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March 26 New life experienceit's abit cold these few days, especially today... i can smell it - winter isnot too far away.. anticipating the 5th winter at a different place.
alright, i went for a therapy session with a new autistic child this morning. The first person i met at the door was the mother, with a fierce-looking face - that's waht came into my mind anyway but i chased it away, telling myself, this is a lovely mother.
I started the session by just observing a more experienced therapist doing the tasks with the child and then i took over after a break. It was nice and smooth, and the therapist told, this is not what usually happens, the child seems trying to impress the stranger - me! (you think all autistic children are stupid like down syndrome kids?)
after finishing 4 easy tasks, we let the child go play for awhile while we prepared some other tasks. After the break, the child started to play up - throwing chairs, tipping table, kicking, hitting.... it happenned a few times within 90 min, that means whenever i pulled him away fr his tv room. I dont know where the anger came from, the child seems get aroused/annoyed so easily by something, but i'm not at all sure what it is - was it because i pulled him away fr something he likes (his tv show) or was it because he knows once he sits in for therapy he has no control over anything ( we all hate to lose control over what we want to do, dont we??)
i was thinking when i held his hands down to calm him down. But i noticed he retaliated even more when i held him down. I suddenly felt guilty for putting a strength that was more than needed to hold a child's hands in place. And to my surprise, as soon as i relieved some of the strength - just holding him softly, he stopped. That shows what? Restraining evokes more negative emotion and then more negative behaviour? I dont know.
And i clearly heard the child said "back to the corner", "time-out" while he tantrums (the child repeats things adults said to him). I wonder who did this to him.
i truly believe autistic children, although not good at observing others' emotions, they do have feelings for their environment that are not understood by ppl around them - their minds maybe dont label things like we do??
anyway, most therapists said autistic children tantrum for no good reasons. But even if we cant make sense of their anger, there must be a reason behind it. I personally dont think ignoring the causes of tantrums is going to do the child any good because i dont learn as much when i get emotional!
it's cold now! March 13 poor vs wealthy Igot this from somewhere and it made me ponder over it for a while:
" some people are so poor to the extent that they only have money."
Does that mean if you spend all your effort going after money, then you are considered poor? February 12 Do you believe enoughsometimes, we dont do things that we know would benefit ourselves or we do things that we believe would harm ourselves. WHY??
i have been thinking of why? My answer is simple. Let's look at this example: not many of us would cross a red light. No matter how rush we are, we always stop before a red light. WHY? that's because we truly believe crossing a red light would endanger our lives. Those who did so, are either dont believe enough the associated consequences or simply being irresponsible of their own life.
So, the answer to the question above is that we do not believe enough the consequences of these dos and donts. Most ppl dont truly believe the consequences of what they shouldnot do. For instance, telling lies creates bad karma and bad karma leads to a worse life. Since most ppl strive for a better life, why do ppl tell lies still? The answer is really simple, it's either because ppl who tells lies do not truly believe telling lies would create bad karma and lead to a worse life, or because ppl being irresponsible for their actions and their lives.
when you do not truly believe in somehting, the sense of urgency doesnot exist. Therefore, laziness takes place easily.ohh well, i can still do it later, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year... and you'll never get it done even after ten years and regret the moment you die. Just like a cancer patient will be more likely to follow a healthy diet strictly compared to a healthy person and people who has someone in ICU would be more likely to pray harder and longer than those who find their lives perfectly good. The sense of urgency plays a great role in there.
So, we gotta create the sense of urgency in whatever we do so that we dont procrastinate and waste our lives. How to create this sense of urgency? By truly understand and believe the concept of cause and effect.
