of concept and thought are all illusory and untrue, but they can tie us down. The more we struggle to escape the more we are tightened to death. To have peace and happiness in present life, liberation, it is indispensable to use “wisdom’s sword†for cutting all of networks of afflictions. At the end of life, we will relax re-birthing in Pure Land of AmitÄbha.
In Dhammapada sutra book, the Buddha taught:
Great delight! We live with no animosity
Among hatred people, we live with no animosity.
Great delight! We live with no diseases.
Around sick people, we live with no diseases.
Great delight! We live with no desires.
Around desired people, we live with no desires.
Great delight! We live with no obstacles
We are living happily like living in heavenly world.
The reason that we still sorrow is because we don’t clearly see the truth. If we could see it, our life will be peaceful and happy. Hence, joy and happiness is right at the present, right here where we practice steadily in every breath we take.