Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks (Shaolin-Rainer)

5 blind and 1 elephant

5 Blind Men and 1 Elephant

At the court of a popular king there lived many learned men who served him as advisors.

No matter what the subject, there were always disputes between the many "experts"; the experts did not agree on anything.

The quarrels became more violent every day, the palace was filled with bickering and strife. The king decided to remedy the situation, he thought about what he could do. One day he had a good idea.

Among his advisors were five blind men who, due to their age, had lost their sight. He had these men led in front of an elephant, they were to get an overview only by their sense of touch, and then report to the king, in the presence of all the other advisors, what it was all about, describe what they felt.

The first scholar was led to the side of the elephant, he felt an ear, he reached around the large surface, felt the brittle surface. He thought: "According to the smell it is an elephant, but according to the feeling it is a big leaf".

The second educated blind man had his turn, he was placed in front of the elephant, felt the trunk. He spoke: "Yes, it smells like an elephant, but it is an arm, long and strong".

The next scholar was directed to the rear of the animal, he felt the tail of the colossus. He too agreed with the previous men, "it smells like an elephant, yes, but it feels like a rope, with a brush on the end".

The fourth blind man was led to one leg of the elephant, he said "yes, the smell is strong, but since this is a riddle of the king, it can't be an elephant, I think it is a pillar".

Then came the turn of the last of the selected blind scholars, he was placed at the belly of the animal. He too admitted that it smelled like an elephant, but he also believed that the king was trying to "hoodwink" them, he thought it was a large spiky surface, and therefore not an animal.

The king began to smile, he said: "Oh you scholars, how can you not recognize such a simple thing, it is of course an elephant. But I wanted to show you that it is often different than it seems at first, nothing is really simple, every matter has its difficulties, before you quarrel again in the future, you should remember this elephant, this moment. And everyone at my court has seen how difficult it is to recognize an elephant, to describe it, everyone has felt something different, felt it. And only because you lack one sense, the eyesight. And how is it only with smaller things, with those that are harder to describe, harder to understand, complicated and complex"?

All the scholars understood what the king wanted to tell them, they now realized. And also why he had staged this spectacle was now obvious.

The example with the elephant should not be forgotten so quickly by all advisors at the court.

As a Buddhist, one should not judge or evaluate.

FIRST LOOK AT YOURSELF, THEN JUDGE ME!

- SPEAKING WORD –

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Buddha Blog English Podcast Episode 6

Hello and welcome to Buddha Blog, the Buddhist podcast. Your show for Buddhist topics, mindfulness and meditation. I am ⁠⁠⁠Shaolin Rainer⁠⁠⁠, and I am very happy that you are here. Buddhism in everyday life - Mindfulness in every day actions 

This podcast is largely funded by its listeners. I would be happy to welcome you as a supporter as well. Thank you to everyone who supports Buddha Blog in their own way.

Did you enjoy the podcast? Thank you for listening to Buddha Blog. Did you notice that there are no ads running here, that you are not inundated with consumer messages? Would you like to thank the author of this blog for his work with a donation? Support me, contribute to the extensive costs of this publication. Your support can help to continue the important work we are doing for Buddhism (my team and I). Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the ⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Android⁠⁠⁠ stores. Via PayPal ⁠⁠⁠(click here)⁠⁠⁠ or by bank transfer:  Account holder: Rainer Deyhle, Postbank, IBAN: DE57700100800545011805, BIC: PBNKDEFF

Life consists of suffering

Life consists of suffering, but what is important is how we deal with suffering.

This way of dealing with difficulties and hard times makes the person we are and want to be. Who do you want to be, who are you?

I know who I am, I know the role I play in this world, from this I can conclude what changes in my habits I need to strive for in order to become better, to pursue the journey to enlightenment, and to stay there.

The history of mankind is an enormous path of suffering, destiny is predetermined, impermanence hovers over everything and everyone, there is no thought of a way out. Who is not impressed by the consequence of the way, the hardness of all circumstances, the pain, the fears and hardships.

How do you deal with the hard moments, how do you cope with the crazy times, the hole that sometimes opens up? Do you have family, or friends? Maybe a hobby, a passion? Music or movies, crafts or knitting?

Life is sad if you don't follow the Buddha's teaching, all the things we do, we do them because we don't know what else to do. The conscious mind takes breaks more and more often, subconsciously we perceive things lightheartedly, although we get nothing, understand little, can hardly keep up. But on top of that we then put our will, and that's where the suffering begins.

Children do not suffer, they are carefree, cheerful and happy. Then, at the transition to adolescence, the problems start, the hormones jump, the ego starts with the capers. And these excesses then accompany us throughout life, we are always like prisoners of our desires, disappointed when they do not come true.

Who does not wake up from his daydreams and becomes a realist, runs frustrated through life, because mostly it does not come as we hope, not as we plan, certainly not as we imagine. Only the teachings of Buddha can help here, because this philosophy frees us from everyday ballast, frees us for the exploration of our own person, as we really are, not as we dream it all to be.

Whether we suffer or not depends only on our attitude. It is a decision, not fate, that determines our path. How do I want to live, what am I willing to do something for? Do I have the discipline and courage to face the truth? Will I then also make the right decisions? If it is meant to be, it will be.

Life is a journey, the journey is the destination!

Sometimes people have to return to this world once more, in order to then put an end to suffering.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Computer game

Imagine life in 200 years, a new computer game has been launched. A simulation of the past, the game is set in our present time.

The people of the future have merged with the computer, the machine has become a neural network that becomes one with the player. Put yourself completely in the future, the human being is now part of a make-believe world, the player acts in history, but part of the game is also that the player does not even realize that everything is not real, nothing corresponds to reality, he thinks the game is real, he thinks he lives in this game.

Would it be possible, could this case have already happened, has it perhaps already happened?

How do we know that our life is real, is really happening, is not a computer game?

A game designed by some weirdo from the future who wanted to see what could happen?

We know how already realities can be simulated, how deceptively real some modern media make us believe today. If we imagine how well reality can be tricked in our times, how much better such unreality must be feasible in 200 years?

"One look at the world proves that horror is nothing other than reality"

- Alfred Hitchcock -

Now, of course, you may say, "It's all nonsense"!

Yes, but no one can deny that there is a possibility that it is so, it is at least conceivable. All of a sudden things become complicated, thoughts now become heavy, life suddenly seems senseless, threatening under such possibilities.

Are we only something like chess pieces on the board of "madmen" from the future?

But as long as everything is as it is, do we have to let ourselves go crazy?

According to the teachings of Buddha, life is only a dream from which we have to awaken, so it is roughly comparable to the situation in the computer game described above.

Again one could say: "All nonsense"!

But what if the statement of the great teacher is correct, we all live in a dream, and only the realization can free us from this dream?

One day we will have to officially admit that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of the dream.

- Salvador Dali -

Think about it, it would be possible!

Causes have effect!

Reality feels only real.

What we perceive is only a small part of the truth!

Nothing saves us so thoroughly from illusions like a look in the mirror

- Aldous Huxley - British writer - 1894 to 1963

Never before have so many been at the mercy of so very few

- Aldous Huxley - British writer - 1894 to 1963

You don't get rid of facts by ignoring them

- Aldous Huxley - British writer - 1894 to 1963

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Gifts to my self part 3

Have you already read the first parts of my series "Gifts to my ego" click. Click here to continue:

10. meditation

A special gift to my own self is meditation, which I practice daily. Here breathing, mindfulness, health, peace, happiness and extreme well-being unite to a spiritual unity. Every day is then a good day, because with such a gift it is possible to be pleasant, the I is cared for, the body is strengthened, the soul is calmed. Buddha in his calm meditation pose has become a symbol of Buddhist teachings for many people, his figures are in almost every house, we see from his example that for a happy life we only need our resolution "to be happy", nothing more.

11. recognize yourself in your totality

Only the one who knows himself is really wise, the one who learns to recognize himself in all facets with the teachings of Buddha, gets power over the ego, which makes man a suffering being in the first place, which should urgently be put in its place. What makes you as a person, what are your most important qualities? Can you determine what makes you special as a person, sets you apart from others around you? Can you write down 5 points that best represent you as a whole?

12. diary

Your life is special and particular, which is why it is worth recording the important steps. I keep a kind of calendar where I note all the events that are important to me. And believe me, every day is different, in the today, here and now, that's where the music plays. What did you experience, what did you eat, who did you meet, what were you happy about, what were you not happy about, did you meditate, or do sports, what was going through your mind? This is not about writing an essay, or a large amount, no, keywords are enough (at the beginning), your life is worth it.

13. focus as a filter

What is your goal, what is in your focus? We need to keep asking ourselves where we are turning our head, where the focus is, on what, and also why. Getting the focus right will bring you incredible power and energy, be a wonderful gift to your own self. Those who set the focus correctly (and honestly) will no longer waste their energy senselessly, seek and find fewer distractions, focus on goals, realize dreams.

According to the great teacher, none of this really matters, but for the group of "feel-good Buddhists" it does.

The path is always the goal!

Continue reading in the next few days on the topic of "Gifts to my self".

If a seeker has ten qualities, he is worthy of the gifts

- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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When do you give up suffering?

Buddha said again and again that life is suffering. And what do we suffer, again and again, from rejection, from failure, from too little of this and too much of that, pain follows pain, sorrow and worry affect our moods, again and again we have sorrowful experiences.

Perhaps the following story can illustrate well for you the words of the historical Buddha.

A Buddhist monk was in search of "enlightenment", he lived like an ascetic, fasted incessantly, ate almost nothing, chastised himself, indulged himself little, prayed incessantly. He suffered terribly because he had little to eat, found no joy in life; his life was blameless, he followed the teachings of Buddha, his role model. However, the awakening would not come to him, the longed-for "enlightenment" was not granted to him, which troubled him very much.

In his temple he asked the other monks, asked everyone he met for advice, but no one could help him, could tell him what to do.

He left his monastery and traveled around, constantly trying to get a clue on how to get closer to his goal.

So he walked many ways, with his old monk's shoes, from village to village, from temple to temple, becoming completely obsessed with the all-important question of "awakening". The people he met felt compassion for the monk. When he lamented his suffering to an elderly peasant woman, she told him that there was a Chan master living in the mountains, but that the path there was arduous, that he would probably have to walk a long way, and that the master was not a monk either, whose opinion might not be suitable for him. In desperation, the monk brother set out anyway, wanting to know what the lonely teacher could advise him.

Through the forest he climbed the mountain, the path became more and more difficult to walk, the forest became denser and denser, the light became darker, the sun was no longer visible, trees stood in his path.

But now he had already started, he wanted to question the man, undeterred he climbed up. When he reached the top of the hill, he saw a small hut in a clearing, animals were to be seen, a small brook splashed into the valley. On a wooden bench sat an old man who looked at him as he approached. The monk gave his name and made his request.

"For many years I have been a monk, I have always kept the commandments of my order, I have no possessions, I eat only what is necessary, I have renounced all pleasures and pleasures, I know no greed, no hatred and no delusion; regularly I quote the holy scriptures, but "enlightenment" I cannot experience, I suffer greatly from it," he lamented his fate.

"What can I do to achieve my goal?"

The white man looked at him wearily and replied, "Give up suffering," then he paid no more attention to the monk, went back to his work.

The misfortune can make proud, the suffering makes humble

- Carmen Sylva - Queen of Romania and writer - 1843 to 1916

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The perfect teaching

Embracing impermanence in full consciousness, we let ourselves fall "into" the Buddha's teaching, for every second of life is precious, no moment comes back, we should, according to the teacher of all teachers, simply not waste time on trivial distractions, but keep focusing on the essential. Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? Questions upon questions!

How do you prepare for your death, can you use every moment, everything that exists is never mine anyway, a permanent I does not exist either, so "one" could already think about these things.

In addition, it is aggravating that "everything" is impermanent, "it" comes and goes, rises and falls, like a stream, like the water, just now a calm ocean, in the next moment a deadly tsunami, nevertheless every drop of water is connected with the next one.

Risk, uncertainty, at the moment of birth our death is also determined, destiny is written, powerfully the elements absorb the energy, pass it on, dissolve it.

The Exalted One said that the body is made of the four elements, but the mind, where does it come from? And anyway, the ego and one's personality, do they belong together, or are they separate? The personality comes from the depths of the universe, follows completely different signals, the body is only a vehicle.

The Perfect One advised us to become free of our desires, to stop being driven by desires, but to look behind the scenes, to rearrange the connections.

In doing so, get rid of the ego, because it causes so much suffering, but what will become of me if I give it up, will I still be alive, or will I die immediately? The ego, what a strange construction, always wavering between doubt and arrogance, always without direction.

Who is ready to think about it, to strain the mind palace, to give room to uncomfortable insights, to accept the answers, not to suppress them?

The perfect teaching of Buddha says that everything is based on suffering, to which we, as simple human beings, are at the mercy, because we cannot keep anything, we will lose everything, therefore we suffer. We will lose ourselves, but also everyone from our surroundings, all beings and things, nothing lasts forever, and we think about that without stopping. Why am I here, how can all this be, I don't understand. So (or so similarly) the thought scraps blow through the thinking of every human being, it occupies us heavily, the question of all questions pushes forward again and again.

The way is the goal!

As from a heap of sweepings in the street lazy airs, a lotus rises freely full of beauty, full of fragrances, so among the people of the blind, which the sins deeply surround, bright in the light of knowledge, shines the disciple of the Awakened One

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)

Buddha Blog English Podcast Episode 8

Hello and welcome to Buddha Blog, the Buddhist podcast. Your show for Buddhist topics, mindfulness and meditation. I am ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shaolin Rainer⁠⁠⁠⁠, and I am very happy that you are here. Buddhism in everyday life - Mindfulness in every day actions 

This podcast is largely funded by its listeners. I would be happy to welcome you as a supporter as well. Thank you to everyone who supports Buddha Blog in their own way.

Did you enjoy the podcast? Thank you for listening to Buddha Blog. Did you notice that there are no ads running here, that you are not inundated with consumer messages? Would you like to thank the author of this blog for his work with a donation? Support me, contribute to the extensive costs of this publication. Your support can help to continue the important work we are doing for Buddhism (my team and I). Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Android⁠⁠⁠⁠ stores. Via PayPal ⁠⁠⁠⁠(click here)⁠⁠⁠⁠ or by bank transfer:  Account holder: Rainer Deyhle, Postbank, IBAN: DE57700100800545011805, BIC: PBNKDEFF

Folgensegmente

What makes Chan Buddhism?

Chan was founded by the Indian monk Bodhidharma (short: Damo) about 500 AD in the Song Shan Shaolin Temple. Chan became known in the West under the Japanese term Zen.

The meditating Buddha as a statue or effigy is today often equated with Chan. Damo's philosophy was based on the teachings of Buddha. Damo also rejected the worship of statues and images established after the Buddha's passing.

According to Damo, the central element of the teaching of the historical Buddha is the enlightenment to be sought, which is to be achieved through meditation and reflection. Damo rejected the study of scriptures of any kind.

According to him, the transmission of Buddhism should take place exclusively "personally" (today called "Dharma talk"). In this process, a master does not instruct his disciples on the content of scriptures, but directly guides the followers in conversations by repeating the core statements (mainly "enlightenment").

According to Damo, an important element in this process is meditation, in which the students immerse themselves in a form of "spiritual emptiness" in order to make room for the "true teachings" of Buddha.

However, meditation (even more so in the lotus position) is more than difficult for the average European, since in the West the tradition of eating, drinking or conversing cross-legged on the floor does not exist. Just to hold the cross-legged position calmly and relaxed, "Westerners" usually need years of practice, while Asians are used to this sitting position from early youth. So to find enlightenment, Europeans would first have to learn "sitting" over a long time, and then practice meditation for more years.

According to Damo, the goal should be the unity of the mind with the "Buddha nature", which can only be achieved in existence. According to this view, every human being is a Buddha, only that the realization has been "buried" and must first be rediscovered.

From the Chan culture of Damo two different schools developed, the northern and the southern view. The southern doctrine prevailed, which understands enlightenment as an "event coming towards one", while the northern one was mainly based on meditation.

Probably the most important representative of the "Chan doctrine" was Hui Neng, a successor of Damo.

If you look at the life story of Buddha, you start to wonder.

The Indian prince left his palace to find the "meaning of life". In the process, he met several important masters who shaped his views and gave him a certain direction.

For many years, however, Buddha meditated without experiencing enlightenment. Half-starved and in a kind of trance state for months, he had actually already given up on his goal when a woman handed him a bowl of rice soup.

YOU AND I - WE ARE ONE. I CAN'T HURT YOU WITHOUT HURTING MYSELF

- MAHATMA GANDHI - INDIAN LAWYER - 1869 TO 1948

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Near-death experience

A near-death experience is an experience "close to" death, that is, almost dead, so to speak.

One could also express it in such a way that life itself is a continuous near-death experience, whereby the almost dead person just got away again.

The possibility to die now, in this moment, that is absolutely real, just as the chances stand for a survival, at least at the end one dies.

The religions of this world search for explanations for the fate "after death", was it that, or is there the paradise after all? Buddhism differs from monotheistic world views in that everyone involved can experience his "enlightenment", is not at the mercy of a spiritual elite.

The near-death experience is felt especially in life-threatening situations; witnesses report similar problems in their stories. One day we will all have such a near-death experience, which will then turn into a death experience, then when we die. Tunnel situations occur frequently, light apparitions occur, encounters with deceased friends or relatives creep out the audience in any horror movie.

There are plenty of opinions about it, the explanations are spiritual approaches and horror stories, film and art have invented the shudder as a genre, in any case, such an experience also impresses the psyche of those affected, dying is just something very personal.

The whole life is a simple near-death experience, because each of us has died several times FAST, often without knowing it, our privacy is vulnerable, we know our fate.

Is there a continuation of life after death, humanity wonders all the time? Will we, one way or another, live on after death? The mostly religious hope for a paradise has lost credibility, consciousness has emancipated itself.

Near-death experiences have also inspired the authors in Buddhism, the persistence beyond death forms the nucleus of the doctrine of rebirth. For to be born again the consciousness should survive at least in parts.

The experiences are mostly without body, here only the spirit ghosts without entering the beyond. What does the future bring, what will we go through? And how was the return after the near-death experience?

Have you ever almost died? And what would be your true feelings? Where did we come from, where will we go?

Such an experience gives the experience of time and space as one, which can also be a good lesson for further survival.

Either you start believing after such an experience, or you start asking questions about the meaning. In any case Buddhism has suitable answers.

The way is the goal!

To start anew at a warm destination after death

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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The lottery win

Imagine that a friend of yours had won the jackpot in the lottery without knowing about it, perhaps because the ticket can no longer be found or he has simply forgotten about it.

