Excerpts from Exploring Buddhism by Christmas Humphreys

His desires and emotions may be rebellious and he cannot sack them, but at least he can call a meeting and address them as one who knows them for what they are.
Values will soon be utterly remade, and the lusts and longings of yesterday be dropped as a hobby laid aside.
With the dying down of personal emotion the mind becomes increasingly controlled and clear, and the birth of the intuition creates the serenity in which Enlightenment is found.

Buddhism which stresses the futility of speculation, and trains the students' mind to the immediate task in hand, finds little profit in discussing matters which do not lead to the heart's enlightenment.
Whether the bundle of attributes which is reborn be called a self, or soul, or character it is, like all else in the universe, forever changing, growing, and becoming something more.

It is not an immortal soul which, possessed by you, is different from that possessed by me. 

It is in face the product that which dies, and whatever the form may be, we are here and now, with every breath we draw, creating it.

pg 77

"Let us arise then, and not only seek experience, direct, immediate experence, but be unafraid when we find it. How? The answer is another question : "Who holds you back?" Let be said again, for there is no more to be said. There are two rules upon the Way - Begin and Continue. Asked, "what is Tao?", a master replied

'Walk on". 

pg 169

"Master how shall I free my mind?" the Master replied, "Who puts you under restraint?" pg 184

 'To immortalize a second of carefreeness. To forget the illness, if only for a second."

from Mimi Foundation

Nelson Mandela Spent 27 Years In Prison — And Had This To Say When He Got Out

R.I.P

This footage from a San Diego McDonald’s captures the last amazing act of kindness from Jeremy Henwood, police officer and Marine veteran, just minutes before he was shot in the line of duty.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"NBA star."
"Well you gotta work hard for that."said Henwood after buying Damian Lewis a meal.

I told my sis these things last night.

I need to remember them, so I'm typing them here.

My sis was leaving soon and she was feeling quite down.

She refused to talk about it.

"Jie,

I'm not suicidal and this may seem weird but I have these important things to tell you. 

So, don't say anything until I'm done k?"

She nodded.

"I know there was a dark period of time where things got really bad between us, but if I were to die right now, my mind will definitely only recall all the good memories that we shared. What I'm trying to say here is, the good definitely outweigh the bad. And I have a LOT, a LOT of good memories with you. 

"Second, there was never sibling rivalry between us. I was never jealous of you.

I have always, ALWAYS accepted that you are better than me. And that's why I always look up to you.

I've always admired you.

 This whole rubbish about me being spiteful of you was concocted by our parents. They made things worse between us."

My sis nodded.

"Lastly, *this part I was tearing up* ... I wish I'm stronger for you. I wish... I'm better...so that I can help you. But I'm not... and I'm sorry."

Both of us had tears in our eyes.

And I think, for that moment, finally, we understood each other.

Taken from Tea Chua
"The lady had a note at her back saying 'Blind'.
 They did FM.
Very inspiring that age and not able to see didn't stop her from running.
I was observing them overtaking me at the last 3km.
 At that time I was telling myself, how can I say a route is boring or have nothing much to see, where people can't even see anything but yet running.
 What is my pain, where she might have fell or knock into things but yet not quitting running or fear of trying. The guy is awesome too, giving such a big support and encouragement.
 Truly a good pacer.
 PS: I saw them again at the last 1km sign. They were taking photos and were happy. If they didn't stop, they could have finished under 6 hours.
I was indeed touched and inspired by them. They have show such great spirit being a runner."

Want to be happy? Be grateful

"Every moment is an opportunity.
When we allow ourselves to be available for the opportunity,  to be grateful for the present moment,

that is the key to happiness."

"When you are grateful, you are not fearful. You are willing to share. You act out of equality.

When you are grateful, you act out of the sense of 'enough', and not out of scarcity." 

 

 The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar.

And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude.
An inspiring lesson in slowing down, looking where you’re going, and above all, being grateful.

 Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, meditates and writes on "the gentle power" of gratefulness.

