Being Happy

Happiness is a state of mind.

If you think you are happy, you are.

Even in the midst of sufferings, you can find people who are happy.

Why? Because they know that a moment of happiness is like the light shining through the darkness of their days.

And in that brief moment, they lived fully and feel the most alive...

The Medicine Buddhas

Many of us know the MEDICINE BUDDHA as the blue colored Buddha who specialises in curing those who are sick or dying.

But actually the Great Medicine Buddha accomplishes much more and he brings HUGE SUCCESS in all areas of life!

In fact, the Blue Medicine Buddha is actually the manifestation of the SEVEN SUGATA MEDICINE BUDDHAS who each are extremely powerful for healing every type of concern in your life that may be causing you sleepless nights!

When one chants the Mantra of the Medicine Buddha and says his name with reverence, one is engaging the help of ALL THE Seven Medicine Buddhas, who each provides a very unique brand of protection!

Let us introduce you to the seven Sugata Medicine Buddhas, and the magical blessings brought by each enlightened King:

1. The blue coloured King of Lapis Light is the most well-known Medicine Buddha, and he specialises in healing you of all kinds of terminal and temporary diseases, poisons and suffering brought by pains and aches. He is the number one King of all Doctors, and has the medicine for all ills!

2. The golden Glorious King of Excellent Signs brings protection from court cases, violence, robbery, kidnapping, vicious animals and harmful spirits. Essentially, this Buddha keeps you safe from a smorgasbord of problems!

3. The yellow coloured King of Melodious Sound, Adorned with Jewels, Sun and Moon brings WEALTH and DESCENDANTS. Saying his name daily protects you from reversals of misfortune and helps resolve financial problems. Those who wish for a child will get a child. Those who wish for wealth will receive wealth!

4. The golden coloured King of Stainless Excellent Gold grants Long Life and offers protection against untimely death caused by sudden illness, accidents or natural disasters. If one is involved in dangerous work or frequent strange places regularly, seek the protection of this Buddha.

5. The pink coloured King of Supreme Glory Released of Sorrow removes all your emotional worries and brings happiness. This Buddha specialises in removing despair and sadness, and bestows beauty, happiness and love. If one has marriage problems or difficulty finding love, request the help of this Buddha.

6. The pink coloured King of Melodious Ocean removes foolishness and brings wisdom and knowledge - perfect for those studying or embarking on new careers. Say his name daily for those who are sitting for exams, or needing to find new employment.

7. The coral coloured King of Clear Knowing protects you from jealousy, malice and anger towards you, or emanating from you. He grants freedom to those who are controlled by others in a negative way. If you are caught in a difficult power struggle at work, then request help from this Buddha.

- extracted from WOFS.com

The Scholar Monk and the Arahat

Once there were two men who entered the monkhood at the same time but who followed different aspirations. One studied the sacred doctrines until he attained such a proficiency in them that quite a number of admiring students gathered around him to hear him teach.

The other practised very hard and eventually became an arahat with great spiritual insights.

One day, the two bhikkhus happened to meet each other for they had gone to see the Buddha at the same time. The proud master of the sacred texts, however, had no idea that the monk he just met was already one of high spiritual attainments.

Treating him with disdain, as he did most monks, the scholar wanted to embarrass the arahat in front of everyone by asking him questions from the texts which he was sure the arahat would not be able to answer.

What the scholar did not know, however, was that whoever brought harm in any form upon an arahat would end up being reborn in a lower world.

To prevent that from happening, the Buddha decided to choose and ask the questions himself. He put questions concerning the higher states of meditation to the scholar monk who, of course, could not answer them because he had not practised what he had recited and preached.

On the other hand, the second bhikkhu had no problem with the questions, answering them humbly but yet with evident authority. When the questioning session was over, the Buddha praised the arahat generously, but made no mention of the learned scholar.

The other bhikkhus wondered why the Buddha praised the arahat and not the illustrous teacher. The Buddha explained to them that although the first bhikkhu was well versed in and knowledgeable of the sacred scriptures, he did not live in accordance with the Dhamma.

The Buddha compared him to a cowherd who tended somebody else’s cows only to earn money and so did not get to drink any of the cows’ milk, while the one who practised the Dhamma was like the owner who enjoyed not only his cows’ milk but all the dairy products that could be made from it as well.

Similarly, the scholar monk only enjoyed whatever services his pupils afforded him but not the benefits of sainthood. On the other hand, though the arahat could barely recite anything from the sacred scriptures, through his diligent practise he had come to understand the essence of the Dhamma and so no longer harbored any greed, hatred, or delusion in his mind. He thus truly reaped the benefits of sainthood.