Now your friend would be a millionaire without having the slightest idea of the process, without wasting a thought on it, he would not have to think about it, he would not have to tell anyone about it, he would not have to conceal it, NOTHING would change for your friend, at least not as long as he does not know about it.

The situation is completely different when your friend knows about the winnings, now hundreds of considerations arise, the mind palace really gets going, what to do, who to ask, will life as a millionaire still be the same? Questions upon questions suddenly burst out of your friend, everything has to be put in order, has to be brought under control.

Or is it not?

Let's compare the two hypothetical states of said friend. The only difference is that in the first case he knows nothing, but in the second he does. Only his emotional state has completely changed for him, he is otherwise still the same guy, outwardly in any case, inwardly it is a different situation.

A Buddhist would (theoretically) behave like in the first scenario if he won the lottery, he wouldn't change just because he won (something), but he would be the person he was before.

If you think about it like this, once you were the friend, put yourself in his shoes. Imagine that you were the big winner, only you didn't know it yet. Now a certain security radiates through you, because financial prosperity brings independence, everyday worries become smaller. Now you think through the scenario, but now you "know" about the win.

This duality of events is also the right way of thinking for all lifetimes. Does she love me, or does she not? Does it really make a difference? After all, what is important is your feelings without asking for anything in return.

If you love, if you feel like a winner, no matter if you have won, then you are following the Buddha on his path.

What is important is not how things are, but how your attitude towards them is, how you look at things, which subsequently makes up your emotions.

Every new day is a real lottery win, the big jackpot is your inner attitude, nothing else.

The path is the goal!

Fight hatred by not hating, by kindness the wicked, win the miser by your sacrifices and the liar by your love of truth.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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In the course of Alexander the Great's campaigns, India came to have a kingdom in the northwest of the subcontinent, which was presided over by a Greek, King Menandros (Indian: Milinda), in the 2nd century before the year zero.

The work "Milindaphana", written in the Theravada Buddhist language of the time, reproduces the conversation between the king and the monk Nagasena, and explains the common understanding of Buddhism at that time.

From the work "Milindaphana" comes the following dialogue between the two men about nirvana:

"Venerable Nagasena," said the king, "can nirvana be described in form or shape by comparison, or explained figuratively?"

The monk answered him, "Venerable king, that is not possible; nirvana cannot be compared to anything."

The king said: "Venerable monk, I don't agree with that, Nirvana exists, there must be comparisons".

The monk answered him: "Venerable, I will convince you with an example, so I have a question, is there a world ocean, a universal ocean on earth"?

To which the king replied, "Yes, of course, all the seas of this world are united".

Now, venerable ruler: "How much water is there in this ocean, and how many living beings can be found in it"?

At this the king became very calm, then he replied, "It is impossible to measure the contents of the sea, and to determine the creatures living in it".

"But my king, the sea and its inhabitants exist, just as you say that nirvana exists, then everything should also be measurable".

Then the king said, "This question is far beyond my ability, I cannot do it".

"You see, venerable king," replied the monk, "although the world sea exists, it cannot be measured, nor can the living beings be counted or determined, just as Nirvana cannot be determined, although it also exists." "No comparison is possible, no form can reflect the size of the sea, no shape can be used as a comparison".

"But as an analogy I give you this: of the gods likewise no form, no size, no shape can be described, there are no comparisons for them." "So it is with Nirvana, where likewise no shape can be explained". "But Nirvana can still be described".

"Nirvana is like the lotus flower, free from all passion. It is like the water, it cools and quenches the thirst, it is like a medicine for the people, it provides a refuge, it soothes the diseases, it is a drink. It is like the sea that swallows the deceased, without a shore, it never overflows, never becomes full, it is full of unknown creatures. Innumerable waves of knowledge cover Nirvana, just as the sea is covered with them. Nirvana, like food, is the preservation of life, it gives the necessary powers, it gives the necessary beauty to all things and beings, it relieves the hardships of men, it, like food, relieves hunger."

"Nirvana is also like the spaces that neither come into being, nor pass away, nor age, nor die, nor appear, nor disappear, which exist infinitely and without limit."

"The Nirvana, like the precious stones, can fulfill all desires, awaken great joy and spread light".

"The Nirvana, like the noble woods, can spread beautiful fragrances, it can, like the foam of butter oil, take on a perfect color, smell incredibly good of virtue, and taste perfect.

"The Nirvana, like the peak of the mountains, is majestically towering, unshakable, almost inaccessible, waiting for the conquerors without passion". "It does not bend, does not cling, has, like the peaks, no feelings".

Thousands of candles can be lit by the light of one candle, without its light diminishing

- Buddha -

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Trapped in thoughts?

Are you caught in the "thought carousel"?

Constantly brooding, "what if"? Have I done something "wrong"? Is it "up to me"?

NO

Self-criticism is important, but too much of it will lead to depression.

It is always important to question why this thought arises in us right now, what brought us to brooding in the first place, was there a reason for it (and if so, what was it), does brooding have a benefit, how do we feel while we are brooding, what feelings do we experience?

Brooding is always a sign that we are too busy "with ourselves". And in a wrong way "dealing with ourselves", because instead of worrying about "what if", we should center our mental capacities on questions like "who am I", and "what results from this".

Of course, it also helps to distract ourselves first, to clear our minds for "new things". Here it can help to listen to music, to read a book, or to go for a walk. However, we should become really free in the head, otherwise even distractions do not really bring an improvement.

What helps us permanently, however, is to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones.

First of all, we should realize that we can do NOTHING about the past, brooding over it will bring NOTHING. We should make peace with ourselves and our past, everything is good as it is, according to Buddha everything was predetermined anyway, came as it had to come, therefore we are WITHOUT GUILT.

Because if our destiny was already written, then we had to act as we have acted, we had no choice in the consequence. From this insight of Buddha we can draw deep comfort, come clean with our past, rest in ourselves for the future, we can therefore stop brooding now.

If we make wiser decisions from NOW on, then after our destiny is already determined (whatever wiser may be).

Many advisors want to explain to us that we should "think positive", but from my point of view this is completely meaningless. What is "positive", what is "negative"?

It will only help us if we put something "positive" in the place of brooding.

Buddha has exemplified to us the "enlightenment" that MUST take the place of brooding.

Readers of this blog know that, in my view, Buddhist teachings revolve around only one subject, "enlightenment", the attainment of insight, "awakening".

EVERY DAY IS A LITTLE LIFE - EVERY WAKING AND RISING IS A LITTLE BIRTH, EVERY FRESH MORNING IS A LITTLE YOUTH, AND EVERY GOING TO BED AND FALLING ASLEEP IS A LITTLE DEATH.

- ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER - GERMAN PHILOSOPHER - 1788 TO 1860

As described in this quotation of Arthur Schopenhauer we can start completely NEW every day of our life, everything has come as it had to come, what will be tomorrow is also already written, then our karma will bring us tomorrow the possibility to at least think about the "enlightenment"!

Anyway, we are without GUILT, we don't have to brood any more, we can get out of the "thought carousel" with the help of the teacher of all teachers.

If we only want it!

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Buddhism as a powerful idea

"Nothing in the world is so powerful as an idea whose time has come."

- Victor Hugo - French writer (1802-1885)

Ideas have often completely changed our world. Democracy, communism, humanism, human rights movements, revolutions, religions. Guiding principles came, some stayed, many passed away again.

Depending on the spirit of the times, on different interests, on profit, greed and respective advantages, on common sense, on the search for spirituality, when the time was right thoughts turned society upside down, ideas changed the world.

But not only the idea is important, the ideal must also be "at the turn", must fall on a fertile earth to be able to develop, similar to a seed, the conditions must be favorable for the development also with guiding principles.

Few ideas have existed for a long time, mostly they were like shooting stars in the firmament, shone briefly and then burned out.

One guiding principle that has remained current over the millennia are the teachings of Buddha. He lived his life 2500 years ago and left us his legacy, which has touched and guided millions (if not billions) of people over time.

In contrast to the great world religions, Buddhism is not about the worship of a "higher power", but about the occupation of the practitioner with his or her self, i.e. not a "he should fix it", but a "I can change everything", not a dialogue with a god, but a comprehensive confrontation with myself, with my existence.

Thereby the responsibility is not given to a creator, not left to the benevolence of the gods, but I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MYSELF. This is of course much more uncomfortable than calling upon a "Lord", it presupposes reflection and action, not silent waiting for better times, but activity, action and deed.

Also the history of Buddhism was changeable over the centuries, influenced by fashions, developments, different masterminds, the respective spirit of the time. Sometimes the philosophy of Buddha was almost lost, at other epochs many people adhered to his worldview, but his words were always present, "Buddha" is still a term for every child today. Many Europeans can do little with terms such as karma, rebirth and enlightenment, but they instinctively feel that there "might be something to his statements, to his legacy". According to various surveys, about 20 percent of Europeans have adopted Buddhism as a kind of "second religion"; many simply enjoy the image of the holy man, they feel calm and peaceful at the sight of his statues.

Therefore, the question arises in my mind: Has the time come (especially in the "western world") for Buddhism?

I say YES

This blog is translated into more than 100 languages, a software now makes this site "available" even on the other side of the world, within only a short time now many people read this website daily.

The basis of Buddha's teachings is "enlightenment", a reflection on existence (being there), on the inner state.

Only reading about Buddhism does not bring us much further, the willingness to also "engage" with the philosophy must be at the beginning of the journey to awakening.

Times are hard. This is a good occasion to "go within", to take the first step.

At the beginning of the path, a question arises: "Who am I"?

Do you want to walk this path?

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Buddha's singing bowl

Buddha lived as a "normal" man about 2500 years ago in what is now India.

Even before the young prince found his "enlightenment" he is said to have been a very extraordinary person.

Again and again the story of the "singing bowl" from his life is told, which I want to reproduce here:

On his many travels, Buddha one day passed a waterfall that fell from a high mountain into a narrow, winding gorge. Next to the water falling in free fall was a shallow bank that invited one to linger.

Buddha decided to meditate here, the place was made for his purpose, he could feel the energy of the magical place. The mysticism and attraction at the waterfall were enigmatic, it felt like a place of healing, surrounded by water; a unique atmosphere, striking rocks enclosed the natural hollow path that led to the grottoes below the waterfall.

He took all things out of his pocket, placed his belongings around him. Thus, he is said to have carried (among other things) a singing bowl with him at all times, which he is said to have used frequently for meditative purposes.

So this singing bowl stood next to him during his meditative exercises, exposed to the sounds of the water. At night, Buddha also meditated, the stars shone clearly in the small gorge, the energy and radiance of the place changed continuously.

After several days he left the place at the waterfall, went down the mountain to the next village. There he found a farmer who offered him lodging. Here Buddha is said to have stayed for several days. The great teacher was very welcome here!

During his next meditation, Buddha struck the singing bowl again. He thought he could hear the sound of the waterfall when the singing bowl had long since fallen silent.

The power place "waterfall" had accompanied him, the sound of the water had entered the singing bowl, accompanied his adventurous journey.

According to this story, Buddha is said to have bowed at that moment before the beauty of nature and the power of water.

We too can hear the vibrations of nature, if we listen.

Everything is in vibration. If we change our vibrations, our life will change too!

Nature must be felt

- Alexander von Humboldt - German explorer - 1769 to 1859

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Grasping for Wind

No matter what we humans do, nothing will really change anything, because all being in this world is finite, transient, subject to decay.

Today still young and full of strength, tomorrow already withered and frail, the philosophy of Buddha is designed to avoid human suffering, because deep inside we suffer, because we know our fate very well.

Every action can only change something for the moment, just as the moment passes, the NOW and the HERE constantly passes in the flow of the universe, new opportunities emerge, are present, pass away again.

No matter what you reach for, it is not yours. This is a truth that must first sink in, for only in this moment do we live, the treasures we accumulate, they will one day belong to another person, nothing is forever, everything is in flux.

This is exactly what Buddha was talking about, whose teaching offers a refuge to people who can no longer (or don't want to) reach for the wind, because this reaching is just as unnecessary as a parasol without sun. Because we can reach for anything, but we can't hold on to it (permanently). The sooner we understand this, the easier we will lead our existence.

It would be much more important for us to "reach" for things that are permanent, like the "enlightenment" that Buddha found a long time ago, but which is just not easy for everyone to find. The very first thing that would be necessary for this would be a good portion of courage, to name the circumstances clearly, not to take refuge in illusions, to look reality in the eye, because Buddhists are realists, not dreamers.

What I am saying here is of course difficult to "digest", because the good news of a savior would be much more comfortable, who should then also take all sins upon himself. Buddhism, however, is about self-responsibility, about awakening, about the personal path, which can by no means be walked by a teaching, but which everyone must complete himself. It is about growing and the subsequent awakening, about the liberation from the fetters of human existence.

Nothing and no one can help you in this, and deep inside you know exactly, even if the great uncertainty often makes us doubt.

Where were we before we were born?

Who are we?

Where will we go?

These questions occupy every inhabitant of the earth, everyone thinks (more or less often) about these topics, everyone knows that all grasping can only be a grasping for the wind.

The way is the goal, only the enlightenment counts!

That seeker endures heat and cold, hunger and thirst, wind, sun and snow.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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The content is more important than the container

Just now I am in Shaolin Temple Europe in the office of the abbot. Here there is an extensive library of Buddhist books, many of which have Chan (Zen) as their theme, I looked at a few.

I noticed that all the books are about sutras, precepts and history, but the essence of Buddha's teaching, "enlightenment", is not, or hardly, covered.

Page by page, the places are listed where Buddha had stayed, where he was born, where he taught, where he stayed. Also his successor Bodhidharma is discussed in detail historically, his successors, up to Hui Neng, are considered in all details historically. The transmission of the (Chan) Buddhist "teaching" to Japanese, Korean and other Buddhist monks is treated in detail in terms of content.

In a book about Chan (Zen) it is described on almost 300 pages who Buddha was, views about his life are compared, but about the central topic "enlightenment" there are only a few lines. Allegedly, the historical Buddha, in deep meditation, achieved the redeeming knowledge of the middle way, and defined the four noble truths. The statement can only come from an author who has not experienced "enlightenment", but treats the subject of "Buddhism" like a historian, and also does not take "awakening" seriously.

The reason probably also lies in the fact that everybody copies from everybody.

Buddha's way to "enlightenment" as the core statement of Buddhism, however, cannot be treated separately from his life.

Buddha reached "awakening" after he had failed completely. He meditated for 6 years to achieve something that was unknown to him in the early days. His various meditations were aimed at the knowledge of the essence of all things, however, at that time, even the historical Buddha was like a blind man talking about color.

When he had completely given up the search, failed and empty, all desires, imagination and valuations fell away from him, only then Buddha experienced the "awakening".

"Enlightenment" is not a physical phenomenon, but a spiritual one.

As with Buddha, meditation can certainly accompany your path, but "enlightenment" presupposes the cognitive component of realization, namely letting go of everything, becoming completely empty.

If now the most different authors write about Buddha, Bodhidharma and Chan, without having attained realization themselves, this is WRONG. Thus seekers are led into the completely wrong direction. Buddha is not only a historical personality whose life can be considered chronologically, but a spiritual teacher whose teaching constitutes his life.

Without having experienced "enlightenment", there should be no texts on Buddhism.

If after the first snowfall someone paves the way others will follow the path!

WHO KNOWS NOTHING, MUST BELIEVE EVERYTHING

- MARIE FREIFRAU EBNER VON ESCHENBACH - AUSTRIAN STORYTELLER - 1830 TO 1916

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The fear of the future

We are always worrying about the future, making "a head", rolling problems, seeing all kinds of things coming our way. We lie awake for nights on end, unable to sleep, "problems" circling through our minds over and over again.

Do you know this kind of thoughts?

Surely, all people have a similar pattern, it is controlled by our ego, the little devil on our shoulder whispers the most terrible horror scenarios to us.

Many people fall into crises as a result, the problems take on a life of their own, drive us "mad".

Can you remember your last crisis? And the thoughts you had during it? About the terrible situations that your ego designed for you?

And did the situation come about as you had imagined it in your thoughts?

Probably not!

Mostly it comes then completely differently than we have imagined it, the situation, which we have feared, dissolves to 99% completely differently, new circumstances meet, affect the happening, everything changes, everything is in motion.

And what did we "make a head" for then, what did these thoughts bring us? Nothing!

I have friends who go through such situations "as real" in advance, the thoughts drive them before them, the ego sets up a slaughter in their heads.

But what to do, how to deal with fears about the future?

First, you deal with your own ego, try to observe the flow of thoughts, then control it, thus silencing the ego.

After that, when there is some calm, one deals with awakening, with enlightenment, do I want to get out of the eternal cycle of thoughts?

My blog is about the journey to enlightenment.

Enlightenment is the core statement of the historical Buddha.

Are you interested in "enlightenment"?

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Buddha Blog English Podcast Episode 14

Hello and welcome to Buddha Blog, the Buddhist podcast. Your show for Buddhist topics, mindfulness and meditation. I am ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shaolin Rainer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and I am very happy that you are here. Buddhism in everyday life - Mindfulness in every day actions 

This podcast is largely funded by its listeners. I would be happy to welcome you as a supporter as well. Thank you to everyone who supports Buddha Blog in their own way.

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Healing "Yourself" Part 3

Are you ready to heal yourself? Do you want to face your fears, your addictions, the paranoia, the fear, all the insanity? Or continue to live as you have been, without giving realization any chance? It's up to you, you are the architect of your happiness, it's a simple decision, depending on whether you want to be happy or not.

So, have you read up on the main methods of self-healing? Researched on the Internet, bought books, attended lectures? Or are you still taking it "easy"? Are you not really convinced yet?

You can do it, I promise you. Better than any other person could help you, you can help yourself best, if only because you spend all day with yourself. Another person would very rarely spend that much time on you, no doctor can make the effort, but you can. If you want to.

Should you be looking for methods of self-healing, then you must only look at those systems that are also "good" for you, that have a certain attraction for you. Trust in Buddha, who said (according to the meaning) that exactly what is "on" will come to you.

So the appropriate help will also appear in front of you, namely when you have made the decision that you really need help. By the way, your body can make such decisions much better than your mind, believe me. It has a natural gift to pick out what is "up" for you. Ratio only complicates many things.

So, are you ready?

First look at yourself in the mirror. What do you see? Describe yourself, speak to your reflection, say clearly and honestly what you see. Take your time, think of this as an exercise that you will do for ten minutes a day for a week. Don't forget about speaking to your own self. What feelings, moods and reactions does this action awaken in you, what do you sense and feel?