February 04 He is coming to Australia!!!I have been thinking of him very much recently
I think of a way how to bring myself closer to him I have planned a trip to pay him a visit end of the year if he is freeI visualise my first meeting with him always I feel secure by gazing at his photo - his smiles shineI gained fascinating insights into human relationships from his sharing
I'm willing to spend any amount to get near him
I stop and look whenever i see anything related to him
I think of what he said whenever my mind gets a flu
I love the way he always says i'm no difference from him
I jumped high when i heard he is coming to Australia this June
I got even more excited when i heard he is going to be here for 11 days
I got so delighted that i should have no problem following him around when he is here
I got overwhelmed and went sleepless lastnite despites being physically exhausted
I find things get brighter and the sun is less annoying today
I have been telling everyone i met about how happy i am that he is coming
I feel very very blissful for my wish is coming true very soon
This man teaches me an altenative way to live my life
Love is the only thing he requests me to practise
I dont know whether he sings well but he is my only idol
He is humane and compassionate
So i wished you to know or perhaps meet him
Allow me to introduce to you --
His name is His Holiness the DALAI LAMA
(HH the Dalai Lama is coming to Australia this June from 6 - 16 June (in Perth on 6 June), visiting only the major cities. He is going to give a number of free public talks ( in all cities) as well as teachings (only in Melbourne). More information about his tour is available at http://www.dalailama.org.au/ May Dharma be with us always)
February 01 见识迦旃延尊者的辩才--如何让人相信轮回你是否曾遇到外道向你挑战轮回而无从反驳？ 且看迦旃延尊者如何应对！
「摩诃迦旃延」是佛陀的第四大弟子，华言大文饰，因为他说话很有文采，造的文句也都很文雅，所以称大文饰，他是论议第一。
佛经里有一段公案故事，可证明他的辩才无碍：印度的外道，都是邪知邪见。根本邪见有两种，一种是断见，一种是常见。断见的外道，执着人死之后，就永远断灭了，没有来生来世的。常见的外道，相信人死后来生仍转为人。这些说法都与佛说的不一样，佛说各人造善造恶之业因不同，所得的果报亦不同，怎么会人死了就断灭呢？既然所造的业因不同，怎么还会永远转生为人呢？所以就有三善道与三恶道之分。
这些外道都不相信有六道轮回之说，有一天见了迦旃延尊者，就来问他的道理说：「你们世尊讲六道轮回，要是造了恶业，就会堕到地狱里受苦，若真的会堕到地狱里受苦，怎么不来向我们报告一声，他是怎么样受苦的呢？可见这个地狱是不存在的！」
迦旃延答他说：「这个地狱等于人间的牢狱，若有人犯了法被关到牢狱里，他想要回来向你报告一声也没办法，因为他已失去自由了。而地狱的苦比人间牢狱的苦何止千万倍，而且一点自由都没有，又怎么能够回来向你报告呢？」外道听了又说：「你们世尊说，若是升到天堂就可以享天福，一升到天上去，感得果报就有神通，有神通当然是任运自在了。但是，我们也没有看见他回来向我们报告呢？」迦旃延说：「我们这个人间，污浊不堪，臭气很重。而天堂的境界清净无染，那些天人在天堂里享天福，以后若再想回来，却受不了人间的臭气，犹如大粪坑一样的臭，好不容易脱出粪坑，又怎么肯再回到粪坑里来呢？所以他不肯回来，当然就不会向你们报告！」
修行 -- 修炼行为不往后看，不是因为往事不堪回首
不向前瞻，不是因为未来没有希望
活在当下，不是因为当下觉得自在
而是佛陀如是说我便如是做
The old daysIt has been a long time since I stopped making bookmarks, drawing bday cards, sketching.. and many other activities that i used to do very often back in those days. I still did it even after UPM. But since dont know when, this things died/dying off slowly....
You know, my frens used to say i'm artistic when they received a "homemade" bday card from me. Yeah, those cards were nicely drawn. But they never knew, they all had the same one from me, with exactly the same pictures and wording, but a different name. You cant possibly be a poor artist if you've practised the same drawing for thousand times..but a good artist for only one picture!! haha.... Everyone felt special and happy. Was it because i did think of who i was getting the cards to despite drawing the same thing? So what a big deal of recycling an old idea?
i used to keep a good record of all my fren's bdays ( you dont need to keep one for your family's, they should be in your head) and carefully greeted them on or after their bday. I still remembered receiving a belated bday card one year... and it's written there: I always send my frens a bday card on their birthdays to show them i do think of them on their bdays. ( you cant get angry with this kinda fren, can you?) Nowadays, i cant be bothered to even ask about bdays or keep track of them.... dont give bday presents anymore... dont feel guilty for forgetting the bday of an important person.. and most of all, dont countdown to my own bday. I wonder why is such a change? One possibility is i'm lazy. Or, it could be i'm poorer now.. or just simply a fact that bday marks nothing more than a memorable day that my mum risked her life to give me a chance to see this world. Really nothing to celebrate about but another thanksgiving it is.
