Check how positive your attitude & mind are.

THE VOICE OF HAPPINESS

After Bankei had passed away, a blind man who lived near the master’s temple told a friend:

“Since I am blind, I cannot watch a person’s face, so I must judge his character from the sound of his voice. Ordinarily when I hear someone congratulate another upon his happiness and success, I also hear a secret tone of envy. When condolence is expressed for the misfortune of another, I hear pleasure and satisfaction, as if the one condoling was really glad there was something left to gain in his own world.

In all my experience, however, Bankei’s voice was always sincere. Whenever he expressed happiness, I heard nothing but happiness, and whenever he expressed sorrow, sorrow was all I heard.”

Reflection & Contemplation:                                                                

1.      Let’s use this short narrative as the instrument to measure how sincere & positive one’s mind and attitude are?

2.      Does it tell you how and who you are?

Check how positive your attitude & mind are.

THE VOICE OF HAPPINESS

After Bankei had passed away, a blind man who lived near the master’s temple told a friend:

“Since I am blind, I cannot watch a person’s face, so I must judge his character from the sound of his voice. Ordinarily when I hear someone congratulate another upon his happiness and success, I also hear a secret tone of envy. When condolence is expressed for the misfortune of another, I hear pleasure and satisfaction, as if the one condoling was really glad there was something left to gain in his own world.

In all my experience, however, Bankei’s voice was always sincere. Whenever he expressed happiness, I heard nothing but happiness, and whenever he expressed sorrow, sorrow was all I heard.”

Reflection & Contemplation:                                                                

1.      Let’s use this short narrative as the instrument to measure how sincere & positive one’s mind and attitude are?

2.      Does it tell you how and who you are?

Little Knowledge is Dangerous

Nothing Exists

Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. One day, he called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.
Desiring to show his attainment, he said, "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be recieved."
Dokuon who was smoking quietly said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe.
This made the youth quite angry.
"If nothing exists," inquired Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"

Source: Bhutan Observer, 14th Dec .


My Critical Analysis & Reflection:

1. Learning the philosophy alone does not make one wise & learned.

The young monk had learned everything including the primordial truth & the highest level of  Buddhist philosophy, the Emptiness.  But, he lacks the basic practice & realization like controlling his anger, desire, ignorance, ego, envy, etc.

Where is his realization?
Where is his transformation?
What is the change in his attitude?

Ans: Such practitioners of religion is sheer hypocrisy, pretending what one is not.
If one is the beginner of pursuing religious practice; for Buddha's sake, do not express your "ego" in any form.

From the Bodhi Tree

From the Bodhi Tree:

WORKING WITH OTHERS MAKES YOU HUMBLE:

Humbleness comes from working with other. When you work with others, you realize the need to be patient, give space and time to others to develop their own understanding of goodness and bravery. If you are frantic and try to push your understanding onto others, then nothing happens except chaos. Knowing that, you become extremely humble and patient in working with others

-HH Chogyem Trungpa Rimpoche.

 

TEMPER:

A  Zen student came to Bankei and complained, “Master, I have an ungovernable temper. How can I cure it?”

“You have something very strange,” replied Bankei. “Let me see what you have.”

“Just now I can’t show it to you,” replied the student.

“When can you show it to me?” asked Bankei.

“It arises unexpectedly,” replied the student.

“Then,” concluded Bankei, “it must not be your own true nature.

 If it was your true nature, you could  show it to me any time.

When you were born, you did not have it, and your parents did

not give that to you. Think that over.”

Source: Bhutan Observer, Nov 16-23 edition.