Though a person recites much of the sacred texts, but is negligent and does not practise according to the Dhamma, he cannot share the blessings of the holy life, just as a cowherd, counting other people’s cows, cannot taste the milk that comes from them.

Though a person recites only a little of the sacred texts, but practises according to the Dhamma and becomes truly wise, thus forsaking lust, hatred, and delusion, and no longer clinging to anything of this or any other world, he indeed shares the benefits of the holy life.

Green Tara Mantra

The practice of Green Tara helps to overcome fear and anxiety, but devotees also believe that she can grant wishes, eliminate suffering of all kinds and bring happiness.

When called upon, she instantaneously saves us from eight specific calamities. (Another lineage describes 16.) The First Dalai Lama lists the 8, and interprets them as representative of corresponding defects, flaws, or obscurations: 1) lions and pride 2) wild elephants and delusions 3) forest fires and hatred 4) snakes and envy 5) robbers and fanatical views 6) prisons and avarice 7) floods and lust 8) demons and doubt
- http://www.khandro.net/deities_Tara1.htm


OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA

OM represents Tara's sacred body, speech and mind.

TARE means liberating from all discontent.

TUTTARE means liberating from the eight fears, the external dangers, but mainly from the internal dangers, the delusions.

TURE means liberating from duality; it shows the true cessation of confusion.

SOHA means "may the meaning of the mantra take root in my mind."
- http://www.tibetan-mantra-art.com/green-tara.html

The Buddha's Perspective on "God"

If there is an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient and omnipresent 'creator' of all, all of 'his creation' should be similar to 'him'. As this is not so, this 'creator' does not exist.

- Stonepeace


The Buddha argued, 'If Brahma ['creator God', if he exists] is venerable, victorious, invincible and the father of them all from whom we are born; if that Brahma is permanent, constant, imperishable, unalterable and eternal, then why are we, whom Brahma has created, impermanent, alterable, unstable and ephemeral?'

No theist has any convincing reply to that.

The Buddha made another argument.

He said, 'If God is omnipotent and the absolute cause of creation, a man should not have a will to do anything. Nor would he have any resolve to try anything. If it is so, why did God create us at all?'

There is no convincing reply to the Buddha's argument.

The Buddha put up also an ethical argument.

He said, 'If God is propitious and gracious, why do men become killers, thieves, adulterers, liars, backbiters, babblers, greedy, malicious and wicked? Is it possible in the presence of a good, kind and propitious God?'

The Buddha put up another irrefutable argument.

He said, 'If there is a great creator who is also just and kind, why are there so many instances of injustice?'

Lord Buddha said, 'Could he, who has eyes, tolerate such an awful plight? Why does Brahma not ameliorate his creation? If he is almighty and cannot by stopped by anyone, why does he not use his hands to perform propitious deeds? Why is his creation suffering as it is? Why does falsehood prevail over truth? I consider your God unjust, who created this world only to shelter injustice.'

The Buddha said, 'If an almighty God permeates all the creatures and makes them happy or unhappy, and makes them do right or wrong, then such a God is also tainted with sin; and either man is not under God's command or God is not just and good, or God is blind.'…

The Buddha came out with an argument, which proved fatal for theism.

It comes under his theory of Dependent Origination, which argues: 'The prime question is not whether there is a God or not. The prime question is whether God created the world or not."

'The actual question is how the creator created the world. If we could correctly answer how the world was created, we could justify the doctrine of God's existence to some extent…'

'The important question is whether a God created something out of something or out of nothing. It is not possible to believe that something was created out of nothing.'

The Buddha also said, 'If God created something out of something, then that something out of which something new was created has been in existence before he created anything. Therefore, God cannot be called the creator of that something which existed before him.'

The Buddha argued that 'If something has been created by somebody out of something before God created anything, then he cannot be said to be the First Cause of creation.'

It was this last argument of the Buddha, which was absolutely fatal for the belief in God.It was an incontrovertible argument, and still is.

- Extracted from "Why Am I An Atheist? by Dr. Dharmakirti"

Pure Land and back

If there are sentient beings,
who hear of this teaching,
they should aspire,
to be born in that land.

- Amitabha Sutra(The Buddha)

Who has been to Amitabha's Pure Land (Amitabha Buddha's pure realm manifested from his perfect compassion and wisdom for guiding beings to liberation) and back?

How do we know if it really exists?

Well, if someone not particularly special in any way tells us he had been to Pure Land and back, we will tend to doubt him.

If he describes Pure Land as it is already described in the sutras taught by the Buddha, we will wonder what is the point of listening to his repeated description.

However, if he describes Pure Land in ways not described in the sutras, we will doubt him all the more.