things change with age... ohh yes, this could be one possibility of the change. We no longer do most of the thigns we used to spend hours per day or per week doing. We pick up new things and drop the old ones along the way. I might be one of those you'll drop in the future, but at least at this moment, you are still on my bus, until you get off..or until the bus crashes oneday...
may dharma be with us always!
visualisationWhenever i heard about news about someone's death, i always feel uneasy. I often cry when i read about the feeling of the loss of a loved one, often of the family and friends. But that happens just for a short moment. Because i dont physically feel the needle. But what if it's my own family member or close friend?
Then i noticed i always think if i were to die tomorrow, what would be on my mind. I could think of a thousand of possible ppl or things but could never feel them as real... you get what i mean, the feeling is just like processing others' feelings intellectually, not your own feelings. I think the failure to imagine such thing could be due to the possibility of a lack of behavioural involvement - sitting before my pc rather than lying on bed.
So, oneday while lying on bed, i decided to give myself a try, i used the concentration developed from meditation to help me visualise myself lying on a sick bed in the hospital dying slowly. The hospital part was not particularly difficult to visualise given that I've just been there not long ago. Of course before i started, i told myself what brought me there, it has to be something unprepared, so i told myself, i met with a severe car accident which gave me multiple damages to my body. I visualised the physical pain i'd have and how by chanting, i could reduce it to a minimal level. I observed my thoughts of the unfulfilled ambition of being a psychologist and told myself that's not important, so just let go. I scanned the faces of ppl standing by the bedside one by one, i saw only my family members, not a single fren was there. this indicates what?? I imagined the reactions my family would have given that i died young. At the same time, aware of how i felt about their reactions and waht i should do to counter that feeling in order to bring myself back to the state of peace.
You know, when i finally let go most of the things, i dont feel as free as what is reported in books about experience of dying. Instead, feeling empty and fear for not resting my mind on something concrete, nothing to obsess with. But i think the fear is there always, just that the mind was distracted by other things and now that the distractions have been removed, the fear gets the place. Luckily, it wasnot long before my dharma teacher appeared out of somewhere to lead me through and reaffirmed my belief in Dharma. With his hand holding mine, his chanting occupying my head, i felt safe and peaceful.
I know this may sound abit crazy and the reality might not be the same as what happened in the visualisation. But i do believe having practised before, the fear would certainly be reduced. As fear tends to interfere with our ability to think, a reduced fear would give me back my ability to manage my mind the way i practise. Keep reading..keep writing...keep sharing....i write much faster and better in chinese than in english..and feel much more satisfied too in chinese...well if you love to write you'll know writing can be something satisfying when you successfully converted your thoughts into words in a beautiful and sensible way. Some ppl said writing isnot for self-appreciation. Instead, for effective communication. For me, it used to be the former, but it's the latter now. But why english? So that more ppl get my message, just that simple.
There is something interesting, i hardly received any feedback from my frens for the emails sent. However, whenever i stop posting my writing either on email or my blog, that's the time i receive messages inviting me to share my life experience or the inner-self development. It sounds as if, in most of my frens' eyes, there is a non-stop development going on for my inner-self. Or ppl think my life is always interesting?? If you do, then you are wrong becuase my life is so routine.
you know, after studying Buddha's teachings, i always remind myself ( that means i havenot been able to do it perfectly), my job in this life (yet to develope the reminder for future lives) is to reduce ppl's sufferings, even if i cant do it under certain circumstances, i at least dont create suffering for other ppl. All along, i have particular groups of ppl i wanted to help in mind...teenagers... old ppl...ppl with mental illnesses like depression...i always have a target group in mind. This narrow mindset didnt vanish completely until i witnessed my grandma's passing away last June in Perth. Her death put me into hell for a couple of months and becuase of having been in hell, i came to appreciate life on earth. More important after all, is that i realised i should help whoever needs help and help in whatever way needed. No specific target, nor should i stick with a specific method.