（槟岛西南区27日讯）一名前途大好的年轻工程师疑不堪新工作压力在上班途中，到峇央峇鲁某商业大厦8楼停车场坠下，当场死亡。 上述事件是于周三上午约8时许发生在峇央峇鲁阳光广场旁的商业中心旁。 死者为刘俊伟，今年24岁，生前和父母居住在北海拉惹乌达，而他是在峇六拜一间跨国工厂任职工程师，每天从槟城来回工作。生前有一名交往了7年，在银行任职的女友。 据了解，死者坠楼的地点也是他每天上班前，都会驾车前往购买三文治早餐的店面前。死者坠下后，一双黑色的鞋子脱落在尸身旁。 警方是从死者身上钱包内的证件证实死者的身份，过后，警方也打开死者的车子进行调查，并从死者的车上找到一件相信是属于死者的工作制服。当时，死者的车子就停放在事发地点旁的市政局停车位上。 西南县警区主任哈达警监透露，根据初步调查，死者是在上午8时18分将其迈薇车辆停放在峇央峇鲁冷当玛央巴锡商业中心后的市政局停车格，然后走上第8楼的商业中心停车场，并从该处墜下。

In one of the yoga poses, I was required to turn my back 90 degrees to the back.
I was staring at my own face on the mirror.
I didn't see this jovial girl whom I could pretend to be.
Instead I saw a very very unhappy young lady.
A very pitiful young lady.
Just P-I-T-Y-F-U-L.
You'd want to shake her on her shoulders and scream, "What's the *** is WRONG with you?"
I could cry just looking at her.

This is bad.

10 Things To Stop Caring About If You Want To Be Happier

1. What others think
Dance to your own beat. Act dumb. Do whatever you have to but don’t take on board what others think. It’s your life, your decisions and choices. Others love to judge, and why should you care if they do? Only you define yourself, so let them be amused if it makes them happy. When you care too much about that others will say, you live your life for them and not yourself.

 2. Past mistakes
We all make mistakes and mess up in life. That’s just how life goes. Don’t be hard on yourself, though. Accept that everyone gets it wrong sometimes; it’s part of the human condition. You really are allowed to cut yourself some slack. Learn to forgive yourself more often.

 3. Failure
The big “F” word that everyone fears. It doesn’t have to be a scary concept, though. Ultimately, it depends on your attitude to failure. If you see failure as not being perfect, you’re going to be permanently miserable. A more realistic idea of failure is giving up. If you haven’t given up, you haven’t failed. See failure as a learning curve, a trial and error process. See failure as your friend – it’s no big deal unless you allow it to be.

 4. What you don’t have
The human default position tends to err on the side of lack rather than abundance, which is not conducive to feeling carefree. We focus on what we don’t have and end up feeling thoroughly deprived. What’s the point of that? I often tell my clients to focus on the positives of what they have and the negatives of what they don’t have. Why would you want to torture yourself with all the things you don’t have? That type of thinking will not serve you in any productive way at all. Make a list of all the things in your life that you appreciate. There will always be others with more and others with less. What you have is enough.

 5. “What Ifs”
We can drive ourselves crazy worrying about what might happen in the future. No one can predict the future (psychics might dispute this), and there is no point in torturing yourself unnecessarily about things that may never come to pass. Remind yourself that this type of worry is wasted energy and distract yourself. Face worry head on – if you can do something in the present moment, go for it. If not, distract yourself and ‘shelve’ the worries.

 6. “I’ll be happy when…” thoughts
When we believe that we will be happy once something has happened, we effectively put our life on hold until the event happens. Wishing your current life is away is a precious waste of happy moments in life. Be in the moment more and care less about being happy in the future. Decide to be happy now. Happiness is not a destination, it is a manner of traveling.

 7. Regrets
Regret is a part of life. The past cannot be undone, so it pays to look at what you have done in life philosophically. Did you learn something from it? If you learned never to do it again or to try a different approach, then you’ve ended up with a positive result. Accept what has gone before, make allowances for human error and move on.

 8. Rejection
Many of us are so afraid of rejection that we stay in our comfort zones and never risk true intimacy. Wear your heart on your sleeve and risk being vulnerable. The more you hide out of fear, the greater the fear will grow. Show yourself that you can express your feelings and live with the consequences. You will conquer fear of rejection in this way and feel more carefree. Even if the outcome is not as expected, you will soon realize that it wasn’t as bad as you anticipated and that you can deal with it. Be a little more thick skinned, be brave and see life as an adventure.

