Awakening Hermitage - Chinese New Year celebrations 2023

This is a short video recording giving a 360 degrees view of the place as well as a snapshot of the people and surrounding at the Chinese New Year gathering on 28 Jan. 2023.

The last photo shows an injured butterfly that I had taken out from a drain nearby. It was perching at the side wall of the drain. I was wondering why it would be doing so. There were others who saw it too but never came to their minds it could be injured. I suspected it could be injured, perhaps at one of the wings. Therefore, it could not fly. I lifted it up with a leaf and gently put it on a plant nearby. I did some "Namo Amitabha Buddha" chanting for it. Happy to be performing a true animal liberation! 

It made me think that if Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are just standing by the wayside and just watching us suffer, then what would be the hope of sentient beings? If nobody help the buttterfly and everyone just watching it, or ignoring it, what hope does it have?

Anyway, in this CNY gathering, I learned something new. I will share it when I have the time. It is a new perspective on the Buddhist five precepts, particularly its application on the modern world.  

Hope you explore other posts too, such as this - https://buddha-and-me.blogspot.com/2009/03/start-prostrations-ngondro-early.html

 #ChineseNewYear #AwakeningHermitage #animalliberation

I have completed my 4th Sanghata Sutra!

 

I have completed my 4th Sanghata Sutra on the midnight of 6 Jan. 2023, and as 7 Jan. 2023 breaks. One more to go. May the Sutra help smoothen my worldly path as well as my spiritual path! May IT bless all sentient beings by bringing them towards the Dharma Path, which eventually leads to their Liberation!

#SanghataSutra #writingsutra 

If you wish to know more about spiritual path, suggest reading this - https://buddha-and-me.blogspot.com/2013/12/reflecting-year-2013-thank-you-buddhas.html

Bidding Farewell to 2022: Faith in Buddhism

 What is faith in Buddhism? For many people, it means believing in a higher power, or God-entity, someone who can save us.... whatever that "saving" means. The latter may differ from religion to religion. 

Are Buddhists supposed to have faith or develop faith in the Triple Gem (consisting of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha)? Or, are we supposed to have faith only in the Buddha? For example, having faith in Amitabha Buddha. 

Nay, in a way, we don't have faith in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. We take refuge in them. Are these two terms referring to the same thing. Slightly different. Taking refuge in the Triple Gem means we not just merely believe in the Triple Gem but rather putting in practice what is taught in the Dharma (i.e. the Fourth Nobe Truth) because we have the confidence that our practice will indeed lead us to the Third Noble Truth, which is the end of suffering). 

So, that is what I interpret as "Faith in Buddhism", which is NOT about the saving powers of the Buddhas. This may differ from other religions, whereby only by having faith in their God or their prophets, they may gain deliverance. Nope, not even having faith in Amitabha's Vows will it gain us the Third Noble Truth. However, having faith in the Amitabha's Vows will result in being "reborn" in Amitabha's Pure Land (whatever and however this is interpreted as, is for another post, not here). But not directly gain the Third Noble Truth. We will then practice the Dharma while in the Pure Land. Therefore, it still falls upon us to do the necessary PRACTICE (to rid ourselves of the causes of suffering (the Second Noble Truth). AND I must say, practicing in the Pure Land of the Buddhas are certainly much more conducive than anywhere else. That is why it is so important to have faith in Amitabha's Vows. As long as we don't practice the Dharma, that is as long as we will continue to suffer (which is the First Noble Truth). 

Nonetheless, faith is a very important part of any religious practice. It is the source of ALL BLESSINGS! It may not liberate us from Samsara, but it can lessen our pain in times of great suffering, smoothen our path during our life's journey, and be the anchor when we are tossed and thrown about in the great ocean of SAMSARA. Therefore, to have faith, particularly towards the right objects of faith, will facilitate the accomplishment of our spiritual practice!  

With these words, I bid farewell to Year 2022, and hope for the best for 2023 for all sentient beings! 2022 had been very difficult and challenging year for me personally. Thankfully I ended the year on a more hopeful note. But the silver lining of the difficulties had been the opportunity to deepen my understanding of meditation practice. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023!  

#faith #fournobletruths #PureLandBuddhism #meditation 

You may want to explore this post about how I greeted Year 2007 at Bodhgaya, India - https://buddha-and-me.blogspot.com/2007/02/part-11-saving-saddam-hussein-at.html

P/S:

While I was writing this blogpost, something happened to my prayer altar. The urn where I placed the burning joss-sticks, somehow the end of the joss-sticks (sort of the "butt" or the wooden legs") got burnt altogether. And in the end, my urn looks so fresh, it's like renewed. It looks so clean now. I take this incident as a positive sign, of burning away of my negativities and offering new fresh hope for me and the world at large! Keeping my fingers crossed!