I'm glad that i never gave up writing, else i'd have no way to share the most valuable experience i have ever had in life and i'm 100 percent sure, everyone needs to know for themselves because everyone will have to face death, either of their own or their loved ones ( did i share it before?)
When i looked back, i got know that i helped ppl best by sharing with them what i've been through and how i handled my problems or conflicts and what perspectives i took that enabled me to learn a lesson from each of those problems in life. Without even discussing their problems with them. That makes me realised i can help ppl by simply sharing life experience. It's not difficult to understand how by sharing others' experience, it helps us to tackle our problems better. Let's ask yourself, would you be more confident to do something if you know there was successful attempts before you? Or i'd say most of our problems stem from our mind and our thoughts influence how we approach life. Through sharing, i show my frens despite being determined in what i'm doing, there were times i wanted to give up and it is this undetermination which helps me to become more determined ...also to show ppl how to give without taking, and most importantly, how to practise compassion. It doesnot mean i'm determined, giving, and compassionate each time when i needed to, but I feel the strength from within whenever this wholesome self battles with my evil self. By constant practice, if i were a tree, i'd have no worry about thunderstorms because i know if i tumbled and fell one day i'd fall to the wholesome side and would have more supporting conditions to become good again. i'm reading a mahayana sutra lately, and i got to know why Buddha, an enlightened being, chose to be born as Prince Sidhartha and why after becoming immortal, he still showed us his death by going into Nibbana. That's because he knew lay ppl tend to believe what they see. His purpose is just to show us the ultimate truth of life, and the way of liberating the mind he showed is proven to be achievable even as a human being. After reading the sutra, i came to know that speaking accompanied by evidence is not just my way, but Buddha too thinks it's an effective way. However, we must not forget that the truth experienced by the Buddha could only liberate Buddha from suffering. To liberate oneself, one has to follow the path and practise the way that has been shown and proven to be effective by the Buddha (taken from Sue's msn).
Today is extremely hot but my first touch with autistic children was a pleasant one! A good start i guess!? January 30 Get yourself out of hellwhen we are in love with someone, we think we love them. Maybe we do or maybe we dont but we always think we do. Otherwise we would have left that person.
sometimes, a seem-to-be close couple may split due to the pressure from external factors. But does that really result from external factors? We often blame the external factors for playing a fool with the couple. But if we think a step further, if the internal bond between a couple is strong enough, what damage can the external factors do to the relationship? Despite the obstacles, some couples manage to pull through and some dont. So are external factors really the critical element responsible for the split? But there are always exceptional cases.
After the split, that's the best time for oneself to see whether one's love is the treasurable true love. If the separation is a result of mutual understanding, seeing the other party recovering from the hurt and moves on with life with another person, one should be happy if one truly loves the other party. If one doesnot feel it that way, then one may have to ask oneself whether one truly loves the other person. Obviously the answer is NO.
So, if this happens to you, it maybe an effective way to think if you do not truly love that person, why be bothered by the existence of that person? Why exhaust your mental energy pondering upon his/her actions? May you get yourself out of hell right now and appreciate your precious human life on earth.
January 11 我们的约定说好的四年不牵绊，勇敢地追逐各自的理想
相约游览彼此的璀璨，携手努力走未来的方向
苦涩不堪的今晚，无法回到那个地方
你是否在那里静静的等侯着某个人的陪伴
当你闻着芒果树的香，在温和的夜风中荡漾
我在尤加利特树下遥望着夕阳，呼吸着空气中的哀伤
想着芒果树的香轻叹
在彼此手心盖下的印一双
当时一辈子的约定已成霜
以为时间的改变只在日历上
月弯弯，你那里的风是否依然吹着你衣裳
仿佛提前安抚着你等待后的失望
无法穿越时空走到你身旁
但愿祝福随着微风抚平你的惆怅
答应你，在下一次相聚以前
我会尽力活的健康
不再摇晃
（灵感取自光良的约定）
September 16 别亏待了自己!有时候, 人不知道为什么生活得很压力,但还是让自己继续生活在压力下.