 9. Society’s expectations
Be thin, be beautiful. Show off your wealth and status and then you’ll be adored. What nonsense. When you like and accept yourself as you are, you don’t need to prove yourself to anyone. Don’t buy into the constant media images of perfection. Most of the images are airbrushed and lead us to believe that we should all look as perfect. Try not to take it to heart. We all like to see perfect images, but don’t lose sight of the fact that most of it is digitally enhanced and not natural. Love yourself, imperfections and all. Self acceptance is true freedom.

 10. Being good enough
It’s easy to feel that we don’t measure up somehow. We live in a competitive world. It’s okay and even healthy to want to improve and grow as a person. It becomes unhealthy, though, when we internalize negative ideas about how we aren’t good enough. Always challenge this type of thinking. What is “good enough”? Where is the international rule book that clarifies what “good enough” is? As long as you feel happy with who you are, where you are and how far you have come, that is all that matters. We all worry unnecessarily and create inner misery for ourselves. Remember the above ten points, as they are definitely items you can immediately remove from your worry list. Hopefully you’ll feel a little lighter and a little more carefree too!

Taken from lifehack

Roman philosopher Cicero wrote
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
I have found that those who are most unhappy in life seem to be the ones who feel entitled to more than they have.
I am reminded of a saying I heard years ago “you’ve heard of the man who cried and cried because he had no shoes, until he saw the man who had no feet.”
If our blessings are relative, so gratitude should be.

Taken from mitchellsjourney

LC was flipping the Home Deco magazine.

She asked, "Don't you ever wish your home could look like this?"

I answered, "Yes, I try not to feed this envious feeling. I'd make myself feel sad knowing it will not happen. So, instead, I remind myself that I should be grateful that I can see this magazine pages, being able to admire such beautiful designs."

LC - a devout Buddhist understood my meaning immediately.

We talk about philosophy often, hence I gave such answer.

I would have just nodded if it was any other people who had asked.

In a different scene, Mn asked if I'm ok.

She must have seen my wandering eyes.

"I have this condition for life.* I will never be ok. 

But it's ok."

It's my birthday.
You know you're no longer young when you no longer look forward to birthdays, not your own at least.
If it's other people - it's a great excuse to indulge in food.

I had crepes yesterday.
I bought the online vouchers much earlier and decided to treat myself.
Drank some therapeutic flower tea and ate a macaroon.

I should have taken a pic of the food.
I really need to camwhore more.

I'll just use this photo as credited below. I was there.
Just not at that time this photo was taken . =p

http://marogalfoodparadise.blogspot.com/2012/08/winter-lover-bakery-house-strand-kota.html

I needed to make a birthday wish.
Although I know I do have the strong desire to have someone to hold my hand, I know it's not a wise wish.
I stared at the twinkling star.
I felt the deep sincere yearning in my heart.

" I ask that I smile more. I jump* more. To have more moments of clarity in mind."

*I usually jump when I'm happy/excited. Most of my gym classes require jumping too.

Taken from Viral Nova

When a survivor of an earthquake found a treasured photo album intact in Sichuan, China

When Hawkeye refused to leave the side of his Navy SEAL master

When a soldier met his baby girl for the first time

When Arnulfo Castorena won his first gold medal in swimming for Mexico in the Paralympics

When a man taught his girlfriend the alphabet again after she lost her memory

When teachers in India gave lessons to homeless children

When a man did anything to save his wife’s life

When a woman went to lunch with her husband every day, no matter what

Ten Daily Mini Habit Ideas

 1. Compliment one person

 2. Think two positive thoughts

 3. Meditate for one minute

4. Name three things you’re thankful for

 5. Do one push-up

 6. Write 50 words

 7. Read two pages

 8. Do ten jumping jacks

 9. Go outside and take 100 steps

 10. Drink one glass of water

 You can change nearly any area of your life; and at one mini habit at a time, it’s easier than you think.
 When you remove the pressure and expectations, you allow yourself to start.
 What mini habit(s) will you start today?

Went to Penang for the International Bridge Run.
Was at Sis' workplace to kill time.
It was the last day of school and the kids were playing water gun.