It is usually rather difficult to be "honest" with yourself. While you are standing in front of yourself like this, what things come up in you? What is pushing out of you? Where does your body want to go?

Get into the habit of looking at yourself. Without doing your hair, putting on make-up or brushing your teeth, but just looking at yourself in the mirror.

Can you honestly express what you see, what you think about, what feelings arise, how you feel?

Tomorrow you can read more about my topic "self-healing" here.

The way is the goal!

The sage uses medicines for protection from sorrowful feelings and for good health

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Bad becomes good

Those who have gotten out of the habit of judging things, people and events do not necessarily have to read on.

All others, still in the hamster wheel, poor souls, they should go deeper here. Buddha admonished his followers several times that nothing is as it appears to us, that everything comes anyway as it must come, that we can not even overlook how things are really connected.

I, for my part, have gotten out of the habit of making judgments, sometimes old tendencies come up, but in general I don't do it anymore.

No matter which event hits me, no matter how it affects me, I cannot foresee the effects, neither in the short term, nor in the medium term or in the long term. For that I lack the objectivity, the knowledge, the tools. My body can sort out such sensitivities much better than my intellect, but very few people listen to their body, such hunches are suspicious to them.

Many events, which I thought to be "bad" in the first moment, turned out to be "good" afterwards (the knowing reader sees that there is no "good" and no "bad", nor can there be). For instance, when I got so sick that I quit smoking. Of my own will I might not have been able to do it, but I had to cough so much, when I saw just one cigarette it shook me. First I was sick, very sick, a severe cold for almost a month, but this had a "positive" effect on my health, I stopped smoking because of it.

Or the day I separated from my wife, it was so sad, my body was shaken, my soul was torn, a deep sadness settled inside me. My sweet daughter, we had to separate, the marriage was shattered, a drama for all concerned. In the very place where I saw "my" family for the last time, that's exactly where I met my current partner. Everything that was not harmonious with my ex-wife (for some reason), all that is now with the new partner completely without problems. But I don't want to judge, it is what it is, it comes as it must come.

When the next mishap happens to you, you should consider whether good things could come out of it, what positive consequences would be conceivable, and whether it would simply not matter, good or bad, up or down, right or left, it comes exactly as it should come.

From good becomes bad, from bad also good.

The way is the goal!

Do not abandon your own salvation for the sake of the greatest salvation of others.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480

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"Draw me a sheep ..."

Who knows this sentence? Correct, it comes from "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, published at the time of the Second World War. I highly recommend the book, it is critical of the evaluation of outward appearances instead of human values, a clear criticism of the decay of the morals of that time (similar problems as nowadays as well).

Here is told about a small boy who comes from an asteroid. Since only he inhabits the celestial body (with a rose he loves so much) he travels to the planets in the vicinity, where he meets other (also lonely) people who live in their selfishness and carry their problems with them, important values have been lost for a very long time.

When he then comes to earth, the boy first meets a snake that wants to bite him, then a fox that explains the world to him. Thereby sentences of true greatness fall, like this: "you are responsible all your life for what you have made familiar to yourself".

Yes, as a Buddhist you also have to think about whether you make someone or something familiar to yourself, from the decision to call this or that 'my own' arises clear responsibility (regardless of personal karma).

Whether we get a dog or a cat, continue to meet with a 'date', open a business or take a job, beget a child, no matter what we make ourselves familiar is now in our area of responsibility, belongs to us. Unfortunately, very few people see it this way, in fact, many people take one partner after another (life partner, business partner, partner in every possible sense) without having thought about it beforehand, without having or wanting to take on a shred of responsibility, and thus create suffering in their counterpart. They consume people or things, without decency and values, simply without thinking further, without using even a thought to the possible consequences.

If I enter into any relationship, that is, go into my word, then I have thought about it carefully, not just out of boredom also 'still taken', I then have the decency to say NO even if I know that this situation is not for me, would only serve my distraction, has no substance and no value in my life.

It takes a certain size to say NO, an inner firmness. But if I don't want something (or someone) in my life, can't or don't want to take responsibility, then I have to say NO, because a wrong YES will often end in disaster (small or big shows time).

The sentence of Saint-Exupéry has influenced me very much, unconsciously I have acted according to it for a long time, only much later I became aware of the implications of his words: "responsible all my life for what I have made familiar to myself"!

However, my behavior is not a one-way street. As a studied lawyer I see "making familiar" as a kind of mutual contract. If now my "contracting party" breaks the trust agreement I can also terminate the contract, then I am released from my word. But otherwise the contract stands.

How much I would wish that more people read the "little prince", understand it and act accordingly.

Like in Buddhism! Right seeing, right recognizing, right speaking and right acting!

After a while the little prince recognizes the world fixated on externals, and returns to his rose on his planet.

Life is a journey. Do not take too much baggage with you

- Billy Idol - British rock musician - born 1955

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Buddha explains meditation

The Buddhist story goes that the Buddha's son, Rahula, asked his father questions about the technique of meditation. The young man was particularly interested in the breathing technique practiced by his father.

Buddha gave him to understand that also with the breath the transitoriness of all being is in the foreground of his conception. Therefore, according to the teacher of all teachers, Rahula should develop a "serene" approach, seeing himself as another kind of "space" in which energy flows freely.

The breathing exercises themselves should focus on the "presentness" of each breath, calming the mind and body, and feeling joy from the calmness.

From the joy further develops an inner collection, a liberation of the heart, which will inevitably arise with each inhalation and exhalation.

From the above mentioned transitoriness it follows that every in-breath and every out-breath will be for "letting go", for allowing the breath, but also for eliminating one's ego.

Also, he should dedicate the meditation to goodness, mercy, joy for others and overcoming desire, so as to overcome evil, cruelty, ill-will, ego-centeredness and attachment to people and things.

After the elements "earth", "water", "wind" and "fire", the wise father advised the son to subordinate his efforts to the elements, to become serene in meditation like the "elements".

Everything about your body belongs to the earth element, but everything that is "solid" about you is not you, is not yours, is not your "self". Also what consists of water in you, that is not you, it is not yours, not your "self". The element of fire that consumes you from within is also not you, is not yours, is not your "self". And the winds that run through your body are also not you, are not yours, are not your "self".

Follow this advice, and no unpleasant or pleasant events will enter your heart.

At the same time, think, ponder, or "seek the center", all such reflections should be completed at the beginning of the meditation, the arising serenity simply pushes all arising thoughts aside.

Then trace the breaths as they flow through your nose or mouth into your body, widening it, and then find their way out of your body again.

Give your body the attention it demands, be mindful in meditation, but also practice with power and strength.

Impermanence is formative for all beings, embrace it and your thoughts will become still.

A thought cannot awaken without awakening others

- Marie Freifrau Ebner von Eschenbach - Austrian storyteller - 1830 to 1916

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Captivity

The mind follows the body into captivity, the disparate comrades-in-arms are usually in harmony.

Have you ever been "captive"? Sure, maybe only seconds or minutes, but trapped you have been.

But also the opposite case occurs, the body follows the spirit into captivity, it just needs both sides of the personality.

There are many people who resign, who voluntarily put themselves in a kind of prison. Then, when life becomes difficult, the mood remains depressed, then anxious characters take refuge in the abandonment of their self-determination, from then on they become externally controlled.

Imprisonment is a burden for body and mind, but the mental component of self-imprisonment, that is clearly more violent.

Whoever is now so insecure that he/she relinquishes sovereignty over his/her own mind and body in order to then, as a herd animal, put the voices in the head to rest, is on a difficult path; perhaps easier at first glance, but in reality incredibly demanding, because "common sense" is no longer allowed to participate here, otherwise voluntary captivity would end immediately.

Sure, "one" can make everything easy for oneself, run after the masses, become and remain a sheep, but such behavior is not in the spirit of Buddhist philosophy, which always encourages reflection on all events that occur, does not give a place to stubborn humility.

What is captivity for you? Can you imagine what it must be like to be imprisoned in a small room? And what it must be like when you place yourself in mental captivity? Try to put yourself in these "cases", what would your life be like if you tried to cushion things differently, if you didn't think, but resigned yourself to imposed decisions?

There are very many kinds of imprisonment, most of the possibilities are self-chosen. But according to the teaching of the great teacher, all this does not have to be so, because at the beginning of all reflection is the question: Who am I?

This is followed by an answer which, in its consequence, will destroy, indeed must destroy, every captivity. No matter what has drawn you into a dependency or attachment, everything falls away when the answer has turned out honestly. If you lie to yourself, you remain in the awkward situation.

Yes, there are constraints in life, no man is an island, some things we have to do, but others we just don't. Which things do you do because you want to? Which ones because you have to? Where is the limit for you?

The way is the goal!

Difficult to fathom, great in arts, the mind revels in thoughts.

Happiness is only for the wise, who keeps him mindfully in bounds.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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The Goalless Gate

The word "gateless gate" is a Buddhist paradoxical riddle.

It corresponds to the Buddha's teaching that "only he can find who no longer seeks".

In order to know what we are looking for, we need a clue at the beginning. This is "enlightenment", which is the basic theme of the Buddha. The Buddha did not write down any instructions for awakening, probably because "enlightenment" cannot be explained.

For many years, the teacher of all teachers spent meditating in search of detached absoluteness without knowing it beforehand. He failed in this, had already given up.

When he gave up the search, no longer believed he could find anything, became purposeless, had completely let go, was exhausted and haggard at the end, then awakening hit him, it came to him when he was empty, without wanting, without needing, without concept, without ideas, because at that moment he was able to release himself, turned away from ideas or constructs.

When the answers to all questions come to us on their own, we pass through a gate that cannot be grasped with our hands, that was never a gate, but has opened before us, like a portal from a time travel movie.

The so often mentioned enlightenment is nothing else than the disappearance of our illusions, the tiny moment that lets us see the truth of all things not a roaring party, just the entrance into the stream of ego-lessness, the beginning of security, without any doubt, without usual worries, the realization that there never was a gate.

To know how things really are, the leaving of the fog, the moment of realization, that simply cannot be put into words, my explanations can only prepare for this gateless gate, one cannot find what cannot be found, because there is this gateless gate, and there is just no gateless gate, the moment it opens, it already disappears again.

The gateless gate as a figurative representation of enlightenment can, in principle, explain our conception as seeking individuals.

The opinions we have of enlightenment are in the fog, without contour and outline, the gateless gate can help us.

Too heavy fare?

The "goalless gate" comes from a collection of 48 classical koans by 13th century master Wumen Huikai, was first printed in 1229, according to Wikipedia. Other translations read '"The barrier of Master Wumen".

Hannibal is at the gates!

- Cicero - Roman politician, lawyer, writer and philosopher - 106 to 43 before the year zero.

The light microscope opened the first gate to the microcosm. The electron microscope opened the second gate to the microcosm. What will we find when we open the third gate?

- Ernst Ruska - German electrical engineer and inventor of the electron microscope - 1906 to 1988

The golden gates of happiness open to you.

- Friedrich Schiller - German poet, philosopher and historian - 1759 to 1805

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What is enlightenment?

The German word "Erleuchtung" comes from the Sanskrit term "Bodhi" and means translated "awakening".

With light, or an experience with light, "Bodhi" has little to do, rather it is about the awakening from the dreamlike world experience of everyone, from leaving a wrong view of reality.

Wrong is the view of all being before awakening, because people perceive their self as separate from their perception, and do not recognize the impermanence and emptiness. An example here would be that the laptop on which I am writing these lines (as well as my body and everything in this room) will have completely crumbled to dust in a hundred thousand years, thus having no real substance.

By "enlightenment" I personally understand that my self becomes one together with other subjects and objects in harmony. I am not talking about my body, but about me.

My body, my head, my arms, my legs, my hands, my feet, that belongs to me, that is not me.

But then where and who am I?

This is exactly the question of "awakening", and if the answer would be so simple, the historical Buddha would have already left us an instruction manual, with which we can "easily and quickly" find "enlightenment". But Buddha had just not done that, because "enlightenment" is a very personal act, finding one's self is a very individual process.

Imagine life as in your dreams. You are always in the picture, you see yourself in the dream. Just as you see yourself in the dream, your real self sees your body, the things you do, the people you meet, the events and places around you.

So your real self, now you "just" have to find it again!

Too complicated you say?

No!

Often I hear that enlightenment could be achieved through meditation. But against it speaks that even the Buddha did not find an answer to his questions by meditation, but only when he gave up searching and striving, was completely at the end, saw no more possibility, wanted nothing more, sat down completely sunk under a tree, did nothing more, desired nothing more, when all fear and all hope fell away from him, no wanting and no doing guided his actions, then happened what could not have happened otherwise, at the sight of the morning star he experienced "enlightenment".

He spoke: "I and the great earth and all living beings have attained enlightenment together".

However, it required for his "enlightenment" a borderline experience, emptiness was a prerequisite, the end of all desire.

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What is Chan? Part 3

The sufferings from which we suffer have not only been poured out on us by karma, no, we have inflicted many pains on ourselves. For example, because in our insatiable thirst for satisfaction we are always thinking up new desires, then are disappointed when none of them come to pass.

Or because we are constantly stuck in the past, reliving over and over again the moments when we were "so" happy, then realizing that it's not like that now.

Also, because we imagine the future as we would like to "have it", then find out in reality that we are not "Superman".

We prefer to deceive ourselves, to delude ourselves, to see the world as we like it. And we continue to be disappointed, one after the other.

C. Deception

We want to be happy, we want to be satisfied with our job and our environment, we don't want to see the many things that go wrong as long as we can avoid them.

This is exactly where the teachings of Buddha come in, we should look "behind the scenes", not twist things so that they then correspond to our ideas, but accept everything as it is. This requires a great deal of courage, because most of the time "reality" is repulsive, not very pleasant, just not like in Hollywood flicks. Self-deception is something very unpleasant, because the rude awakening is guaranteed to come, if not today, then tomorrow.

The lifeline here is Chan (Zen) Buddhism, which offers us the chance to escape suffering here first. According to Buddha, sufferings are unnecessary, self-chosen. After "awakening" there are no more sufferings, man is already in Nirvana.

Of course you can still deceive yourself for a while, the flesh is not yet completely withered, the teeth are "still" in, the legs still "want". But you don't seriously believe that you will be spared the decay, that everything will remain as it is right now?

You will pass away, your family will go (one after the other), all your possessions will rust and rot, nothing will remain, even the planet will decay. If you continue to deceive yourself, you will be disappointed.

Nothing is for eternity, no living being makes an exception.

Nevertheless applies: The way is the goal!

In the next days you read further to the main topic "What is Chan?"

Because of simple sense pleasures he risks the death by hunger and thirst

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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When I tried to be someone I am not....

According to Buddha, life is not as it appears to us.

According to Shakespeare, the whole world is a stage, and we are only the actors in it.

We all try to present ourselves as well as possible to the outside world. In doing so, we bend ourselves, because we want to please other people. In any case, we present ourselves in such a way that we believe we can impress others.

But this is wrong.

When we meet a person we want to get to know his real personality, not to experience the role he plays. What we want from others, others want from us. We want to experience the real person, not his (self-chosen) role.

But it takes a lot of courage to show one's true personality openly.

In former times, when I still had "dates", it was very difficult to stand by my mistakes, I tried to "sell" myself as good as possible. This has always avenged itself, I could not hide my true "I" in the long run.

ONE DAY EVERYTHING WILL BE GOOD, THAT IS OUR HOPE

TODAY EVERYTHING IS FINE, THAT IS OUR ILLUSION

- VOLTAIRE (FRANÇOIS-MARIE AROUET) - FRENCH PHILOSOPHER - 1694 TO 1778

It is as it is, it comes as it must come. Things have the habit to hide themselves from us, then come to light with a big bang, have always come in the end as they had to come.

But revealing one's true personality requires knowing it. "Who am I" is the question of all questions.

So I ask my readers: "who are you"? Yes, exactly you, "who are you really"?

If you know who you are, you don't have to try to be someone you are not!

The matter of "enlightenment" can be so simple when you question yourself.

"So who am I?"

The music is not in the notes. But in the silence in between

- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - composer of the Viennese classical period - 1756 to 1791

I believe that the universe is subject to the laws of science. These may have been created by God, but God does not intervene to break these rules.

- Stephen Hawking - British theoretical physicist - 1942 to 2018

Nothing is more obvious than that nature hates reason

- Oscar Wilde - Irish writer - 1854 to 1900

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The power within us

The NOW does not come back, who does not live in the NOW, does not live at all, he only exists!

So many people do not live in the now, some live in the past, others dream of a "better" future.

But "here plays the music", in the "now", in the "today" we live.

Whoever understands that there is only this present moment, is much closer to "enlightenment".

Are you tormented by thoughts from your "past"? What if I had acted differently back then?

Are you always worried about "tomorrow"? Do you fear "the worst" will happen to you?

According to the teaching of the teacher of all teachers it only depends on the "now", the "here" and on the "today". Buddha has shown us with his journey to "enlightenment" how we can finally shake off our worries, our fears and our hardships.

Who doesn't wish for a peaceful life, free from sorrow and pain? How can we overcome the hardships of our existence, how to put down the agony and torment of human existence, how only?

At the beginning of our journey to "enlightenment" is the question: who am I? So the beginning starts with an extensive "self-examination", unsparingly and honestly we have to be to ourselves, otherwise we will not get "on a green branch"!

But how can we manage to stay in the "now" and "here", not to digress, not into the past, and also not into the future?

Quite simply, by inserting something else in place of useless thoughts, something valuable, something with a meaning. Instead, we occupy ourselves with our possible "enlightenment", our very personal "awakening", with our journey in the footsteps of Buddha.

If our thought palace has an interesting topic, which is worth to think about, then also the unpleasant voices in our head will become silent!

This is how we manage to stay in the "now" and in the "today" permanently.

By giving our head a "theme" we set the cause for a better life, we no longer lose ourselves in externals.

This power lies within us, we only have to "release" it, make the decision to do so.

According to the teachings of Buddha, it is already determined whether we will make this decision or not.

Eckhart Tolle, whom I greatly admire, said:

Put the "now" in the center of your life! Always say yes to the present moment

- Eckhart Tolle - Spiritual Teacher - born 1948

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The emergency

As in every religion (or worldview), there are also places in Buddhism to which people go on pilgrimage to connect with the special spirituality of the area, to express wishes and ask for fulfilment, or simply to search for their own self in peace and quiet.

On one of these pilgrimages, a pious man once crossed an inhospitable desert, the air was dry, the path dusty, the destination still far. When a storm arose, he lost all orientation, wandered about, had lost his way. Further and further he strayed from his path, deeper and deeper into the sandy desert his way led. He also had no more supplies, far and wide there was no house, no human being and no animal to be seen.