有人告诉我, 那是因为为理想,为抱负!
那么我想问问大家, 什么是理想, 什么是抱负?
成功了会怎样? 失败了又如何?
有时候, 人不知道为什么明知道不可能,但还是对某些人特别执着
有人告诉我, 那是因为想拥有!
那么我想问问大家, 怎样才算拥有, 怎样才算失去?
拥有了会怎样? 失去了又如何?
有时候, 人不知道为什么明知道担心也是白担心,但还是选择担心
有人告诉我, 那是因为害怕面对未知数的未来!
那么我想问问大家, 怎样的未来才不算好, 怎样才算坏呢?
好会怎样? 坏又如何?
周围的人事物, 不会因为我们生活得压力而有所改变
也不会因为我们执着而为我们停留
更不会因为我们害怕而把坏的部分删除
如果能在压力,执着与担心中活出智慧
才算没亏待了自己
原佛菩萨加持你我智慧增长,初心永不退转.sukhi hotu :) June 18 孩子啊你来信说你很感激我百忙之中还会给你写信, 你感到非常高兴
可是你或许不知道那是我花了不到15分钟就完成的东西.
你说你很喜欢我给你寄的礼物
可是你或许不知道我却想不起到底给你寄了什么
你说你和你的家人很感激我的帮助
可是你或许不知道钱是我姐姐让银行定期自动进款的
我的不在意却换来了你无限的感激
让我实在非常惭愧.... 惭愧非常
是我帮助了你还是你成就了我呢?
sukhi hotu:) June 17 finally.. rest in peace??i finished exams and i'm resting but not in peace. Because today's paper was difficult and i was kinda worrying. But then i fi take a futuristic perspective - looking at this incident just like the way i look at any other difficult papers that i had in the past, it's really not much a difference, just that this one is fresh and it again takes time to become part of my unretrievable memory.. hehe :D. And a more positive way of living would be to move on to things that i've planned for the next 5 weeks - could never let myself sit down and do nothing, always think of how to spend my time effectively - always have tasks lining ahead - crazy!
yooh!! i received a reply from my WV kid from xinjiang, china - in jawi writing ( very beautiful hand writing). She kept thanking me for the gift i attached together with the letter and she said she liked it very much. You know, i couldnot recall from the top of my head what i've given her - this shows that i did not care much about this little child and it makes me feel bad! "WAHHH you live in a very hot country!!"- this is what she said when she saw the locations i marked on the world map attached together - but it's freezing now - it was 0 degree when i had my exam this morning..hahah!
have lots to share.. ahh??? they all gone all in a sudden ...
okay, whatever pending - the topic you wanted to discuss with me, the stories you wanted to tell... the music you wanted to send.... all can come in now :)
sukhi hotu : ) June 03 感觉而已你快乐过吗? 或许你会问什么是快乐?
你幸福过吗?或许你会问幸福的定义是什么?
你无奈过吗? 或许你会问如何诠释无奈?
你悲伤过吗? 或许你会问悲伤是什么?
你兴奋过吗? 或许你会问什么时候?
你彷徨过吗? 或许你会问那你呢?
你后悔过吗? 或许你会说也许吧!
你痛苦过吗?或许你会说谁不曾痛苦过呢?
你期待过吗? 或许你会说期待吗 - 大家不是每天都在做吗?
你害怕过吗? 或许你会说谁不懂害怕?
你紧张过吗? 或许你会说当然!
你思念过吗? 或许你会说不告诉你!
你努力过吗? 或许你会说应该是吧!
你放弃过吗? 或许你会说有那一刹那, 是的!
你怀念过吗? 或许你会什么都不说, 只是笑笑而已...
如果您的答案只是简单的 -- 是!
那您应该体会的很完整, 它们都是感觉而已,而且都如过眼云烟, 一闪即逝. 您不都挨过来了吗?
所以啊, 无论现在或未来, 都别忘了感觉终究会过去, 你也一定会如往昔般的挨得过来..
