Category: Dharma

So the Olympics Is Around the Corner

Posted onAuthorShi ZhiXing4 Comments

With the Olympic starting in just two days, the whole world goes into a frenzy, soaking in every bit of Olympic titbits they can find, lavishing in the news of all the different sports man and woman people and the history and background of the Games.

Suddenly everyone wants to know the psyche behind these sports folks, what their favorites are, what books they read.  Ok, maybe not everybody wants to know, but at least the news people seem to be rather keen.  So who is driving who?  Are the readers driving the news or the journalists driving the content read?  Hmmm …

Regardless, I read of some athletes and how they excel in their field.  Without fail, the story would describe how they train for hours, days and years before they reach their present state of athletic perfection!  While some may have had a flair for their sports since young, non attained their excellence by sitting on their butts for the past 10 years! :p

This is something common in sports, in the arts, in sciences and yes, even in business!  In all fields, individuals excel through their diligence and repeated efforts, and even then only some succeed to be the very best.  So it makes me raise a brow when people come to me complaining that their practices fail to quell their anger … … after one week of trying!

Read More …

Making the Choice to be Happy

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It’s interesting when we think about how we often talk about pursuing happiness in life bla bla blah, when in real life, no one will quite answer “I’m pursuing happiness” when asked “What are you pursuing in life right now?”.

When I meet some new people, I like to ask them “What do you do?”.  They would then tell me they are in whatever trade or profession they are in.  When I ask them “What you are doing these days?”, they would reply with a gist of whatever projects or activities they are currently engaged in.

When you ask them what they hope to see happen in their life 10 to 20 years later, maybe some will say marriage, a good career etc etc, depending on their age, direction in life and so on.  I’ve yet to meet someone who would tell me, they are “pursuing happiness” right this moment.

Maybe it’s because you cannot just go to the mall to get it.  Or that it’s so intangible.  While you are experiencing it, you barely think about it, when you loose it, then you realise its absence!  Nevertheless, I would like to suggest this, for you and everyone to do this for yourself:  Make a choice to be happy!

Now I am not suggesting for us to start making yet another wishlist of “If I have XYZ I would be happy”, but to start making a different list this time.  This time, make a list that says “Whether or not I get XYZ, I will choose to be happy!”. 🙂

Later on, I’ll suggest some ways for staying happy regardless of outcome XYZ, in the mean time, feel free to share your thoughts and comments.

See also The Mathematics of Happiness

Human Rights vs Human Responsibilities

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The one place you would not expect to find demand of “Human Rights” would be in a college, a Buddhist College I mean. One would think that 1) a Buddhist College would be extolling values above and beyond mere human rights and 2) students (monks in this case) would not really care much about human rights (HR). Afterall, Buddhism as a whole seem to point towards an attitude of non-attachment and non-self (no-self or not-self if you will!), it seem strange that they while working towards these ideals, would be so concerned with human rights. After all, without a self, who is to enjoy the rights or suffer their absence?

But this article is not about that. This article is about what I think Human Rights is and its place in an Asian society vs the role of Human Responsibilities. Read More …

So What? … …

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So What?
So What!
So What!?

“So what” … sweet sound to the ears, and perhaps the mind as well.  Two over months ago, Jan 3 2008 to be exact, during a Dhamma talk at Taipei Buddhist Centre, an participant uttered these magic words “So What?”.  To some it was a challenge to the explanations given, while to others, its a curt retort to the speaker.  To me, I just love it! … if monks are allowed to at least ‘love’ some idea … 😉

To me, it was excellent that that man thought of the question “So what?”.  It implied to me that he was interested in not just listening to mere recitation
of someone’s teachings, but is genuinely concerned about the practical implications of it.  Or at least that’s how I interpreted his “So what?”.  If he meant it any other ways, I didn’t know it. 🙂

I replied by congratulating him on his question; that we Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike need to open our eyes to see and our mind to inquire, to paraphrase myself that day.  My point is that, when we read a book, or listen to a talk, we should listen with an open heart, but not just take everything as it is and leave it at that.  We should inquire further on the practical implications of it in our daily lives!

Each time we attend a talk or a class, we should ask ourselves, how does knowing this help us?  Or others?  Or both?   How do I apply it in my life to bring more peace and less stress?

For that matter, we should not just ask ourselves this question when it comes to Buddhist Teachings,  but to other things as well.  So you didn’t get that promotion this time round … so what?  So she likes someone else and not you (or him you or otherwise) … so what?  So your son failed in his exams … so what?  Now I’m not advocating the other extreme of aloofness.  Rather, I’m saying, put things in perspective.  Make a checklist of things going right for you.  By right, I don’t mean perfect, I mean “good enough”.  Then compare the thing that didn’t work out for you.  You’ve managed so far in your life without that one thing, so why should it, or the lack thereof, make you miserable now?

Sometimes we give ourselves reasons to be miserable and we should stop.  And learn to be content and not spend our precious human life searching the world for a better life.   Instead, we can and should learn to reflect more on our own life and be grateful.  Having more does not always bring more happiness.  More often than not, it leads to more worry and stress.

So the next time, you encounter something, be it a teaching or a difficulty in life, ask yourself … So what? 🙂