As he rummaged through his pockets once more, he noticed a small green apple that he had taken from a tree a few days ago while passing by. Now, of course, he was happy about the unexpected find in his pockets, but he put the apple away again, as it was still completely unripe.

The pilgrim continued to search for his original path, but he was hopelessly lost. His hunger grew and thirst nearly drove him mad. Several times he thought of giving up, sitting down and falling asleep, hoping never to wake up and escape the hardships of fate. But again and again he thought of the small, green apple that was just waiting to be eaten in his pocket, often taking it out, looking at it almost lovingly, because in some way this apple symbolised hope for him, so he put it back in his pocket and thought to himself that he would only eat this apple in an extreme emergency. And right now it was not yet so bad that this extreme emergency would have occurred, so he put the apple back into his pocket again and again.

So the apple became a strong synonym for hope for the pilgrim, because he had something in his pocket for an emergency, he had something he could rely on, he was not without supplies.

After wandering for a while, the exhausted man finally reached his original path again, towards the original place, on the way to his destination. He had saved himself, saw people again, found water and food. When he was finally able to rest under a shady palm tree, he pulled the apple out of his pocket and bit into the still sour apple with relish. The apple tasted delicious, it was the best apple he had ever eaten in his life.

The path is the goal!

When your thoughts are full of restlessness, when you cast your eyes eagerly for pleasures

Your thirst must only increase, your thirst creates your fetters: strong ropes.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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As often as the term "dharma" is used linguistically, its definition is unclear.

According to Wikipedia, the word "Dharma" can include law, right and custom, as well as ethical and religious obligations and values, but also denote religion, ethics or morality in general, or concrete religious rituals, methods and actions.

But with a simple definition one cannot do justice to the term "Dharma", because through the "Dharma" we reach "enlightenment", we can therefore (according to the teachings of Buddha) determine life, death and any change with the right Dharma. The body is mortal, but do we know about the causes and consequences of our human existence, so with the "right" Dharma do we decide more wisely, or more consciously, for example with more mindfulness?

All day long we are busy, the work, the children, the car, the apartment, the hobbies, good food, the beloved TV evening, the sport, there is always enough to do. So much we would like to forget that at the end of all efforts we will die, so we always want to have something "to do", useful or not, just not thinking is the modern motto.

Then the result of any thinking can only be that life is finite and therefore terrible, the result makes us sad.

But whoever looks at human life openly and honestly, can actually only come to one conclusion, namely to the complete abandonment, to surrender, it is of no use at all to want to suppress these FACTS, but if we accept the finiteness of our fate, then we find the urgently needed salvation, the words of Buddha are true, the fears must first be conquered, only then the state of consciousness changes, the "enlightenment" comes closer.

The path of Dharma should be without judgment, without desires, without wanting, without craving, without hatred and without delusion, free from forms, according to the true Buddha nature in harmony with the universe.

Dharma is the truth propagated by the Buddha himself, virtuously and righteously following the noble eightfold path of the great teacher, through right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation, following the teacher's path on his way.

Who am I?

Where do I come from?

Where am I going?

Can we (for ourselves, not for others) overcome the nature of change, "enter" deeper into reality, and then discover our "immortality"? For if the Dharma can determine life, death, and any change, then in the end it is all up to ourselves.

Is there a timeless reality without any form that exists unchanged, that is preserved?

Time is a great teacher. The misfortune: it kills its disciples

- Buddha - honorary name of the Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Rebirth Part 2

The readers of my blog "know" that there is neither time nor space, thus also no birth, no age, no illness and no death.

But then what about all the people who have already "lived" and those who will still "live"? Is all life connected, are we part of a great whole?

Or asked differently: Is there an infinite matrix of the now, the here and the being, which holds a connection over the incarnations?

Surely you also know a person who can remember a past life, many people claim that even details are still clearly recognizable. Maybe even you yourself? Or is it just a matter of inexplicable, almost mystical experiences, which then lead people to see themselves as reincarnated? Questions upon questions arise on this subject.

At least in Chan (Zen) Buddhism the teaching has prevailed that there is no rebirth, but as is well known, many roads lead to Rome. However, one could also say (loosely after Buddha) that reincarnation exists, but also does not exist, completely depending on how we (with our imagination) form the world around us.

If reincarnation is only a concept (similar to heaven and hell, probably no human being has been there yet), then another possibility would be to understand the concept as a moral system of the belief world, which is supposed to set the ethical standards.

Regardless of how we feel about it, where did we originally come from? Originated at conception? Or descended from an "in-between world" that corresponds to, or at least should be similar to, nirvana? Does our personality (and with it also the ego) originate approximately with the fusion of sperm and egg, or is only the physicality created thereby? Still more questions, still no answers.

Could it be that Nirvana is right here, right in front of us at this moment, but we are not able to see it?

But the philosophy of Chan (Zen) Buddhism also does not necessarily state that there can be no rebirth, as always scholars argue, according to Chan teachings there is nothing to gain (or lose) because nothing is (and cannot be) permanent anyway, so nothing belongs to us anyway. In Chan we have to discover for ourselves, which is why even so many "feel-good Buddhists" then ultimately jump off again, thinking to themselves, where would we get to?

We are to "awaken" through our own efforts, to improve ourselves in order to see the Buddha-nature within us, which already exists eternally within.

Our questions, whether we will be born again, go to hell, or go to heaven, these are only asked by the ego. And therefore our personality is not involved either, because it is completely irrelevant whether we live again or not.

Before the procreation, where were you there?

The way is the goal!

If sometime, at the end of a long period, a gate returns into the human existence, then the rebirth takes place lower

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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I love the stupidity of my fellow men

In times of crisis the character of a person, the population, shows! If yesterday we were good and noble, today everyone is the next to himself.

Fights over toilet paper, the mother of a friend was stolen noodles FROM THE SHOPPING TROLLEY, all of a sudden, all the countries cut themselves off, yesterday still cosmopolitan and tolerant, today closed and aggressive, within a few days, many of my fellow men have turned into zombies, the Walking Dead, finally live and in color.

So completely I can not understand the attitude of some zombies (formerly fellow humans), we all have to die, so why this inhumanity?

From Buddha this sentence seems to come: "In the society many forget the most important, the humanity"!

Not stronger, further, higher, but more human, more conscious, with decency, man should behave in difficult times.

Gandhi said: "You and I are one. I cannot hurt you without hurting myself".

Now, concepts such as cohesion, help, understanding and compassion are the values to live by. In good times and in bad times, the wedding is called. Preaching values and ideals in good times, it's not easy at all, but in a difficult phase, that's when character shows itself. And believe me, the crisis passes, the bad character remains.

A person feels transformed as soon as he is treated humanely.

In difficult moments, the words of the enlightened Buddha may give comfort, his teaching is built on humanity. Take advantage of the crisis and let yourself be inspired by the statements of the holy man, bring peace and a stable center into your life through his example, rethink the way you treat the people who are close to you, go 'within yourself'.

A collective hypochondria towards the dangers of life is counterproductive, LIFE IS DANGEROUS, we can all take our last breath at any time, tomorrow is not today, what is to come is uncertain, but how we live, we can determine, we can be measured by it.

Albert Einstein, whom I adore, said, "Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, but I am not quite sure about the universe."

And Confucius said, "Stupidity is not knowing little, nor wanting to know little, stupidity is believing you know enough!"

I, for one, love the stupidity of my fellow man.

There is also a basic right to stupidity

- Roman Herzog - Former President of the Federal Republic of Germany - 1934 to 2017.

Human stupidity is international

- Kurt Tucholsky - German journalist and writer - 1890 to 1935

With (the) stupidity gods themselves fight in vain

- Friedrich Schiller - The Maid of Orleans - German playwright - 1759 to 1805

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David and Goliath

Who does not know the story of David, the conqueror Goliath.

The little one beats the big one, anything is possible!

In nature, David often beats Goliath, a small virus knocks down a big man; ants transport an elephant in small pieces, and a small seed becomes a huge tree.

Buddha taught us not to judge, not to distinguish in "good" or "bad", "small" or "big", not to "stick" a label on people or things.

The "little" boy next door may one day become the president, the "little" daughter of my friend the discoverer of an important substance; "little" does not always remain "little", and "big" may be over tomorrow.

The factor of time makes everything the same, weakness becomes strength, strength expires, just as everything and everyone will crumble to dust.

So it is with the victories, they are short-lived, the part in which the hero grows old, the cinema doesn't show that, how he falls ill, loses his teeth, can no longer hold his liquids, and finally dies in pain, the end must always be "happy", otherwise no one would buy a movie ticket.

So also the victory of David is only a story, nothing is left, not him, not his opponent, not the spectators of that time, only a "story" penetrates from a remote corner of the universe to our ear, echoes briefly in the memory, yes, everything is just possible.

Would it be possible to draw a lesson from the story of David and Goliath for our world today?

YES, it is possible!

No war has ever been worthwhile. Every battle, every fight, every quarrel, seen in the light of time, was unimportant, senseless, brought only suffering.

If you divide people into "small" and "big" it is a mistake; also "fat" or "thin", "pretty" or "ugly" does not come close to the truth, do not judge. Feel the energy, but do not see with the eye.

Because a person is worth what we attribute to him, the value can change, life is like a river.

Mostly only the loss teaches us about the value of things

- Arthur Schopenhauer - German philosopher - 1788 to 1860

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Let go

There is a very beautiful story about Buddha, which has a lot of depth, shows enormous wisdom, which can even be called directional.

A powerful king heard from his wife more and more frequently that she would follow a monk, a simple itinerant preacher, of whom there were endless numbers at that time. This one would be different from the other spiritual men, the woman told him, the gods would be in league with the man. All power would flow from him, although he would be completely at rest within himself. The king became curious and let his wife tell him more about the new philosophy. She told him that the teacher had once been a prince, had taken to asceticism, had given up the riches of this world to wander the lands as a preacher, where he spoke of the enlightenment that any man could attain.

In the religious world of that time, the Buddha's statements were new and interesting, and the king decided to visit the holy man. Before leaving, he went to his treasury, where he kept his most precious possession, a pink diamond. He took it with him to make a gift of it to the Buddha.

He traveled through the countryside of that time, he had as a king a troop, soldiers and noblemen accompanied him, he lacked nothing on the arduous roads. After many days, the royal troop reached the camp of the great teacher, where he had settled down in the shade of a grove together with countless monks.

In a moment the king wanted to meet the Buddha, on the way here he had heard incredible stories about the former prince, compassion and a deep peace filled him since he had set out. He made his way with his confidants to the camp of the preacher, who was resting somewhat elevated. He was already old, the many journeys had cost him his strength, he seemed calm and concentrated, a special mood lay over the meeting. The king approached the wise man, who quickly looked at him. The moment was so special that the king fell on his knees, he folded his hands, stretched them to the camp, he was suddenly struck by an inner peace that he could not explain.

The Buddha was still silent, the monks and followers around the two waited patiently, the two men eyed each other, the king noticed the kindness in the teacher's face, the whole audience in the shady grove was amazed at the energy between the two men.

In the next days the story continues.

The way is the goal!

Letting go and rejecting every desire

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Tomorrow is another day

Rarely we think about the consequences of our actions, mostly we live in the day, make ourselves "thoughts" about the things, people and events, but live thereby just not in the NOW and HERE, but in the past, in the future, in our illusions.

In Asia people also eat insects, one day then the insects eat the people (when they are dead), everything is in motion, nothing is constant, the central element in evolution is transience, no one will stay, all will go again, the karma is the fixed size, but we can grow on us, build up better karma. Like the cards in the card game we get our destiny allotted, but which cards we play when, that is up to us, so we can just "play along" in the game of life.

Big animals eat the smaller ones, but when life comes to an end, the small animal eats the big carcass, life goes into a new round. From a tree "one" can make millions of matches, with only one match then light the whole forest, small is not always small, large is not always large, everything has its time.

What seems small today, is huge tomorrow at one stroke, a few days later then small again, life is a coming and going.

That's why Buddha taught his followers not to evaluate, because an evaluation is always created from the respective filters, which we hold in front of our eyes, because otherwise we don't believe to be able to cope with the complex connections, which in the end is also only an evaluation, so it must be subject to change.

Today we are strong and powerful, rich and healthy, tomorrow the tide has turned completely, a "little thing" has thrown us off track, nothing is as it was. Humility helps here, and the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers, I cannot give any other advice.

Make yourself aware of these connections every morning before you leave the house. For this purpose I have hung a Post-It on the inside of the door to remind me to leave my pride and haughtiness within my own four walls, not to drag these "bad" human qualities with me. Just as Buddha taught.

Tomorrow is another day, it is not at all sure whether we will wake up, whether our loved ones will be with us, whether everything will be like "always", or completely different, not even the wind knows. Don't take anything for granted, don't put yourself in a false sense of security, nothing is guaranteed.

For example, if you sit at the dentist and hope that time will pass quickly, well, one day all your time will have passed, act accordingly. The teachings of Buddha can be a support that leads to enlightenment.

The way must be the goal!

In the morning he dwells in the state in which he wants to dwell in the morning

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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A "room of remembrance”

Upstairs in the house there was a small room, here she kept all the memories of her late son. All his letters, his clothes and shoes, his music collection, his model cars, photos of him from little boy to grown man, all the things that once belonged to him.

It was his room, he loved the view from the small window, out into the garden with the many trees.

Every time she was up here she thought of her "little boy", of the many stories, the great experiences, in her mind she saw him sitting at the table, the floor full of toys, when she was in this room it seemed to her that he was still alive.

It had been two years since the accident. Right in front of the front door, a car came around the bend, her son was about to leave on his bike, a big bang, lots of blood, the ambulance came quickly, death was faster. The driver was not to blame, it was just a chain of unfortunate circumstances that led to the collision.

The images of that day were immediately burned into her mind, every time she woke up since then the same movie started in her head, she saw the accident again and again. Her ego tormented her day after day with the past, terrible event.

When she became particularly sad she would climb up to his old room, she would fix his bed, air the room, fix his clothes, rearrange things. When she was done, she would sit at the table and look out the window, completely lost in her thoughts.

The pain was strong and did not stop no matter what she did, why only her son, how could this happen?

Her family tried everything possible to distract her, to comfort her, but no one could help her, she didn't want help either, she just wanted to "be with her son". And in his room she felt closest to him.

A light breeze came through the window as her eyes fell on her son's books. A particularly colorful one caught her eye, why had she never noticed this book before? "Buddha" was written on the spine, she sat back down at the table and began to leaf through it. She was a Christian, she couldn't do much with Buddhism, but because it was her son's book she just kept reading.

While she was immersed in the teachings of the Indian prince, she felt a warm wave rising within her, a form of peace spreading through her. How could this be, she asked herself. But she continued to look at page after page, time passed, quickly it was dark, she had to turn on the light. Her husband and daughter came home, calling for her. She closed the book and descended the stairs into the living room, but she kept the volume firmly in her hands. Every day she read that book, the philosophy of Buddha gave her much comfort, she regained her lost security.

Then came the day when she stopped going to the "Room of Remembrance." She had experienced "enlightenment."

THERE IS A BOOK THAT MANY WHO KNOW IT BY HEART DO NOT KNOW

- MARIE VON EBNER-ESCHENBACH - AUSTRIAN WRITER - 1830 TO 1916

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108 Prostrations and Buddhism

108 Prostrations - Another Form of Yoga and Meditation

Prostrations" is a sequence of movements that begins with standing in an upright position, then the practitioner slowly goes down on his knees, rests them (on a cushion), stretches his hands forward, the back makes a "cat hump", the palms of the hands turn upward, the head now rests on the floor.

Accompanying this comes from a tape (or "live" from a teacher) a "clap" sound. According to Buddhist tradition, a bamboo stick hollowed out in the middle is used for this purpose, producing a characteristic sound. "Clap" and down, "clap" and up again, 108 times.

Why "108"? The number "108" is considered to have great relevance in Buddhism. It represents the wholeness of existence, for example the distance between the sun and the moon is 108 times the diameter of the sun.

BUDDHIST MALAS (PRAYER CHAINS) HAVE 108 BEADS.

IN SANSKRIT, 108 IS THE "HARSHAD" NUMBER, A "LUCKY CHARM".

IN BUDDHISM, THE NUMBER "108" REPRESENTS THE "108 FEELINGS". THE SIX SENSES (SIGHT, SMELL, TASTE, TOUCH, HEARING AND CONSCIOUSNESS)

TIMES THREE BEAUTIFUL, PAINFUL AND NEUTRAL FEELINGS

TIMES TWO INWARD AND OUTWARD FEELINGS

TIMES THREE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE FEELINGS

SO 36 PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE FEELINGS MAKE THE NUMBER "108", THE "108 FEELINGS".

THE TIBETANS HAVE 108 HOLY BOOKS.

IN ISLAM, THE NUMBER 108 REFERS TO ALLAH.

IN THE BIBLE, MANY IMPORTANT WORDS ARE MENTIONED EXACTLY 108 TIMES.

IN TAOISM, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT STYLES HAS 108 POSITIONS.

The "108 prostrations" are a tradition in Buddhist temples in Asia. In some temples in China and Asia, there are even monks who make 1080 or even 3240 prostrations daily.

During the prostrations one "throws oneself down" in front of the Buddha sculptures, one makes oneself small and thus does not take oneself "so important" anymore.

Since it is known that each of us is a Buddha, because we carry the "Buddha-nature" in us, the participants prostrate themselves with it before themselves, and not before the sculptures. These are only a symbol, a metaphor.

The "108 prostrations" also have components beneficial to health, it is also a basic "Qi Gong form".

Blood circulation is stimulated by this exercise, which is very unusual for the human body. Touching" the floor with the head brings more blood to this important part of the human body. When the body is subsequently raised up again, the blood goes back, and when the body is raised down again, the blood goes back to the head, a constant cycle. This stimulates the blood circulation in the upper body more than comparable cardiovascular exercises.

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Self-doubt is widespread, even self-hatred is becoming more and more prevalent in all classes, people don't have it easy, these are "hard" times.

Of course, you have to look at yourself critically, but peace with your own self is also Buddhist, Buddha taught that we should not harm any living being, including ourselves. You don't have to love yourself, but at least accept yourself as you are, at least find yourself okay.

All people make mistakes, but to make your life difficult because of that, that doesn't have to be. And of course it is part of our life to question ourselves again and again, also to respond to criticism from third parties.

But where is the border between "self-reflection" and "self-hatred", what is still healthy, what goes too far? You can at least learn to accept yourself, various exercises are on the market. I present you the most important approaches to make peace with your "I" with instructions. Are you ready to try something new?