那还担心什么呢?
sukhi hotu :)
May 14 Are you no difference from an animal?okay.... i've been reading a very thick book, still havenot finished. But i remember there was a paragraph, a very very short one, but a very very inspirational one -havneot had read something like that for so long....
the story goes something like this....
do you think you are different from an animal? what characters do animals have? according to the book - animals get rid of suffering always - they eat when they get hungry, they yell when they are in pain, they go under shade to avoid the rain and sun. Animals also seek pleasure in life. Dogs and cats would come around your legs just to get a shroke or pat from you. They love to be loved. They also do all sorts of things that would make them enjoy themselves -pleasure. In summary, animals do mainly two things - (1)get rid of suffering and (2) seek pleasure.
Now, think deep, do you live your life by just getting rid of sufferings and seek pleasures, exactly the way an animal does? If you do not aim for something more than what an animal would do, do you still think you are different from an animal?
i know the message is a bit harsh, but it did enlighten me. As i started to notice most of the austalians that i've met live their life exactly the way mentioned above, i feel that i should share this enlightening paragraph with you.
what's more that we, in this precious human life, should aim for? I'd say is WISDOM!
(May the triple gems be with you always. sukhi hotu)
April 08 月光下....前几天, 我在晚上经过河边. 与其说是河边, 倒不如说是海边 - 一条有如海一般宽广的河. 很庆幸那天晚上不是我驾车. 为什么呢? 因为那天晚上我第一次看到月光倒影在海面上. 很美, 真的很美...一点儿都不比日出或日落逊色. 反而让人有一种非常....什么感觉呢....嗯..... 温柔! 对!就是温柔! 河面上一片银色, 伴随着微微的波浪, 分外的美, 深深吸引着我的眼光...让我按捺不住的脱口赞叹...也让我内心不其然的泛起了一阵温柔. 难怪别人常赞叹月光的美 - 我总算见识到了!
有时侯, 我躺在床上, 我会特地把窗帘拉开, 让月光照进来, 也照在我身上. 想着在地球的另一个角落的你们, 是否在忙碌着或者已经休息了, 又或者和我一样, 透过月光想着过去, 也想象未来. 当下的那份恬静是那么的美好,那么的珍贵. 月光有多亮? 就好象街灯立在窗前一样.....
月光...无论什么时候, 什么亮度... 都是温柔的....愈亮愈温柔.....
送你一首和月光一样美的歌 --
弯弯月光下蒲公英在游荡
像烟花闪着微亮的光芒 趁着夜晚找寻幸福方向难免会受伤 弯弯小路上蒲公英在歌唱 星星照亮在起风的地方 乘着微风飘向未知远方幸福路也许漫长 难过的时候谁在身边陪我掉眼泪 失败无所谓你在左右月光多美 弯弯月光下我轻轻在歌唱 从今以后不会再悲伤 闭上双眼感觉你在身旁 你是温暖月光你是幸福月光 http://host.t77.cn/upload/down/2006022821343683.mp3 (愿佛菩萨加持你我智慧增长,初心永不退转. sukhi hotu) March 29 Let yourself cry and smile at once!I like the story. I take it as a story because it rarely happens in real life -- at least i have never seen one in my life so far. The kids all seemed to have good parents who certainly had taught them that, at such a young age, humanity is more important than anything else.
If you do not make the same choice after being honest with yourself, do not despise yourself because we were not taught to do so( be compassionate) since young. Instead were taught the other way around - beat your opponents and win the game or whatever competition it is. More often, if we have good and responsible parents, we might have been taught to be focus and achieve whatever has been set forth. Achieving our goal is much more important than anything else ( this is particular common everywhere). How many of us actually heard our parents said: Give your gold medal away if you know the one behind you would be upset for not getting the title? OR give your chance away to other ppl who perform just as good as you? The best thing we learned perhaps was only to give a small portion of our food or money away to the unfortunates, provided that we have more than enough
many ppl measure their compassion interms of the amount of stuff been given away, but i should remind you that it's not considered as "giving" when you give away things that you no longer need or like - something to be disposed. When you give away something that you need and love to others simply because you think that might make life easier or better for them, then i would say I am willing to be your slave for the great compassion you've shown to other sentient beings. I am not joking! Because i am yet to develop such noble qualities, and if you are able to do so, you certainly can be my teacher! I've met ppl like that - ppl who can easily take whatever off themsleves and give it to you, without a slight hesitation but happily. IN a way, these ppl are practising loving-kindness and compassion in life, therefore they dont mind bringing troubles to themselves by making life abit easier for you ( they may not even think that as trouble). Very lovely ppl, arent they?