Yet, there are especially great masters, such as the 13th Pure Land Patriarch Master Yinguang, who expounded on the Pure Land teachings in detail… because he was indeed from Pure Land, being a manifestation of Dashizhi Pusa (Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva) from Pure Land.

The best proof of this identity, as revealed after his departure, are his great abilities and efforts to encourage countless to practise the Pure Land teachings effectively.

There are some who have direct visions of Pure Land when they practise well. Those who have been reborn in Pure Land and returned after training would be Bodhisattvas, who will never reveal their identities just for attention, but let their Dharma teachings and exemplary actions speak for their worth.

This is in line with Shakyamuni Buddha's strict instructions in the Surangama Sutra, as shown below, given out of great compassion and wisdom to avoid the prevalence of false claims for selfish gain in terms of fame and fortune, while confusing the masses with false 'Dharma' teachings -

'It is my command that after my parinirvana, in the time of the Dharma's ending [this period far from the Buddha's time], the Bodhisattvas and Arhats will appear before beings in whatever bodily [manifested] form may be appropriate for rescuing them from the cycle of death and rebirth.

The Bodhisattvas and Arhats may appear as elder monks or nuns, or as white-robed laity, or as kings, as high officials, as pure youths or maidens, or even as courtesans, widows, libertines, thieves, slaughterers, or traffickers in stolen goods.

Working side by side with these people, in order to lead them to enter samadhi, the Bodhisattvas and Arhats praise the Buddha's Vehicle [to Buddhahood], but they should never speak casually to people who have not yet studied the Dharma, saying, "I am actually a Bodhisattva," or "I am actually an Arhat," thus carelessly revealing the Buddha's hidden intent.

They can only reveal themselves at the end of their lives, and then only in private (to inspire them one "final" time).

Anyone who in any other way claims to be a Bodhisattva or an Arhat is deluding people with an egregious lie…

What I have said is what Buddhas teach. Mara, the Evil One, teaches otherwise.' (BTTS 2009)

Following this rule, when we look around in the 'spiritual marketplace' today, those who egoistically claim to be 'supreme' or 'true' 'masters' and 'Buddhas' are straightaway not even proper disciples of the Buddha, much less to say, qualified representatives of his teachings.

The limitless manifestations urged as skilful means for reaching out include any possible identity other than as enlightened beings.

Back to the opening questions, the truth is, even if there is no Pure Land, mindfulness of Buddha has to, by default, lead to the best rebirth as we ride upon his merits, as there is no safer or more meritorious subject for mindfulness of, especially on the deathbed, than a Buddha with perfect compassion and wisdom.

(Amituofo was spoken of by Shakyamuni Buddha in close to 300 sutras.)

Those who practise mindfulness of Buddha very well can depart for Pure Land at will before becoming old, sick and/or dying; when they are healthy, young and thus very much alive.

From ancient history to this modern day, there continues to be increase in already innumerable records of sincere practitioners who have done so. They manifest many classic auspicious signs of birth in Pure Land while departing very blissfully, joyfully citing the arrival of Amituofo or sight of Pure Land.

Such passing must karmically lead to the most blissful realm they aspire to reach – Pure Land. Some give way ahead yet accurate announcements of their departure dates and times too.

This is very powerful evidence for the efficacy of Pure Land practice because for ordinary beings, with the Three Poisons of strong attachment (to samsaric life), aversion (to dying) and delusion (of the afterlife), it is impossible to calmly and clearly know and say when they will depart, if not, as testified by them, due to having been personally informed by Amituofo of when he will arrive to guide them to his Pure Land. These advance notices are also Amituofo's skilful means to continually inspire us to have greater faith in him and his Pure Land!


If good men and good women hear [learn] of Amita Buddha [Amitabha Buddha; Amituofo], firmly upholds [practise mindfulness of] his name… single-mindedly [wholeheartedly] and without confusion [being scattered], for these persons, when approaching the end of life, Amita Buddha, with an assembly of noble [holy] beings, will appear before them. When their lives end, their minds will not be inverted, and they will immediately attain rebirth in Amita Buddha's Land of Ultimate Bliss.


- Amitabha Sutra (The Buddha)

The Power Of Your Mind

It is your Mind that creates your Reality every day.

If you can imagine it, the mind will marshal all the resources from the Universe to make it happen.

Of course, if every day, you think of suffering, lack, being poor and not loved, that is exactly what you will get.

However, if your mind holds that you are loved, prosperous and enjoys abundance, that is exactly what will actualize.

So, be aware of how powerful your mind is. Train it to have good thoughts and good intentions and great things will just start flowing in your life.