First of all, if you can't love yourself, you probably hear the little voice that constantly criticizes you, tells you that you do everything wrong, are not worth anything, just do stupid things, and have no idea at all.

This voice is a central theme in Buddhism, because this mood is followed by judgment (I am stupid) and will (I want this or that), which is why this voice embodies the ego and should be silenced, which of course does not always work. So you have to come to terms (at least for now) with the voice, accept the little man in your ear, find a passable way of dealing with the matter.

Write down what's going on in your mind palace, what thoughts come up, and most importantly, when. What happened, why is this thought coming up right now, what are the connections? Start to get into a dialogue with this voice, accept the voice as your own ego, feel the criticism not as punishment, but as a chance to grow.

Start to see your ego (in a first step) as a "little friend" that makes you aware of some things, consciously enter into a conversation with the ego, not into a confrontation.

You must not avoid this kind of self-talk, accepting the situation is the "real" first point to more self-love. However, don't let your own ego wrap you around its little finger.

Read more about this topic in the next few days in "Self-love part 2".

The way is the goal!

Hate is not defeated by hate, but by love

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Excuses and Buddhist Answers

Every human being has "talked himself out of it" at one time or another. The boundary between an excuse and a lie is fluid, the more often one uses "white lies" the more fluently they roll off the tongue.

If something is important to us, we will find a way to realize it, to stay on it, we become creative, develop strength and think about how it could be done. If something is not important to us, our ego creates excuses, evasions and lies.

Do we want to be lied to ourselves? NO, nobody wants to be deceived.

But when it suits ourselves, the "talking ourselves out of it" always works very well.

Christianity says: "Do not do to others what you do not want done to you".

With the excuses and the lies it is so that everything is good, as long as the thing does not attract attention, however, if then the number is "blown", the big misery begins.

Personally, I try not to lie, and have often spoiled a lot for myself by doing so. Could it be that some people would rather be lied to than know the truth?

YES

Confronting the truth yourself can be incredibly problematic, painful and unfamiliar for many, preferring to keep up appearances, pretending everything is fine, living in a dream.

The world is as it is, who accepts it, comes (from my point of view) simply better through the time, has less ballast, can be more liberated and act more carefree.

But that requires HONESTY, being honest with others, but mainly with yourself.

Excuses are lies, little lies, but lied is lied, there is no such thing as a little pregnant!

Start being honest, answer better, not when you are angry, do not promise anything when you are happy. And don't decide anything when you are sad! Usually nothing good comes out of it.

The noble Buddha shows us his way, we have to walk it ourselves!

Prudence requires time and effort, but above all honesty.

- Plato - Greek philosopher - 427 to 347 before the year zero

I have not noticed that the honesty of people increases with their wealth

- Thomas Jefferson - Third American president - 1743 to 1826

Honesty and openness make you vulnerable, be honest and open anyway

- Mother Teresa - Catholic Blessed, Religious Sister and Missionary - 1910 to 1997

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Do I want enlightenment, do I want to awaken?

Buddhism and our desires

WE SELDOM THINK OF WHAT WE HAVE, BUT ALWAYS OF WHAT WE LACK. [ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER]

According to the historical Buddha, thinking is what hurts us, harms us.

As with Arthur Schopenhauer's quote, we think especially of the people and things we lack, what we have we take for granted.

We wish for so many things, a loving partner, money and success, health and happiness, big things and small things, all day long (and at night in dreams) our ego delivers a firework of thoughts, wishes, hopes, fears and dreams.

All wishes are based on such thoughts as "how nice it would be ....", "if if if", "would have had", very few thoughts are useful, the ego is constantly chattering away.

And exactly these thoughts harm us, cause us pain, because we worry, our wishes become a disadvantage for us via our ego.

My texts are mostly about "enlightenment", how to come to "awakening", how the journey could look like.

A very important step on the way to "awakening" is to get a grip on the ego, to get a grip on the monkey chattering away in our head. Because of the ego, various desires appear in our thoughts, the possible non-fulfillment of our needs makes us worry, we worry as usual, too often.

The ego should be our servant, not we the servant of the ego. We must achieve control over the ego, otherwise "enlightenment" is not tangible.

When new desires appear in our mind, we should question them, where does the thought come from right now, why does it appear at all?

Now you are rightly wondering how this is supposed to work, how to get a grip on the thoughts, how to find the necessary peace, how to prevail against your own ego?

By dealing with the subject of "enlightenment", seeing it as worth striving for, thinking about it is the first step.

But not on the level of the ego, but with the rational part of the thoughts, which are to be clearly separated from the thoughts of the ego.

Do I want "enlightenment," do I want to awaken?

If the answer is "yes," you are well on your way.

Instead of thinking about wants and needs, instead of letting the ego lead you, give focused thought to what preparations you can make for the journey to awakening.

Every journey begins with a small step. The journey to "enlightenment" too!

ONE TRAVELS NOT ONLY TO ARRIVE, BUT TO TRAVEL.

- JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE - GERMAN POET - 1749 TO 1832

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The truth about elephants

What is as big as an elephant, looks like an elephant, but weighs nothing?

That's right, its shadow!

Our thoughts are like shadows. Our ego paints us pictures, makes us believe things, shows us movies.

These can seem (at first sight) like real, but they are NOT. We see these films and pictures, we are flooded with thoughts, but these are without content, they are illusions, they are shadows.

Buddha taught us to turn off the thoughts, to "defeat" the ego, to find peace, to stop desiring, wishing and clinging, only in this way can we begin the journey to enlightenment.

We must learn to distinguish between the elephant and its shadow, to cultivate good thoughts, to "push away" bad ones.

What are good thoughts, and what are bad thoughts?

Good thoughts are active thoughts. Bad thoughts are concerns or wishful thinking formulated by the ego.

For example, planning for the next child's birthday party would be good and important, but our ego's terrible ideas (what could go wrong?) are wrong and negative.

The main part of our thoughts come only from our ego. Is she cheating on me, does he still love me, will we make ends meet, will I lose my job, what is that twinge in my stomach, am I sick?

All nonsense, bullshit played by the ego, unnecessary, counterproductive, harmful, a SHADOW lays on the mind, immediately the mood becomes gloomy, we become depressed, melancholic, our life is at the mercy of the whims of our ego.

Paradise is nothing else than a state of mind, exclusively dependent on our personal perception, heaven and hell are two sides of the same coin, only I am the master of my thoughts, I can determine my ego, "choose" and "control" the images and the movies in my head, just as the great teacher Buddha has exemplified it to us, go his way as well, awaken, "banish" these very images and movies from our thoughts, thus begin the journey to personal "enlightenment".

If "bad" thoughts appear in our head cinema, we must immediately stop them, mentally slap our fingers, and put something "positive" in the place of the bad thoughts. Here it offers itself to think immediately about the personal awakening, to focus the own way to the freedom from desire and wishes, to check any "clinging", thus to create a positive substitute for the negative sensations.

The shadow of an elephant may be big, but it remains a shadow, it has no substance, not even for a small moment!

Who can cast a beautiful shadow, does not pay attention to the shadow but to the body

- Lü Buwei - Chinese philosopher - 300 to 336 before the year zero

Take your shadow from me

- Diogenes of Sinope - Greek philosopher - 404 to 322 before the year zero

Even a hair has its shadow

- Publilius Syrus - Roman poet - 1st century before the year zero

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Birds

A pair of blackbirds has been breeding on my balcony, yesterday the little ones hatched. Five mini birds in my flowerpot, beaks constantly open, some dried grass as a base, mom almost always sits on it, keeps her children warm, dad is looking for worms in the garden, brings almost endless supply.

At first we (my girlfriend and I) thought that birds had been looking for food in the flowerpot, perhaps scattering the soil on the balcony, making a mess. At first we almost overlooked the nest, then we did not notice anything as such, until we noticed the constant coming and going on the terrace, then we looked more closely. A bird's nest, first with one egg, the next day there were then two, always a new egg per day, until there were then five pieces. The mother is constantly brooding, not two meters away from my desk chair, the birds seemed to have no fear of us. Strangely, they trust us completely, I whistle, they respond, quickly we have become the foster parents for their offspring.

We put water, bought bird food, we give them rice and bread, we watch the pair of birds intensively.

Now the interest awoke, we researched on the Internet, little was found about a friendship between people and blackbirds, but it has become a togetherness, similar to a pet there is a kind of common understanding.

Watching how the animals touchingly care for their children, how the couple also works together and sticks together, it's magical, much like a married couple also raising their children.

The pair of birds made us think more deeply about the different living beings, and how much obviously also animals have emotions and feelings, the interaction of the pair of birds speaks for itself. And if even small birds have such emotions, then larger animals even more so.

And we humans think to have the right to rule over all other living beings, to make them usable for us, which is why we also speak of farm animals, which we can use, kill and eat, throw away or torture, just as we like.

Now if we were the poor pigs in the enclosure, had found a partner in "captivity" (another poor pig), and then another living being (a human being) comes and takes our (beloved) partner to slaughter and eat him, how would our feelings be there? And that animals have such emotions is clear (at least for us) by the example of the bird pair, only one makes even otherwise no thoughts about the animals, apart from the so much "loved" pets once.

We now eat almost exclusively vegetables.

Looking at the birds is (as I said) magical, the journey is the destination!

Who sees appearance as appearance and the being as being, penetrates up to the core of the truth, has read the right track

- Buddha - "The Enlightened One

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Buddhism and the clear view

University degrees, journeyman's certificates, master's certificates, accreditations, credentials, paper upon paper, web pages upon web pages, texts upon texts.

Blind faith in diplomas, certificates, bills and contracts, videos and podcasts.

But how do you recognize the person who can really help you? For example, a Chan master (Zen).

How can you find out the real masters among the many "experts"? And anyway, what makes a real teacher?

Our view of things is clouded, like dirty glasses, layers upon layers are stored on our perception.

Habits, upbringing, disposition, genes, all kinds of causes have led to the pollution on our "glasses".

A good Chan master clears our vision, he removes layer upon layer from our glasses, he enables us to see again, to recognize reality again.

He cleans our glasses, gently and calmly, without haste, always speaking the truth, leading slowly, but firmly and decisively.

Ink on paper is nothing, "emptiness is form", and "form is emptiness".

When we meet a person who can help us further, we notice that we suddenly see better again, it is simply easier for us to speak the truth openly (because what is true may be said, must be said).

Most people are looking for happiness, improvement, development of their person for the better.

What a great feeling when layer after layer falls off the glasses and we can truly SEE again.

YOU NEVER NOTICE WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE, YOU ALWAYS SEE ONLY WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE

- MARIE CURIE - POLISH PHYSICIST - 1867 TO 1934

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Gold in the cupboard

In a prosperous town once lived a rich man. He had many businesses, he was involved in almost all aspects of economic life, he did not miss any good deal.

He kept his wealth in a large cash box in the closet of his house, every day he opened it, looked at his coins, thought about the profitable and past transactions, when he looked at his fortune became quite "warm around the heart".

One fine day, when he came back to his house after a long, busy day, he already had a bad feeling at the door. Immediately he noticed that something was not as it should be, fear rose in him, he ran to his closet, which stood wide open, the cassette was gone, one had stolen from him. Then he was furious, he called for his wife, for the children, no one knew anything, all had not been in the house during the day.

The police came, the neighbors, each of his friends, they all consoled him, but nothing could alleviate his misfortune, he had always enjoyed his coins so much.

One of his friends, however, said something of Buddhist wisdom to him, first asking, "did you have any use for your wealth"? "No", replied the stolen man, "but I have always looked at my money with such pleasure". "Then," said the friend, "just look at the closed cabinet and imagine that the box is still in it!"

"What is it to you by whom he who once gave it to you reclaimed it from you"?

- Epictetus - Roman Slave - 50 to 138

Wealth is one of those things. Who is rich, who is poor? Is perhaps a farmer with a very small farm a richer man than a millionaire banker, if the farmer is loved but the banker is not?

And is not the absence of suffering the true wealth in a person's life? Just as Buddha exemplified to us?

You shall not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.

- Bible -

Accumulating more and more wealth, does that make you happy?

I say: NO

Sure, money makes you independent, it gives a certain security, things can be bought, some ideas can be implemented with money, but real capital is not material, true wealth lies in happiness, love, harmony, contentment, success, health, serenity and in the family.

Personally, I don't want to "own" many things, I get my joy when I can "use" them sometimes. Renting a nice car, over the weekend, and then returning the car, that's more fun for me. Staying in a nice hotel for a few days, I find that much better than owning a vacation home.

But I find it even much better when I'm driving in a very small car (no matter who owns it) and there's a person sitting next to me who really likes me. Or when visiting another city I can sleep on the sofa of a good friend, that makes me happy.

If the cornfield is far from the house, the birds eat the fruit.

- Proverb -

I also like to think of my fortune that I keep in the closet, but I never open the door!

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Horse, bamboo and wind

Do you sometimes wonder what your body should be like?

Ideally, the human body should be strong like a horse, flexible like bamboo, and fast like the wind!

Why do you think I am writing this here like this?

My whole life has always been about disciplined training, I practice Yoga, Kung Fu, Qi Gong, strength exercises and speed training, meditation and breathing techniques every day.

Even the historical Buddha practiced yoga, he received traditional Asian massages, he meditated, he fasted.

Are you looking for a guide for your body? Imagine how your body could change in the near future, towards a positive state of health. In your mind palace, let your body go through a change, toward the three guiding images: Horse, Bamboo and Wind.

Sure, "you" might remark now that according to Buddhist teachings, everything comes as it should anyway, but if your karma is to improve your health, then it will. Sometimes we humans need a cause, a guiding light, a role model.

Visualize the images in your mind's eye, horse, bamboo, wind.

I received my Buddhist training in the Shaolin Temple China. There the body is trained with discipline and with perseverance. In western culture we know the sentence: only in a healthy body lives a healthy mind (Mens sana in corpore sano)!

In the Chinese monastery strength, endurance and speed are taught, over many centuries the methods were passed on from the master to the student.

What about you? Do you have an idea how your body should be, how it should be, could be in several years?

To what extent do you want to "incorporate" sports, exercise and good nutrition in your daily life, where do you see yourself, your body, your health?

The horse stands for strength!

The bamboo symbolizes flexibility!

The wind stands for speed!

Can you imagine adopting these guiding principles, adopting them as a "motto" so to speak?

Do you want to "be" in a healthy, strong body, have flexible bones and joints, "practice" fast and safe movements?

Health is a very individual concept, each person is different, has different genes, different history. Training must therefore be practiced differently for each individual, always according to their capabilities.

If you manage to "anchor" the guiding principles horse, bamboo and wind in your mind palace, then you are on a good way.

Because one thing is certain, the way is the goal!

We must say what we think, do what we say, and be what we do.

- Alfred Herrhausen - Former Spokesman of the Board of Deutsche Bank 1930 - 1989

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Pathological mental attitude

Two people stand next to each other and look at the rose bush, one says "beautiful", the other hates roses. Life is hard, harmony is not the standard.

But what is sick, what is "still" normal, and does "normal" even exist?

Rational arguments are no longer accepted anywhere, the self-imposed insanity goes into the next round, will dissenters soon be burned alive again in the marketplace?

Madness has afflicted many brains, the constant threat situations have left depressed egomaniacs, psychologically disturbed, with burnout. Buddha said that exactly this ego mostly causes the problems.

Already ancient Rome perished from its arrogance, it seems to be related to the ego, over the centuries, an up and down of cultures, the human component just.

Pathological mental attitudes have arisen, the quirks become more and stronger, Buddha admonished again and again not to fall for the ego. The little man on the shoulder who spouts this nonsense, who wants to talk us into all kinds of things.

Doubts and worries come from the thought palace, the mind is just heavy, the view is fickle. Man is a strange animal.

Now the confused brains are again increasingly sedated with pills, happiness lies in the pills that the gods (in white) send to the faithful. The causes of the morbid mental attitudes are of course not discussed aloud, the uptight society hinders itself.

According to Buddha, the causes of mental illnesses are often to be found in the disturbed ego; people have been making their own problems for thousands of years. The philosophy of the great teacher aims to get such escapades of mental activities under control, to take away the space of insanity, to bring back calmness and peace into existence.

The medial excesses of the last years have harmed many people very much, the society gets sick, comes only with difficulty from the global problems to personal experiences, the collective worries constantly, according to the teacher of all teachers, however, we should just not "make head", but accept the life as it is.

To get out of the cycle of mental illnesses requires a clear decision. Do I want to keep my mind healthy? What do I have to do for it? What changes are necessary? Because behind the facade, not everything is vain bliss and sunshine, life is just the way it is, we have to accept the circumstances.

No man is an island, of course we humans are also dependent on influences, but "we must" deal with it in such a way that our mental health does not suffer.

Because also spiritually seen the way is the goal!

I am purified in my spiritual behavior

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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The wise ruler

In a beautiful land once ruled a king, but on his territory the people were poor, the harvests were changeable, the soil difficult to cultivate. The subjects feared the king and because of the many famines they were dissatisfied and disappointed, they blamed their ruler for their predicament.

Now the ruler truly could not change anything about the circumstances, he tried his best, but his possibilities were limited.

On a particularly beautiful day, the ruler called his subjects together in the main square; he had news to announce. With grumbling the inhabitants of his capital gathered, full of fear and curiosity they waited closely for the appearance of their regent.

What will come, what is so important to call a meeting?

The worries of the waiting people increased, the clamor of voices reached its peak when finally the monarch appeared in front of his palace. The king greeted the waiting crowd politely and with great kindness, the people's worries quickly diminished, the people hung spellbound on his lips.

My son shall not grow up as a prince, the king said, he shall get to know the life of the people normally, like any other child of my people in my country, without privileges, without status. Only then will he become a good king, only then will he truly understand his subjects. So I gave my son to a family some time ago, his new parents do not know who he is, I exchanged the child of a simple family with my son, the other child is now growing up here in the palace.

But I instruct you to take good care of my son, no harm shall come to him, if something happens to him I will call you all to account!

Then the ruler said goodbye and went back to his palace. The crowd remained perplexed, and after a while they all went their separate ways.

But in the minds of the subjects what they had heard remained ever present, no one forgot the words of the monarch. And they began to treat all the children in the city and in the country very well, after all, every child could be the king's child.

Time passed, year after year passed, the children grew up, had children of their own, still no one knew who the prince was.

Through the love and new cohesion of the community among themselves, the city and the country developed splendidly, the territory of the ruler developed rapidly, there were many

Schools, libraries and hospitals were built, and children's voices were also heard more than in other countries; a child's opinion now carried great weight in this country.

People were content and happy, achieved a certain prosperity, the country was unrecognizable.

And why?

Because everybody treated everybody like a king.