But compassion or loving kindness certainly shall not be measured and based solely on the amount of stuff that have been given away. It should count on how much you wish to see others to have good life regardless of whether or not you have one!
yes, we should be more compassionate to all (especially those irritate us), not only to the unfortunates. If you practise loving-kindness and compassion, you'll soon realise that life is happier and more contented by doing so!
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Subject: Two Choices
What would you do? You make the choice! Don't look for a punch line; There isn't one! Read it anyway. My question to all of you is:
Would you have made the same choice? At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child." Then he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. Shay! 's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."
Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"
Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team. That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.
Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
AND, NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY:
We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people think twice about sharing. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people on your address list that aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the "natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up that opportunity to brighten the day of those with us the least able, and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
May your day, be a Shay Day, sunny today tomorrow & always! Perhaps we could all show more compassion from today.....
(May the Triple Gem be with you always! sukhi hotu) March 26 智慧重要吗？非常重要！没有智慧，又是怎样的一个样子呢？
上個星期, 我的朋友告訴我她上了一堂最糟糕的課. 要把我的大學和"糟糕"這兩個字聯想在一起, 真的有點兒那個! 但聽了她娓娓道來之后, 我心想: 如果我有上那堂課的話, 那該有多好! 但后來想了想,幸好我沒有上, 要不然后果不堪設想 - 我很可能會狠狠的教訓老師的!
 那堂課的主題是'宗教與政治'。 老師引用了泰國為例 －泰國是聞名的佛教國，但娼妓業的昌盛也是令人側目的。 所以，班上有的同學說，那是因為佛教思想灌輸女性擁有次等地位，讓她們覺得她們生下來就是被'決定'是當娼妓的。（ｔｈｅｙ ｈａｖｅ ｂｅｅｎ ｄｅｃｉｄｅｄ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｂｏｒｎ ａｓ ｐｒｏｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｓ！）同學們延用了其他宗教的價值觀來解釋佛教，听了简直令人发指！老师更大膽的假設佛教的思想很可能是導致娼妓業昌盛的原因。（我听了简直就 ＋ｘ－÷！)。其实，娼妓问题也不是只有泰国才有， 更何况佛教也不是只在泰国发扬光大。 斯里兰卡和西藏怎么都没听说娼妓業昌盛的问题；而印度的孟卖、美国的红灯区的人都信仰佛教吗？我真的想不到堂堂一位大学讲师会说出一番这么没有智慧的话。
 一点都没有顾虑到他的言说直接的在贬低别人的宗教。我问我的朋友： ｄｉｄ ｙｏｕ ｄｅｆｅｎｄ ｙｏｕｒ ｒｅｌｉｇｉｏｎ？（你有为你的宗教平反吗？）她说有！她告诉班上的同学，娼妓業问题是和文化有关…亚洲国家的文化普遍以男性为主，所以女性的地位问题是与文化有关， 而非宗教的问题。老师却说他不怎么认为宗教与文化是两回事
 *晕倒*要不要与你分享这个, 我反复思量,最后还是决定让你看看一些西方国家的人对佛教的见解. 别无他意。但由此可见，没有智慧，说起话来都没有说服力。
今天, 我和一位来自中国的朋友聊天,不知怎么的, 就绕到了国内与国外对中国发生的事件的报导不吻合的现象。他就解释了六四事件以及西藏与中央政府之间的纷争的来龙去脉。我想我还是想一想该如何的写才能保持客观。我的朋友是典型的中央政府派，但他把集智慧与慈悲于一身的达赖喇嘛说成一位做事不思前想后，剥夺人民财富的人，他的言说相对的让我对中国中央政府倒尽了胃口！
（愿佛菩萨加持你我智慧增长，初心永不退转。ｓｕｋｈｉ ｈｏｔｕ） |
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