:: Present ::

‘Do not pursue the past.
Do not lose yourself in the future.
The past no longer is.
The future has not yet come.

Looking deeply at life as it is
in the very here and now,
the practitioner dwells
in stability and freedom.

We must be diligent today.

To wait until tomorrow is too late.
Death comes unexpectedly.
How can we bargain with it?

The sage calls a person who knows
how to dwell in mindfulness
night and day
‘one who knows
the better way to live alone.’

Adapted from the Bhaddekaratta Sutta, translated by Thich Nhat Hanh

：： 风动心动？：：

某一天，六祖慧能来到南海法性寺，正好遇到，正好遇到印宗法師讲《涅槃經》。
那時，风吹剎幡，有二位僧人辩论风和幡，一个说是风动，一个说是幡动，兩人争执不已。 六祖卻說：「不是风动，也不是幡动，而是你们的心动。」
印宗問六祖：「五祖有何传授？」 六祖答道：「只讲见性，不论禅定、解脫。」
印宗問：「为何不论禅定、 解脫？」 六祖答：「那是二法，不是佛法，佛法是不二之法。」
印宗又問：「什么是不二之法？」 六祖答:「一者善，二者不善，佛性非善非不善，這就是不二。」


所谓："心如工画師 能画诸世間 五蕴悉從生 一切唯心造" ~华严经~

人心就如同世界上最优良的画家，能把万事万物描绘的真切而实际。色、受、想、形、识都是因我们的心有所感念而生，甚至你我所見到的万物万象，也都只是人们的心所幻化出來的，怎能算是真实呢？

:: Loving kindness, forgiveness ::

Here's something which I came across recently, which I found really inspiring and it touches my heart. Forgiveness and kindness towards others, and especially towards oneself are sometimes very hard to be practiced upon.

Are there really someone out there that you can't forgive and love? When we think about it with an open heart, do we really bear it not to forgive someone who might have done so much for us in one way or another in some parts of our life? Someone who have shown us kindness no matter how insignificant it is, we can't rebut that it doesn't matter to us...

Think about their kindness....
...when you're going school in the dawn when you're young, the bus driver have to wake up so much earlier to fetch you to school...
...when you fall down, your parents, siblings, friends who've been there for you, no matter how short the duration might be...
...when you're sick, the doctor and nurses whom you've consulted...
...when you're taking your meals - the rice in your bowls, from the ever-hardworking farmers in the fields... ...when you're feeling hot in the afternoon, there's wind to relief you - mother earth's at work...
...when you do poorly for your papers, who were there to help in your revision...
...when you are lost and do not know what to do, who were there to guide you...
...when you are walking the park, who are there chirping to keep you accompany...
... etc ...

Our life journey is full of ups and downs. One meets with different people at different points in one's life. When the conditions are no longer there, things and situations changes, that's the beauty of Impermanence, as nothing stays the same forever... There are always surprises and new learning experiences waiting for us with every step we take. Is spending the precious time that one have now on hating, disliking, slandering, complaining, picking, wailing about something, someone worth while?

:: It's possible to free the heart ::
The words of the Buddha offer this truth:

~ Hatred never ceases by hatred
but by love alone is healed.
This is the ancient and eternal law. ~

If we look at ourselves truthfully, we can feel the possibility of being more compassionate, more awake, more free.

~ If it were not possible to free the heart

from entanglement in greed, hate and fear,
I would not teach you to do so. ~
- the Buddha

Anger, blame, conflict and resentment arise from our fear.
When we are afraid, our body tightens, our heart is constricted, our mind is possessed.
We cannot live wisely.
Forgiveness releases us from the power of fear.
It allows us to see with kindly eyes and rest in a wise heart.

~Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate.
Live in joy, in health, even among the afflicted.
Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled.
Look within, be still.
Free from fear and attachment,
know the sweet joy of the way. ~
- the Buddha
[ The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness and Peace (Jack Kornfield) ]

::

Be brave and move on with positive vibes and have faith that all things will turn out to be better.
I've always believe that "Everything happens for the bEst".