WHAT YOU TELL ME, I FORGET. WHAT YOU SHOW ME, I REMEMBER. WHAT YOU MAKE ME DO, I UNDERSTAND.

- CONFUCIUS - KONG FUZI (CHINESE 孔夫子) - CHINESE PHILOSOPHER - 551 B.C. CHR. UNTIL 479V. CHR.

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The question is how we deal with the "waiting"!

We are constantly waiting for this and that. For the doctor's appointment, for the end of work, for our partner, for the children to come home, for a vacation, for the pain to subside, for us to get well, we are always waiting for something.

And waiting is one of the most difficult things of all.

Remember that moment when the mother said:

"BE PATIENT, SLOW DOWN"!

Especially when it comes to important issues, waiting can "drive us out of our minds", make us "crazy"; by the way, waiting and hope are also siblings, are closely related.

How do we deal with waiting? How do we wait?

What about waiting according to the Buddha's teaching?

According to Buddha, one is happy when one has no desires. However, this requires a certain amount of equanimity and insight, since we all have needs. If we do not desire anything and are not needy, then we consequently wait for nothing, take everything as it comes, with serenity and resting in ourselves.

How do you get to a state where you have no desires?

By finding "enlightenment", by awakening.

Easier said than done. Do you engage in "enlightenment" at all?

"Enlightenment" comes to those who earnestly seek it, you can't really seek it, it comes to us, not we "find" it.

Awakened people have no more desires, they are "wishfully happy". Perhaps they are happy because they are desireless.

Everything is connected, the journey to "enlightenment" is a very individual one, there is no "instruction manual" for it.

No one can teach "enlightenment", not even Buddha.

But we can make ourselves ready for "enlightenment", create the conditions for its realization.

Do you want that?

MANY PEOPLE MISS THE SMALL HAPPINESS WHILE THEY WAIT IN VAIN FOR THE BIG ONE

- PEARL S. BUCK - US WRITER - 1892 TO 1973

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Ceremonies

An integral part of my new life (as a budding monk) at the time was attending Buddhist ceremonies at Shaolin Temple.

These ceremonies always took place either very early, long before the temple door was opened for the crowds of visitors, or after dinner, when peace had returned to the monastery.

During the ceremonies, people prayed (and still do), chanted and meditate. Since I understood little Chinese at that time, I could hardly participate, standing (mostly sleepy) next to my master, doing the prostrations when he prostrated himself, murmuring the parts of the prayers I was familiar with, otherwise trying to keep a low profile.

The center of a Buddhist ceremony is the "altar". Similar to a Christian structure, there are devotional objects, figures and statues of the great teacher and also of Bodhidharma, but also candles, baskets with donations or offerings, containers with incense, flowers and jewelry. The big drum Yu (the fish) is sounded with a mallet during the prayers (it is also used as a signal to start and end the meditation), besides sometimes bells and instruments are used.

The monks were (and still are, of course) dressed in a special regalia, Shaolin wearing an orange robe with a brown overcoat that leaves out the right arm and hand (the tradition here is that the cloak is wrapped around the body in such a way that the left shoulder is covered and the right remains free, which is said to go back to the monk Huihe, who cut off his right arm in order to better understand the essence of Chan (Zen) Buddhism). The abbot is the only one to wear a red and gold-colored robe, which clearly sets him apart from the other monks.

Today, there are hardly any non-ordained people at ceremonies, but occasionally guests or film crews get the opportunity to witness the spiritual acts.

In general, there are Buddhist ceremonies for weddings, for the so-called taking of refuge, for entering adulthood, for house blessings, funerals, remembrance of the deceased (celebration of the dead), and, of course, for all kinds of Buddhist festivals, such as Buddha's birthday.

The life of mortal beings comes and goes, that is the basic idea of all ceremonies, until enlightenment is reached the Buddha is supposed to be a refuge.

As in Europe, ceremonies in Buddhism are an accumulation of rites and customs that have developed over thousands of years, depending on the Buddhist country and its language.

The central thesis in Buddhism was and is that every human being can reach enlightenment.

The way is the goal!

Let us visualize the seven limbs of insight that are helpful on the path of our endeavor

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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In search of the truth

In Buddhist temples, people like to tell each other stories, since cell phones, laptops or tablets are usually not allowed.

I find the story about the search for "the truth" particularly beautiful.

Once upon a time there was a powerful king who had already grown old. He had a beautiful daughter who could hardly resist offers, but he decided to give her as a wife only to the man who would find "the truth". When he had this announced, the young men poured out of his kingdom, each wanting to find "the truth" and live with the beautiful princess.

Those who wanted to marry traveled to all temples, to all provinces, to every wise man who had already been reported somewhere, everywhere they asked for "the truth", where one could find it.

On remote mountains, in distant valleys, in cities and in villages, everywhere the collective search for "the truth" broke out.

"The truth" itself was also coming of age, at some times it stood tall, at other times it had to hide. She quickly learned of the search for her, the birds brought her the news, yet she did not leave her cave in the mountains, "the truth" had endured too much over the centuries. She had become an old woman, her hair hung tangled in her face, her wrinkles were deep, she had no more teeth, she had already seen a lot, "the truth" had suffered badly over the years.

Suddenly a young warrior stood in the entrance to the cave, he was wet and shaky, but he asked determinedly, "Are you 'the truth', I've been looking everywhere for you?"

"Yes, I am 'the truth', I live here secluded, because most people just don't want to hear "the truth", they like beautiful lies better, I am tired of living with their stupidity, so I better hide here, but you come in and keep me company."

The two disparate people started talking, for a whole day and night, without a break. The young warrior learned answers to all his questions, he became a wise and educated man in a short time. He explained to "the truth" why he was here in the first place, "the truth" began to smile, and said, "yes yes, love".

The young warrior wanted to go back to the beautiful princess, the anticipation overwhelmed him. Then he asked how he could prove that he had found "the truth", and further, what he should tell about "the truth".

"The truth" answered him wisely: "Say that I am young and incredibly pretty, the rest will come naturally. But don't tell anyone where you found me."

Doubt everything. Find your own light

- Buddha - honorary name of Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama

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The cycle of life

The birds eat the worms, after our death the worms eat us, life is a coming and going, it is a cycle.

According to Buddha, the cycle of rebirths is not limited to eating and being eaten, but to the continuation of the ego in its germ cell, which is thrown into incarnations until the bearer has worked off his karma, no longer needs to be reborn.

If one looks at the bustle on this planet, a food chain is unmistakable. The small ones are eaten by the bigger ones, which are then eaten again by even bigger animals, cruel and painful is the nature, a hard fight for survival plays out before our eyes.

The blackbirds on my balcony brought their young so many worms to eat, I had never seen anything like it. The beak full of creepy-crawlies, twisting and turning like little snakes, nothing helped, the blackbird parents stuffed masses of worms into the little birds, without mercy and indulgence the chicks were fed.

Then one day when the blackbirds will be old and fall from the branch, flocks of scavengers will pounce on the carcasses, the cycle of life goes on and on, there is no escape.

So it is with our spiritual being, we get so many opportunities to grow, to grow beyond ourselves. When we think about it like this, what do you think, is there perhaps a reason why we are in the world after all? Or are we just the food for future generations of worms?

Buddha lived a path for us that goes far beyond the usual patterns of thought. No subordination to an elitist class to be worshipped, no, an active thinking, acting, speaking and living, a way of the middle, towards personal enlightenment, that is his philosophy.

If you think about the cycle of life like this, the fate of human beings is hard and painful. Nothing will remain, everything will pass away, yes, heaven, it is waiting according to the monotheistic teachings, but only after death is the entrance to paradise possible. In Buddhism, we can enter Nirvana right now, because the said Nirvana is a state of mind that comes with tranquility and peace.

The teacher of all teachers has exemplified it to us; we can follow his path. What do we have to lose? Some time and effort, we can easily spare, the prospects of spiritual maturity are too tempting. Do you want to give it a chance?

The path is and remains my goal!

It is one and the same being which goes through the cycle of rebirths again and again

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Buddhism and the addictions

Buddhism and the addictions

We know how much drugs (cigarettes, alcohol, intoxicants) harm our bodies, hurt them, even often make us look ridiculous.

When we try to limit, or stop these addictions, we often fail because our body (and/or mind) is addicted, kind of like the devil's advocate, we know about the harmfulness of drugs, but still we have to consume them.

So most of the time we can't stop our bad habits, the addiction has a firm grip on us.

To fight an addiction, we need to come to ourselves for some time, calm down and center ourselves.

This can be a form of meditation, another type of exercise, working on ourselves and our bodies (and minds).

So the important thing in fighting an addiction is that the moment of overcoming it comes, in five minutes things can look very different.

With "enlightenment" it is similar, we have to come to ourselves. We don't have to come to us forever, only in this moment, in the "here and now", later may be too late.

A miracle can start with a small idea, a different worldview can come from a short moment, whole continents are changed by thoughts, so also a short thought can help to "defeat" the addiction forever, or to "keep" it forever.

Everything depends on our thinking, if we think that "to stop smoking" is so difficult, then it will not happen, if we think that we have also made the decision to start in five seconds, then, yes then, we can also decide to stop again in five seconds.

Even a huge tree grew from a small seed, so "just do it"!

QUITTING SMOKING IS EASY AS PIE. I HAVE DONE IT A HUNDRED TIMES

- MARK TWAIN - AMERICAN WRITER - 1835 TO 1910

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The daily training

The days followed each other, getting up every morning at five o'clock, first we went to the morning service, the monks meditated, sang the O mi to Fo, prayed, went into themselves, I was more a silent observer, absorbed the impressions. At that time of day it was bitterly cold, the bones and joints ached from sitting. The meditation cushion was more like an anthill, sitting still was torture for me.

After that we always went to the temple canteen, a large room with a huge pot of rice and a smaller pot of vegetables (in sauce) hanging over the fire, we warmed up together with the other monks at large tables (similar to beer benches), then we went to our (now it was our) hermitage, did the morning toilet, drank woo long tea, started talking, with computers, hands and feet, but communication worked well between us.

Then the training began, every day with fixed rituals, always first the "warm-ups", after which I was already hopelessly served, but giving up was out of the question, I had made it this far, now I wanted to continue, by no means cross the flag.

Almost all exercises took place in positions just above the ground, for untrained observers it doesn't look really strenuous, but those who have held such positions before know how difficult this can be for a normal Central European.

From such a position, Shi Yan Zi then repeatedly shot upwards as fast as an arrow, came into an attack position, was in "no time at all" right in front of my nose, just a moment ago he was still on the ground, now he was literally floating above the earth, I was deeply impressed.

More and more my legs burned, especially my thighs, which had to carry my considerable weight (at that time about 90 kg), holding the unusual positions, the movements were absolutely unfamiliar to me, looked (at first glance) also strange, then made sense in the movement sequence. But it is just a difference whether a trained fighter practices, or whether an affluent European thinks to have to give here the temple fighter. Constant repetitions of only a few, always the same exercises, the muscles burned, the strength decreased, a seemingly endless drudgery, so I had not imagined, rather hoped for the "magic pill", actually I no longer know what I had really hoped for.

But now here I was, pulled through, no matter what the cost. Constant shifts of body weight (just above the ground) from one leg to the other, the leg with the weight bent wide, the buttocks on the ground, the other leg stretched out in a half splits, so I practiced hour after hour.

Again and again the monk ordered a break, he smiled, surely he thought his piece about the condition of the Westerners. To get up again from the position on the ground was incredibly effortful, I also had the elegance of an elephant, with Yan Zi it all looked so much easier. But things were looking up, after a few days I got used to the strain, my legs were burning like fire, but I didn't even notice it anymore.

I was proud, I was in the Shaolin Temple, I was training here, I was part of the community, I had made it this far. Eight hours of training every day, four in the morning, then several hours of lunch break, then another four hours of training, that's how the days passed.

There didn't seem to be any other exercises, although I saw the monks in the courtyard practicing all kinds of movements, my master barking his orders to himself, "Yī'èrsānsì" (one, two, three, four), over and over again, hour after hour, day after day, the whole thing had something very meditative. Always during the breaks there was the beloved tea, now sometimes "Mòlìhuā-Chá" (jasmine tea), also a delicacy.

Gong An (Koan)

In many Buddhist monasteries the theological Gong An concept (Koan) is taught, because people often have great difficulties not to think in categories like "good" or "bad", not to classify things (and people).

We humans are like that, if we don't think good, we think bad, our thought palace needs "stuff" to keep the ego going, which is why wise teachers have designed the teaching of Gong An (Koans) as an anecdote or aphorism that presents an exemplary action or statement of a Chan (Zen) master.

Some of these Gong Ans (Koans) are completely meaningless, while others are paradoxical and difficult to understand only at first glance. The Gong Ans (Koans) once evolved from the questions and answers that arose between masters and disciples. Of course, a Gong An (Koan) can also be resolved rationally, but usually the spiritual interpretation is desired by the teacher. From my point of view, however, such a task should make the student realize that there is (and cannot be) no ego of one's own.

According to the teaching, there are different levels (or classes) of Gong Ans (koans), which are supposed to achieve different goals.

In the first level, the student is supposed to achieve "awakened view" (a preliminary stage of enlightenment, i.e., not clinging, not wanting anything).

Then, in the next category, the goal is to achieve a deepening of non-attachment and non-wanting, that is, to take another step toward awakening.

In the third stage, the meaning of the teachings is to be clarified, the origin, history and meaning of the words are examined.

In a further category, the Gong Ans (Koans) now become more difficult, the understanding is deepened.

On the last level, the student should be pointed to enlightenment specifically. Thereby the tasks become even more difficult.

From a Western point of view, it can be said that the concept of researching a matter over many years is no longer appropriate (and cannot be). Today everything has to go much faster, the screens are blaring full of modern people, in everyday life the answer may be there suddenly, a Gong An (Koan) may have a long after-effect.

I am setting you such a task today, it is, "What do you know for sure?" Think about this task, do some soul-searching.

Buddhism is not a teaching that prescribes everything to man, calls him to follow. NO, the teaching of the Indian prince is focused on self-reliance, personal responsibility, discipline and constant effort. So if you cannot do anything - what can you do?

The way is the goal!

This thought of sense desire impairs wisdom

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Sleep disorders

Many people suffer from sleep disorders. Either they have trouble falling asleep, or they can't sleep through the night, many sufferers are tired during the day, or they suffer from several complaints at once.

Occasionally not sleeping well seems to be a lesser evil compared to real disorders, but for some people sleep disorders determine their entire life.

Who does not know it occasionally once not to sleep well, to wake up too early, or not to fall asleep after going to the toilet. But there are people who almost can not sleep properly, are constantly not rested, tired and grumpy. In general, sleep disorders are among the most common health disorders among Germans.

A normal sleep should last 7 or 8 hours, but the time can vary from person to person, some people manage with less than six hours, other people sleep 10 hours without a break (I am one of them). Older people in particular report that their need for sleep decreases as they age.

Those who do not sleep enough can suffer from depression or other mental disorders, which then also affect their general physical health, the cat bites the tail.

Causes of sleep disorders are many. Probably the most common reasons of poor sleep are diseases of the mind, such as depression or anxiety disorders. However, dementia or diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's completely change sleep patterns. Another and common cause of poor and insufficient sleep is the use of drugs or alcohol, especially even when the stimulants are discontinued.

Especially older people suffer from nocturnal breathing disorders, which then naturally have an impact on sleep. But also snoring (as well as snoring of the partner) prevent a pleasant sleep.

Furthermore, there are many people who suffer from hormonal diseases that make restful sleep almost impossible. But also chronic pain, arthritis or arthrosis, as well as back pain deprive many sufferers of their sleep.

The complaints fall into two broad categories, those who have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and the group that is exhausted, tired or nervous throughout the day. Of course, the two groups may overlap, or the complaints may occur together. Regardless of which group one may belong to, the quality of life suffers greatly, moods can change constantly and it is not far to depression. As a result, the environment, the family or the partner leads.

In order to determine the group exactly, in most cases a specialist is to be visited who looks at the medical history exactly and leads a detailed discussion with the concerning.

Read on here in the next few days on the subject of sleep disorders.

The way is the goal!

Mindful among the easy-going, watchful in the sleeper's circles: as the horse flies past the nag, the wise man leaves them behind.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama

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Buddhism and the Flag Part 2

In a temple once lived a learned master, he had many interesting and extraordinary disciples. One day, when a group of monks came to visit, the master invited the foreign monks to dinner. The conversation was animated, the wandering monks told of the events on their journey.

The next day, the wise monk taught the travellers, explaining his view of things, followed by an erudite conversation. Of course, the topic was mainly the teaching of the teacher all teachers, where different views and opinions opposed each other again and again.

At the end of the conversation, the topic of the parable of the wind and the flags, attributed to the famous master Hui Neng, came up. Do the flags now move in the wind, or do they move because they have the possibility to do so, the movement would be their true characteristic?

Of course, each of those present had his own opinion on the subject, none was prepared to accept the other's view. There was only one thing they all agreed on, Master Hui Neng, as one of Buddha's followers, was beyond all doubt.

It is precisely on this subject that disputes arise again and again in Buddhist monasteries, because it is not clear how the great master from the past "really" meant this parable. The very question of whether the movement of the flags can only be noticed in the mind, whether perhaps without the observer there would be no movement at all, this dispute has been going on for many centuries. In any case, it is justified to think about this, because without the observer there would be no sound.

In any case, if there was no wind, there would be no movement of the flags, so that the spirit could not move either, one of the monks said. Everyone had to think about this for a while, the mood recovered, and the dispute seemed to be resolved at first.

Until one of those present had the idea to quote the monk's exact words correctly: "it is not the wind, it is not the flags, it is the spirit that moves things".

And again the argument broke out anew, the one saying that all things come from the spirit, the other saying that where there is no spirit to argue, there can be no argument.

This discussion is somewhat reminiscent of the argument about which came first, the hen or the egg!

In any case, the path is the goal!

As a flame goes out with the wind, is blown away and concepts no longer fit, so is the way freed from "spirit and body": He can no longer be grasped conceptually

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Just do it

"I hear and forget, I see and remember, I do and understand."

- Chinese Proverb - Original:

我听见就忘记了，我看见就记住了，我做了就了解了。

"Wǒ tīngjiàn jiù wàngjìle, wǒ kànjiàn jiù jìzhùle, wǒ zuòle jiù liǎojiěle."

Talking about it is nice, then doing it is much better!

What great plans we have, good New Year's resolutions are talked about again every New Year's Eve, but what of them do we implement?

"It's no use just being a good person if you don't do anything!"