I really enjoy seeing kids play.
I feel like Dickens' -Great Expectations' Miss Havisham, sometimes. =p

10 Things To Remember When Everything Seems To Be Going Wrong

Taken from LifeHack

 1. This Too Shall Pass
Sometimes life’s rough patches feel like they’re going to last forever. Whether you’re dealing with work-related issues, family problems, or stressful situations, very few problems last for a lifetime. So remind yourself, that things won’t be this bad forever.

 2. Some Things are Going Right
When things are going wrong, it’s hard to recognize what is going right. It’s easy to screen out the good things and only focus on the bad things. Remind yourself that some things are going right. Purposely look for the positive, even if it is something very small.

 3. I Have Some Control
One of the most most important things to remember is that you have some control of the situation. Even if you aren’t in complete control of the situation, one thing you can always control is your attitude and reaction. Focus on managing what is within your control.

 4. I Can Ask for Help
Asking for help can be hard sometimes. However, it’s one of the best ways to deal with tough situations. Tell people what you need specifically if they offer to help. Don’t be afraid to call on friends and family and ask them for help, whether you need financial assistance, emotional support, or practical help.

 5. Much of This Won’t Matter in a Few Years
Most of the problems we worry about today won’t actually matter five years from now. Remind yourself that whatever is going wrong now is only a small percentage of your actual life. Even if you’re dealing with a major problem, like a loved one’s illness, remember that a lot of good things are likely to happen in the course of a year or two as well.

 6. I Can Handle This
A lack of confidence in handling tough times can add to stress. One of the best things to remember is that you can handle tough situations. Even though you might feel angry, hurt, disappointed, or sad, it won’t kill you. You can get through it.

 7. Something Good Will Come Out of This
No matter how bad a situation is, it’s almost certain that something good will come out of it. At the very least, it’s likely that you will learn a life lesson. Perhaps you learn not to repeat the same mistake in the future or maybe you move on from a bad situation and find something better. Look for the one good thing that can result when bad things happen.

 8. I Can Accept What’s Out of my Control
There are many things that aren’t within your control. You can’t change the past, another person’s behavior, or a loved one’s health issues. Don’t waste time trying to force others to change or trying to make things be different if it isn’t within your control. Investing time and energy into trying to things you can’t will cause you to feel helpless and exhausted. Acceptance is one of the best way to establish resilience.

 9. I Have Overcome Past Difficulties
One of the things to remember when you’re facing difficulties, is that you’ve handled problems in the past. Don’t overlook past difficulties that you’ve dealt with successfully. Remind yourself of all the past problems you’ve overcome and you’ll gain confidence in dealing with the current issues.

 10. I Need to Take Care of Myself
When everything seems to be going wrong, take care of yourself. Get plenty of rest, get some exercise, eat healthy, and spend some time doing leisure activities. When you’re taking better care of yourself you’ll be better equipped to deal with your problems.

Photographs of the touching embrace were shown across the world and drew comparisons to the 13th Centiry's St Francis of Assisi.
 It was one of a number of public acts of humility carried out by Pope Francis that has inspired an increase in congregation numbers in Catholic churches across the world.
The severely disfigured man whose full-body tumours were lovingly kissed by the Pope has told MailOnline the moving story of his life. Vinicio Riva, from Vicenza in northern Italy, is covered from head-to-toe in painful growths, a symptom of his genetic disease neurofibromatosis, passed down to him by his late mother.

Earlier this month the 53-year-old's picture spread across the world when he was warmly embraced by Pope Francis at one of the pontiff's weekly audiences in St Peter's Square.  The pontiff's hug was 'like paradise', he said, adding: 'He didn't even think about whether or not to hug me. 'I'm not contagious, but he didn't know that.
But he just did it: he caressed me all over my face, and as he did I felt only love.' Mr Riva recollected:
He came down from the altar to see the sick people. He embraced me without saying a word. I felt as though my heart was leaving my body.
'He was completely silent but sometimes you can say more when you say nothing.'
 'First, I kissed his hand while with the other hand he caressed my head and wounds. Then he drew me to him in a strong embrace, kissing my face.
'My head was against his chest his arms were wrapped around me. It lasted just over a minute, but to me it seemed like an eternity.'

 Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2509678/I-felt-heart-leaving-body-Terribly-disfigured-man-held-Pope-relives-moment-moved-world.html#ixzz2l8x1VNJh Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook