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"