- Buddha -

Doing is what makes a person, "the message I hear well, alone I lack faith" said Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

As a Buddhist you have to be measured by your deeds. Of course, right speech also belongs to the essence of Buddhism, comparable to the eighth commandment of the Christians (Thou shalt not lie), but the commandment of right action of Buddha goes much further, it obliges to act, at least if one has previously announced the deeds full-bodied.

"Just Do It"

What do I mean by this?

If we promise something we have to keep it!

If we say yes, it is a YES, no maybe, in no case a no.

If we think about something, decide it in our mind, we should do it too!

If we have a conviction we must act on it!

So: Just do it

There is still so much power left for everyone to do what he is convinced of.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - German poet - 1749 to 1832

Everyone is convinced that he can criticize books just because he has learned to read and write.

- William Somerset Maugham - English storyteller - 1874 to 1965

What one means seriously is best said in jest

- Wilhelm Busch - German poet - 1832 to 1908

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The most important hour is the present moment

What all could we do, now, in this moment, which things to do, which tasks to finish?

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, just not today, all lazy people say"!

- after Christian Felix Weiße - German writer 1726 - 1804

And which person is the most important? Always the one we are dealing with at the moment!

And why is that so? Why does only the moment count?

Only who lives for the moment, lives for the future!

- Heinrich von Kleist - German writer 1777 - 1811

Thinking about the past does not bring us anything, it happened the way it should have been. We cannot imagine the future correctly, it will be completely different from what we imagined, but the now, the moment just this minute, that is precious, it will not come back, it will soon be gone, lost in the mist of history, irretrievably gone.

Do not dwell on the past, do not dream about the future. Concentrate on the present moment!

- Buddha-

Nothing we can change in our destiny, but enjoy the moment, we can, no matter how this breath may be, how life treats us, beautiful or not, we can still enjoy it.

As the great teacher has shown us, his example stands for the enjoyment of our being, for an affirmation of our person and our circumstances, for a life in the now and in the today.

Restless pursuit of happiness, wealth, power, again and again our perception of the existence of being, of the changing of the tides in the ocean of life, deceives us.

When do we grow up, when do we see the realities and act accordingly?

The moment has power, it is based on a magic, because it passes, does not come again!

Carpe diem!

- Horace - Roman poet 65 B.C. - 8 B.C.

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There are millions of reasons to smile!

The fat Buddha

In the gift store of a temple, the nearsighted woman asked, "How much is that fat Buddha, the one standing back there next to the door?" "Shh! Speak softly," whispers the monk at the cash register, "that's our abbot."

Buddha is often depicted as a "Happy Buddha"; in Chinese there is the expression "Mi Le Fo" (弥勒佛). The broad laughter on his face is said to symbolize his endless love for all living beings, and his fat belly shows the joys of life.

Many people think that the Buddha's teaching is a very serious matter, just that, the "enlightenment" as the core statement of Buddhism would be quite a joyless thing.

The preoccupation with one's own "I" is clearly a rather heavy subject, but in the life of a Buddhist, joy, laughter and fun should by no means come "too short".

According to Buddha, suffering is an integral part of life. But only where there is shadow, exactly there you can see the light very well. This reminds us that we should enjoy life (as it is), experience beautiful moments, meet great people, fun and joy are a completely normal part of all life, we should "turn off" suffering, make the attitude towards "joy" in us.

Some people have forgotten how to laugh, but you can learn to laugh again. With laughter we get out of thinking, reach the present again, relaxation occurs, energies can flow again.

If life is sorrowful then start to change something.

The historical Buddha found "enlightenment" for us, but he was certainly also a joyful person, he knew about human hardships, about emotions, and about their place in life.

We should enjoy our lives, rejoice in every day despite all adversities, look at every encounter with pleasure, allow serenity and amusement in every possible moment.

Every day that you do not smile is a day lost.

- Charlie Chaplin - British actor - 1889 to 1977

When I look at my daughter, when I look at the beauty of nature, when I take in the colors and smells, when I think of a good meal, when I look at my partner, when I look at my work, I almost always have to smile.

There are millions of reasons to smile!

The certainty around the teachings of Buddha is a truly good reason to rejoice in one's own existence.

Suffering and joy are then the two sides of the same coin!

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Today, an incredible number of people in this world call themselves "Buddhist", but without knowing the contents of the great teacher's teachings. They are mostly attracted by the statue of the Indian prince meditating peacefully, without understanding why, perhaps not even giving it a thought.

The Buddha's teaching has spread as "peaceful" and "mindful", further knowledge is hardly present in the majority. Possibly until the moment when we get to know real, severe suffering, from which we cannot escape with distractions. When we seek refuge in such a situation, only then do we know what Buddhism is all about.

And only then can we teach others about it. To be a Buddhist teacher, one must first recognize and overcome one's own suffering. First you have to "save" yourself before you can "help" other people.

Central to this is to realize that everything is impermanent, nothing can be kept, thus attachments are useless (because impossible). In this process, it is imperative to abandon the old, learned worldview, since reality does not follow human illusions. He who has not left behind his own suffering cannot become a teacher in the philosophical system of Buddha. It is completely irrelevant whether the suffering is physical or mental, because the Buddhist worldview sees little difference.

Speakers of the Buddhist teachings are hopefully awakened, have coupled their being with the universe, are no longer detached. For contemporaries searching for spirituality, it is infinitely difficult to find the right guidance here, namely a teacher who does not pursue a personal agenda, does not have his own goals, does not use people simply to get money, power, prestige, wealth or sex.

How to recognize a true spiritual speaker, one who is not like a salesman just a salesman, but who wants to help people (although according to Buddha there is nothing to help)? Quite simply by whether courses, retreats or seminars cost heavy money. Those who advertise their services like "sour beer" are driving a completely different agenda.

Good Buddhist teachers are hard to find (in Europe), the teaching has experienced too many manifestations, each country has developed its own customs, with which the normal Central European knows little or nothing to do.

I internalize the teachings of Buddha like few other people in Germany, I do not demand money from my readers, I do not use tricks, I do not scare people, but I report my view of Buddhism. Who does not like this, can simply click me away.

The path is my goal!

As a mother protects her child, her only child, with danger to her own life, so let each one practice unlimited leniency toward all beings.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Justice

The smoke that was seen in the dream is now rising!

Everywhere the dream of justice just appears again. But this dream is blurred, full of smoke, the wet breath of death is coming close to us now.

What exactly is "justice", please?

There I saw black, acrid smoke rising to the sky, the smell of revolution is in the air!

"Left" against "right", "up" against "down", everyone against everyone, without realizing that life is at best only a dream, actually a dream within a dream, according to Buddha therefore less than NOTHING.

"Justice" for what, for whom?

Two soldiers go to war, only one comes back, is that justice?

Two women have a child, one child dies, is that fair?

Two people play the lottery, only one wins, is that fair?

Two men have an accident together, one loses his leg, is that fair?

Life is not fair at all!

The most unjust peace is still better than the most just war.

- Marcus Tullius Cicero - Roman politician - 106 to 43 B.C.

But right now the signs are pointing to war, a mass of the dead will be at the end of the war, once again, as so often before.

Do you see the smoke rising?

The great Carthage fought three wars. After the first, it was still powerful. After the second, it was still habitable. After the third, it was no longer to be found

- Bertolt Brecht - German playwright - 1989 to 1956

He who does not know the truth is merely a fool. But he who knows it and calls it a lie is a criminal

- also Bertolt Brecht

So, "justice" for what, for whom?

I, for one, do NOT need anyone to speak for me!

Smoke is in the air, disguised as "justice"!

I am not sure with which weapons the third world war will be fought, but in the fourth world war they will fight with sticks and stones

- Albert Einstein - German physicist - 1879 to 1955

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Buddhism and the right tempo

Every person has his or her own pace, his or her typical energy level. In the modern world, people are rushing through their lives, stressed and under pressure.

I, for example, always have a fast pace, often have a lot to do, rush from appointment to appointment, and am always on the go in my private life.

Lately, however, I've been noticing a slight pain in my left hip (when walking fast), which got me thinking about my pace and energy level. After all, in a previous blog post I had written about the "walking meditation" that keeps me busy. In short, I looked at my energy level and decided to slow down for once, to process things more carefully, more accurately, and pay particular attention to walking more slowly.

From a Buddhist point of view, my life is locked into my "karma" anyway, the things that are supposed to happen to me will come exactly as they must, so why rush.

And anyway, the hurry serves in principle only the fulfillment of my desires and needs, according to the teaching of the Buddha only a "desire and needless man" is also happy.

What has the haste and the sense of duty of the last years actually brought me? Can I still remember it?

Now I do the exact opposite. And I have a lot of joy doing it.

Often I find myself wanting to "storm off", then the slight pain reminds me of my energy level and I switch back.

I would like to recommend every reader to take a closer look at their own energy level and to question their own motives. And above all, does the pace serve to satisfy your ego?

Do I walk slowly or quickly? Do I eat hastily or at my leisure? Do I leave enough time for my loved ones? What energy level suits me. Can I play with the energy?

In any case, you should then put this energy level in relation to your wants and needs.

The right pace is an important building block for the journey to "awakening", to "enlightenment".

A great journey always begins with a small step, the question now is at what pace!

MOST PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT KIND OF PACE THEY COULD HAVE, IF ONLY THEY WOULD RUB THE SLEEP OUT OF THEIR EYES FOR ONCE

- CHRISTIAN MORGENSTERN - GERMAN POET - 1871 TO 1914

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The Robber Aṅgulimāla - the Story of the 99 Cut Off Fingers

Aṅgulimāla was a murderer at the time of the historical Buddha.

He was a student at the college, he came from a distinguished family.

Legends tell of his extraordinary good looks. His teacher's wife was also more fond of him than other students, but he refused further contact. Thus, the race woman is said to have been incensed by the rejection. She told her husband, the teacher, that Aṅgulimāla wanted to rape her, but she was just able to prevent it. Her husband became jealous, and began to give the student false advice.

So he should strive for "enlightenment", and for this purpose cut off a finger of 100 people, then he would enter "nirvana".

The young man was probably very handsome, but somewhat simple-minded, he set out to fulfill the task set by the teacher. When he found that no one wanted to "donate" a finger for the personal "enlightenment" of the Aṅgulimāla, he proceeded to kill people, cut off their coveted finger, and then "thread" it on a necklace. This is how he got his name, Aṅgulimāla, which translates roughly as "finger necklace."

The powerful serial killer had already threaded 99 fingers onto the necklace when he met the historical Buddha. The latter was to contribute the hundredth finger to the collection, so that he could finally experience "enlightenment". Buddha was not particularly strong, characterized by meditation and asceticism, a simple victim. Thought the killer!

Although the robber ran after Buddha with speed and strength, he could not reach the slowly holy man. Exhausted and full of frustration, Aṅgulimāla called out to Buddha to stop.

Buddha turned around with no apparent emotion, and told Aṅgulimāla that he had been standing for a long time after all, and it was time for Aṅgulimāla to stop as well, to stop killing, to stop hurting other people because of his ego.

Something about the Buddha's person and his words must have touched Aṅgulimāla deeply, he threw away his weapons and followed the Buddha to a monastery where he became a monk, the "enlightenment" struck him like lightning.

The king wanted to arrest Aṅgulimāla and found him together with Buddha in a temple. He paid his respects to Buddha and asked his opinion. The Buddha answered the king: what you could not achieve with weapons, you could easily achieve with the right words!

Impressed, the king moved on with his army, leaving Aṅgulimāla to the Buddha's benevolence.

THE LESSON OF THE STORY?

Even extreme circumstances can be overcome, people can change, one can grow from the right example. Yesterday is not today, what will be tomorrow we do not know. In the moment lies the power, who we meet, which circumstances influence us, also our karma holds lots of surprises.

Have you met the Buddha yet?

HISTORY TEACHES PEOPLE THAT HISTORY TEACHES PEOPLE NOTHING

- MAHATMA GANDHI - INDIAN LAWYER - 1869 TO 1948

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Buddha Blog English Podcast Episode 2

Hello and welcome to Buddha Blog, the Buddhist podcast.  Your show for Buddhist topics, mindfulness and meditation.  I am Shaolin Rainer, and I am very happy that you are here.  Buddhism in everyday life - Mindfulness in every day actions  Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Androidstores.  This podcast is largely funded by its listeners. I would be happy to welcome you as a supporter as well. Thank you to everyone who supports Buddha Blog in their own way.

Did you enjoy the podcast?  Thank you for listening to Buddha Blog. Did you notice that there are no ads running here, that you are not inundated with consumer messages?  Would you like to thank the author of this blog for his work with a donation?  Support me, contribute to the extensive costs of this publication. Your support can help to continue the important work we are doing for Buddhism (my team and I). Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores.  Via PayPal (click here) or by bank transfer:  Account holder: Rainer Deyhle, Postbank, IBAN: DE57700100800545011805, BIC: PBNKDEFF

1000 thanks!  Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

The ignorance

Buddhists know about the unwholesome effect of the three mind poisons, namely greed, hatred and delusion (ignorance). In the Buddhist wheel of life, the animals pig (ignorance), snake (hatred) and cock (greed) are assigned to these three mind poisons.

But how do these poisons arise in our minds, why does ignorance rule mankind? Because it is ignorance that brings insecurity, from which greed and hatred then arise.

The human ignorance towards the destiny, towards the transitoriness, that brings a strange karma over the times, because the constant wanting and wishing, that brings no satisfaction, the desire never stops, the longing is not satisfied, only repressed for a short time, that is the simple truth.

Experiences of any kind (briefly) displace thoughts, distract us, but then the human senses come back to the satisfaction of physical needs, and to desires, which are a constant wanting.

He who is knowledgeable knows that only reflection can replace ignorance, that distraction and diversion must come to their bitter end, because at the end of the day we are just alone, all attachments then finally show themselves as illusions.

As long as we are attached, as long as we suffer, whoever does not want to (or cannot) overcome ignorance, cannot ascend to an enlightened being, is born again and again, goes through the suffering again and again.

A main part of our time we are busy thinking about what is wrong, why it should be different, that there is a mistake, because it is not the way we want it. This is the increase of ignorance, we get into know-it-all-ness, because we don't want to accept things as they are, but imagine that we know everything better. How should it be, how is it?

The ever blazing fire of ignorance is extinguished by "enlightenment", which then finds its final state in Nirvana. The state that is reached when reaching Nirvana, we call "enlightenment", because we are then no longer ignorant, but know very well about the true connections.

As a logical consequence, there can be no other mental poisons then, because hatred and greed have become as unnecessary as a rash on the skin.

Whoever may spend his life in ignorance, simply not willing to think about the connections, must live through further incarnations because of his weakness of will.

Ignorance as a symbol must be destroyed, then "enlightenment" is possible.

Because my listeners know: The way is the goal!

Wise know: Desire saturates even no golden rain.

The pleasures taste insipid, they are sorrowful all the way.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Who am I, that is the question of all questions.

Am I who I pretend to be, or am I perhaps someone completely different?

Which of the following statements can you agree with?

I am one with my body

I am independent of my body

I am both body and mind

I am neither body nor mind

I am only in my mind

I am not my spirit

I am more than just body and mind

I am only what can be seen

I am more than what can be seen

Who do you think you are? Could it be that man is more than body and mind?

Each of the above statements represents a meditation for a day. Write the sentence on a piece of paper and think about whether this statement applies to you.

I sit, therefore I am

- Niraj -

Meditation puts us in touch with what holds the world together at its core

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - German poet - 1749 to 1832

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The Chan (Zen) Master is Like an Alarm Clock

What makes a good Chan teacher?

He must be like an alarm clock, like the alarm that rings us out of bed in the morning. He should help us "wake up", pointing with his outstretched finger to a certain point.

It is completely irrelevant whether the Chan master himself goes the way he points. It doesn't matter if he himself is "enlightened", it doesn't matter if he is trembling or strong, he only has to point and thus awaken.

What made Buddha so special, what distinguished him from other historical figures? Right, he was "enlightened", that made him special, that's why countless people follow him until today.

To accompany other people on the way to "enlightenment", to help them create the conditions for "awakening", to awaken them, to sensitize them, to explain the way to them, that is what a good Chan teacher does, that is his only task. How he does it, with what tools he shows, how he awakens, that is not important.

Buddha left no instructions for "awakening", no instructions written down. And certainly for good reasons, "awakening" is after all a very individual process. Every person is different, there is no button to turn on "enlightenment", no unique and secret formula, and certainly no suitable magic spell.

There is Buddha as a role model, as the discoverer of "awakening".

After his enlightenment Buddha had spread his teachings orally, only later his speeches and instructions were recorded by disciples. Buddha showed the necessary preparations for the path, tried to awaken people, to reach them. Of Buddha's direct disciples, several hundred are also said to have "awakened," a significant number for the time.

And today, what remains of the Buddha's teachings? How does his spirit reach people?

Good Chan masters have become rare, the subject is difficult, but the need is great!

Simply put, you have to try, you have to be willing to walk a bit of the path with the teacher, to form your own opinion whether the chosen path is the right one.

Because the Chan teacher can only awaken, show the way, you must not look at his finger, but you should look at the point to which the finger points.

THE ALARM CLOCK IS CLASSIFIED AS TORTURE WHEN IT CALLS OUT OF SWEET DREAMS

- MONIKA KÜHN-GÖRG - GERMAN AUTHOR - B. 1942

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The "Happiness" Workout Part 2

Have you already listened to the first parts of the topic "Happiness" in the last editions of the podcast?

C. What are you grateful for?

Are you even aware of your good fortune? Do you know how many people die every day, fall seriously ill, lose a loved one, or face other, serious problems? Just today? It's in the millions, it's not a matter of course to be alive, to wake up healthy, to talk to your loved ones on the phone, or to eat. We have a nice home, heated and dry, enough to eat, a social system, we have health insurance. Be grateful, recognize your "good" situation.

Set the timer again for five minutes, write down (again on the first page, otherwise on a new one) what came into your head during that time. Try to divide the events, opportunities, and encounters into "categories," such as "personal" and "professional," then further into subgroups to gain more clarity. If you practice daily (or weekly), then go further and further into details, visualize the circumstances, what did fate assign you, what part did your own efforts have?

Through this exercise you lighten your mood, you put yourself in a contented cloud that carries you, helps you glide through life.

D. The Post-Its Meditation

Read here about the Post-Its meditation, then start distributing some of the sticky notes around your home, on which you write in bullet points the things for which you are especially grateful, but also the special events that you wish for yourself in the future (Although according to Buddha we should not "wish" and not "want", but this must be understood first. Until then, it is simply a matter of making life easier for yourself).

E. The "I-love-myself" letter

Now that you have used up some notes (I also advise you to collect all notes) you should write a letter to yourself in another stage. Again, the timer comes to five minutes, in which you think about everything. Then get going, just imagine that such a letter would do "good" to your own, best friend, write about all the feelings and thoughts that move you. It is important that you do not judge at all, because as Buddhists we "know" that everything comes as it should, we can change little or nothing about it. Therefore, we are not to blame (at least not from this life) and we can be more benevolent towards matters.

If you don't know what to do, then put everything aside, continue next time.

With points A. to E. you can achieve a better quality of life. It doesn't always have to be a workout for the body, the soul belongs to be cared for as well.

The way is the goal!

There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the way

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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Buddha Blog English Podcast Episode 15

Hello and welcome to Buddha Blog, the Buddhist podcast. Your show for Buddhist topics, mindfulness and meditation. I am ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shaolin Rainer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and I am very happy that you are here. Buddhism in everyday life - Mindfulness in every day actions 

This podcast is largely funded by its listeners. I would be happy to welcome you as a supporter as well. Thank you to everyone who supports Buddha Blog in their own way.

Did you enjoy the podcast? Thank you for listening to Buddha Blog. Did you notice that there are no ads running here, that you are not inundated with consumer messages? Would you like to thank the author of this blog for his work with a donation? Support me, contribute to the extensive costs of this publication. Your support can help to continue the important work we are doing for Buddhism (my team and I). Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Android⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ stores. Via PayPal ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(click here)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or by bank transfer:  Account holder: Rainer Deyhle, Postbank, IBAN: DE57700100800545011805, BIC: PBNKDEFF

Better understand Buddhism

Understanding Buddhism from a Western perspective seems very difficult.

The great teacher has been dead for a very long time, and subsequent generations have changed his philosophy, sometimes significantly.

For many people in the West, Buddhism today is a religion, others see it as a spiritual practice, a worldview. Both views have in common that in essence a healthy life is propagated, the body should be particularly cared for.

Those who have traveled in Asia know that Buddhism has grown together with local customs over the centuries, and that superstition, mythology and pre-Buddhist views have in part been interwoven with the teachings of the teacher of all teachers.

Also, the "honoring of ancestors" and the "cultivation of traditions" are repeatedly cited, but without clarifying to what extent such thoughts would correspond to the views of Buddha.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism, founded by Bodhidharma in the Shaolin Temple of China, differs fundamentally from all other Asian styles. According to Bodhidharma, Chan (Zen) is about the "transmission of the teaching beyond words and sacred scriptures", as Buddha repeatedly instructed his followers to seek the solution to their questions "within themselves", and thus not to follow any "leader", but to rely on themselves.

According to Buddha, his followers should strive for personal "enlightenment" based on personal practice and experiential self-knowledge, and by no means fall into rituals or beliefs. The great teacher "knew" even during his lifetime that his worldview would also be elevated to a religion, and he spoke out against such a practice. It was clear to him that the human tendency to worship a higher authority would be a serious obstacle to his teaching.

Those who strive to find and walk the "middle way" are subject to all kinds of influences and doctrines, each lineage has its conventions, its forms, its particular practice of paying homage to Buddha. But Buddha did not want us to pay homage to him, he wanted us to embark on the middle path to finally begin the journey to "enlightenment".

All the cults that are cultivated in different countries and teachings, they are just a more or less useful prop to help not to let the teaching fall into oblivion.

But this does not put the ego to rest, but rather incites it that with the word "Buddhism" only a cover for new cults should be created.

As a beginner with Buddhism, one has a hard time. For my part, I follow the pure teachings of Buddha, as well as the expressions that his worldview has experienced through Bodhidharma in Shaolin Temple China.

Be where you are, otherwise you will miss your life

- Buddha - honorary name of the Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)

Buddha Blog English Podcast Episode 7

Hello and welcome to Buddha Blog, the Buddhist podcast. Your show for Buddhist topics, mindfulness and meditation. I am ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shaolin Rainer⁠⁠⁠⁠, and I am very happy that you are here. Buddhism in everyday life - Mindfulness in every day actions 

This podcast is largely funded by its listeners. I would be happy to welcome you as a supporter as well. Thank you to everyone who supports Buddha Blog in their own way.

Did you enjoy the podcast? Thank you for listening to Buddha Blog. Did you notice that there are no ads running here, that you are not inundated with consumer messages? Would you like to thank the author of this blog for his work with a donation? Support me, contribute to the extensive costs of this publication. Your support can help to continue the important work we are doing for Buddhism (my team and I). Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Android⁠⁠⁠⁠ stores. Via PayPal ⁠⁠⁠⁠(click here)⁠⁠⁠⁠ or by bank transfer:  Account holder: Rainer Deyhle, Postbank, IBAN: DE57700100800545011805, BIC: PBNKDEFF

Buddhism is like riding a bicycle

To reach enlightenment you just have to keep riding!

Albert Einstein, whom I admire very much, said: "Life is like riding a bicycle - to keep your balance you have to keep moving"! An almost Buddhist saying, which is why his sentence inspired me to write today's article.

Whoever follows the teachings of Buddha can only have one goal: "Enlightenment"!

The legacy of the great man was his awakening, his message to us is that enlightenment is in everyone and can be achieved by all.

What do I mean by "Buddhism is like riding a bicycle?" Well, a Buddhist cannot follow the teachings of the historical model in 'part-time', either you are a Buddhist, or you are not.

Thus, the philosophy of Buddha penetrates into all areas of our lives, such as the way we treat other people, what and how we eat, how we earn our living, how we look at things, even our political attitude, but also general views on life, as in the great religions (charity, decency, honor), are influenced.

In this context, it is not so easy to "stop the bike", to pause the ride. A big problem for outsiders are the confusing "rules" of the different Buddhist communities, depending on the various Buddhist branches, the guidelines differ partly very much, quite different traditions developed in the different Asian countries.

I follow the Buddhist lineage of Shaolin Temple, which was founded by Bodhidharma around 500 AD. This philosophy of introspection, derived from Mahayana Buddhism, is called "Chan Buddhism" in China, while in the West its teachings became known as "Zen Buddhism".

Characteristic of Chan (Zen) is meditation (mindfulness or concentration exercises) as a spiritual practice that expands consciousness. The goal is the experience of enlightenment (as exemplified by the historical Buddha). It is important for all Buddhists to always continue the journey (with the imaginary bicycle), not to stop the aspirations, not to interrupt the journey to enlightenment.

Joachim Ringelnatz wrote the following in 1933: In Hamburg lived two ants who wanted to travel to Australia. Near Altona on the Chaussee, there their legs hurt, and there they wisely then renounced the last part of the journey.

The journey to "enlightenment", there can also sometimes 'hurt our legs', there can be setbacks, self-doubt, perhaps lack of understanding in the environment, why am I doing this, is this really the right thing for me, can I also achieve awakening?

Yes, we can, the historical Buddha has left us his message, his legacy, everyone can awaken, enlightenment is already within us, we have to bring it out from under the many broken pieces of our lives, sweep the dust from our souls, find our true being again under all the rubble of our history.

No one said the journey would be easy, that our legs wouldn't hurt along the way. But the journey is worth it. Promise! Just keep going!

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To travel with a guide is a blessing, to travel without one is the opposite

- Mark Twain - American writer - 1835 to 1910

It is not the destination, it is the journey

- Ralph Waldo Emerson - American philosopher and writer - 1803 to 1882

Only through regular exercise could one move forward

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - German poet - 1749 to 1832

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Buddhism in connection with friends and family ...

...or: No human being is an island.

We live with countless other people in our daily lives. Friends and family come very close to us.

As Buddhists (or people interested in Buddhism), we are often faced with the question of how we should treat our loved ones in our daily lives.

Should we be lenient, or assertive? How do we bring our beliefs into our daily interactions?

Should we address grievances, or better keep quiet?

The path of Buddha was the path of the middle, but also the path to truth.

What is true may be said, yes, it must be said. As a Buddhist, one should (always) tell the truth.

From experience I know that problems do not disappear if you "keep quiet" about them.

But: always with a proper amount of kindness; our words and actions must show the love we feel for our "loved ones".

We should always point out solutions, never being too determinate, always friendly but determined in the matter.

The most important thing is that a Buddhist life results in the creation of an example. "Preaching water and drinking wine" is certainly the wrong approach.

Show those around you how you approach things from your Buddhist worldview. Actions speak louder than words.

If you come to the conclusion that it can make sense to talk about the philosophy of Buddha, then do so. But do not impose the teaching on anyone.

Find the necessary and important time to take care of your loved ones, to do things together that are important to everyone.

Be responsive to needs and preferences, inclinations and desires.

And remember: what is true must be said!

SOMETIMES I THINK WE ARE NOT A FAMILY, BUT A BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT

- AL BUNDY - FICTIONAL CHARACTER FROM A US SITCOM

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The chains

Once the Perfect One spoke to his followers about the chains that the seeker has to overcome, which stir up uncertainty and doubt in the heart, leaving indecision and no confidence.

First of all, there are the bad feelings towards the teacher, which are the first chain. Those who are not sure about the teacher, doubt his words, are undecided whether to follow him, do not see any confidence in him, have not broken the first chain.

Then there are those who are wavering about the teaching, do not hear (or do not want to hear) the message, feel skepticism in their heart, are undecided about the view, who also do not put hope in the Dharma, they have not broken the second chain.

Furthermore, there are those who feel biased towards the community, have criticism of the Sangha (the community), are fearful of it, draw little security from the meeting, they have not yet broken the third chain.

There are also seekers who are apprehensive about the practices, distrustful of the benefits, unstable and lacking in discipline, who see no chance in meditating, who have not yet broken the fourth chain.

Then there are those who face life itself in a rough way, staggering without stability, not dissolving the distrust of the sanctity of all being, unstable and fragile, meeting all being with harshness, not seeing (or not wanting to see) a point of light, they have not yet broken the fifth chain.

Those who have not yet broken the chains are at the mercy of greed and hatred, of delusion, without being able to do anything against it, because their heart is in chains, is a prisoner of their infatuation, their thirst for more and more.

The one who lives like this does not want to look for the way with zeal and devotion, he also does not find a gate, and no nirvana. For this, the seeker needs effort, discipline and perseverance.

Such a seeker will not be able to reach "enlightenment" because he lacks the most important qualities. But the one who can break these chains, who is able to become an "enlightened" being, will no longer be shackled, the Perfect One explained.

The Exalted One explained that enthusiasm for the Way is the beginning of all contemplations. Even if the path is still unknown, the seeker nevertheless feels an attraction that pulls him in that direction, similar to a magnet that can be felt.

Feel inside yourself, what attraction is acting on you? And do you know about the chains that tie up your heart?

The way is the goal!

If recklessness is terrible for a disciple, if mindfulness is dear to him, if he breaks large and small chains, he gradually glows out like fire.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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or: Five Simple Precepts for Chan (Zen) Buddhists

We know about the suffering life, about the real causes of suffering.

Buddha taught that life consists of suffering, at least until we have experienced "enlightenment".

The main statements of Buddha are the "four noble truths" and the "noble eightfold path" of Buddha.

But how can these statements be integrated into daily life?

1st precept: I do not harm other beings

"Thou shalt not kill" is well known to us as the fifth commandment from the Bible. The Buddhist commandment goes far beyond this; according to the philosophy of the great teacher, we should also not harm other people, either physically or psychologically.

Many followers of the doctrine also extend this commandment to other living beings, to whom we must not harm, and whom we therefore should not kill. But where is the line here? Are we allowed to eat plants just because they do not "feel" pain? Are we allowed to eat animals that we have not killed ourselves?

Here Buddha himself did not leave any specific instructions, we have to decide for ourselves where this limit is for us personally.

2nd commandment: I take only what is offered to me

This is the Buddhist version of the seventh commandment of the Bible: "You shall not steal.

So we are not supposed to take anything, but we can politely ask if we can have something.

However, I personally see in this also the commandment to share willingly with others.

Why should one share?

Sharing means to generously "make available" to others the hard work we have put in to acquire money or objects, to let them "share" in it.

3rd Commandment: I do not abuse sex

Sex is the most natural thing in the world; there is no reason to be ashamed of one's sexuality. As long as sexuality is practiced with mutual consent it is good and important.

However, we should not "use" sex to achieve something, such as leverage, or as a means to an end.

4th Commandment: Right Speech, True and Sincere

In the Bible, the eighth commandment is "You shall not lie."

Lying is human, and yet it is a cause of much suffering, as it can hurt the feelings of fellow human beings. Many criminal acts are also based on lies (grandson trick),

Even the German poet Wilhelm Busch said, "Whoever tells you he has never lied, don't trust him, my son!"

Lying is human - and yet it is so harmful.

The thing to remember here is that truth is subjective; what one person believes to be true is false and untrue to another.

Don't bend the truth, don't manipulate; better not say anything if you are not sure.

Practice the art of truth and right speech!

5th Commandment: Do not abuse intoxicating substances

Whether alcohol, medicines, stimulants, or drugs, the effects of substances do not affect everyone the same. Some people can tolerate an unbelievable amount of alcoholic beverages, others are groggy after one glass.

Mostly, however, the use of such substances is followed by a clouding of the senses, the boundaries become blurred, things are done that would never have happened "sober".

A good glass of wine with dinner is not abuse, a few cigarettes a week is not yet addiction. Standing in front of a liquor store, trembling with desire, waiting for it to open, that is self-imposed ruin.

A people that does not respect the Ten Commandments is a lost people.

- Theodore Roosevelt - US American politician and 26th President of the USA

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The cut nails

Just now they were a part of me, of my body, now they are not, I cut them off, the nails.

Then I no longer worry about them, they are out of my sight, end up in the trash.

Just like these nails, I can also "cut off" my thoughts, put them away, they are then also no longer a part of me, simply turn off the worries and troubles, dispose of them, put them on file, yes, that is possible, if you want, anything is possible.

Get your scissors, put them in front of you on the table. Then take three small pieces of paper and write a keyword on each sheet, namely the 3 things that weigh you down, occupy you, burden you the most. Look at these notes for five minutes, fully concentrating on your feelings, on your thoughts.

After the five minutes, take the pieces of paper and cut them, thereby cutting them off from your person, from your being, from your life.

Just now the problems were on the piece of paper, now the lines are cut, gone, throw them in the garbage.

I don't want to tell you that the problems are gone now, that would be nonsense, no, these things should simply not bother you anymore, don't put them on your mind, you can't change anything about such things anyway, but you can stop worrying about them, blocking your "I".

Just as the great teacher showed us, you can let these burdens fade into the background.

We can cut off burdens from us, just like cutting the nails from our fingers, and then dispose of them, just like garbage.

Nobody saves us, except ourselves. No one can and no one must. We have to go the way ourselves.

- Buddha-

No matter how hard your past has been, you can start anew every day.

- Buddha-

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Emotional Blackmail

Emotional blackmail is well known to all of us, probably every one of us has tried it. No matter if children or governments, again and again other people try to manipulate us strategically through emotions.

The goal of emotional blackmail is to make the victim feel anxious, guilty, or even have a guilty conscience, and of course to be willing to do what the blackmailer(s) want us to do.

If others threaten us with feelings, whether individually or from a group, then caution is always required, because we are to be put under pressure, manipulatively and unobjectively moved to an action (or omission).

Notorious is the so-called love withdrawal, which is supported with sulking, crying or raving. Often the partner then complies, perhaps for the sake of peace, or because an underlying fear arises, one does not want to "disappoint" the partner, or because one gives in out of a "sense of duty". But if the partner notices that he/she can get away with this trick, the partner will be manipulated again and again, therefore the following applies: Resist the beginnings!

According to Buddha, we should always look behind the scenes anyway, don't let anyone fool us. If you loved me, you would ......, the number must not become the standard. Especially the teacher of all teachers admonished us not to have any attachments, so in such a case then also draw the necessary consequences, right at the beginning, otherwise it is usually too late.

How to recognize emotional blackmail? Usually it is done with very disparaging comparisons, such as: My girlfriend's husband really loves her, because ....., or threats are brought up, reproaches are made. This creates a structure of superiority and subordination in the relationship, the blackmailer gets power, begins to exploit the emotional dependence, and of course also to enjoy it. Fears of loss are built up, in general emotional blackmailers work mainly with fears.

As a result, self-doubt and feelings of guilt are aroused, which are then further exploited, the matter becomes a vicious circle.

Who now avoids open conflicts, has already lost, here helps only to oppose with all his strength, otherwise the matter goes on and on, until a usually bitter end.

Whoever remains silent here will end up as a doormat, this sick behavior pattern must be broken, a correct and open communication must take the place of the spiral of silence.

Therapeutic help should also be sought here without hesitation, because emotional blackmail is a form of behavioral disorder that can quickly drift into pathological.

Your own needs are important, not those of the blackmailer. If necessary, you have to stop the play, at least for a while.

The way is the goal!

Own mistakes are hard to see; with strangers you easily reach the goal. Everyone rolls the dice for foreign mistakes; one hides one's own, no matter how many, cunningly, like a cheat, brings false dice in the game.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Closed eyes

Close your eyes

.... what you see then belongs to you!

Many people define themselves by what they own, what they buy, what they present to the outside world.

This is understandable, because the inside is not "showable" and it is difficult to explain or even to represent it.

As Buddhists, it is precisely not the outside that we find ourselves through, but our inner values that count, such as compassion, love and understanding.

When we leave this earth, we can take nothing with us, so nothing belongs to us. The last shirt has no pockets.

We have only borrowed things, they are not ours, everything we call "ours" does not belong to us, will decay, will turn to dust in thousands of years just like us.

When we close our eyes, what do we see?

NOTHING

And that is exactly what belongs to us, nothing.

If we realize this fact, then only one real solution remains, namely to take care of our inner being.

It would be a good idea to try the teachings of Buddha. What made this worldview so strong that it has been passed on by people for over 2500 years? What made this young Indian prince a role model for millions, an idol for thousands of years?

The historical Buddha found "enlightenment", he "awakened".

After giving up his meditative practices after six years, exhausted with not experiencing "enlightenment", that is exactly when he "awakened".

"Enlightenment" is the goal of every Buddhist.

And "enlightenment" is not an exclusive right of the historical Buddha, according to him, "awakening" is inherent in all of us, but is "buried", yet still there, within us.

Let's search for it together, within ourselves.

AN EYE FOR AN EYE - AND THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE BLIND

- MAHATMA GANDHI - INDIAN LAWYER - 1869 TO 1948

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Like most meditations, insight meditation is practiced sitting on a cushion, legs crossed, upper body relaxed and erect. If you don't want (or like) to hold the "cross-legged" position, you can also sit on a chair without leaning, resting your legs on the floor. Close your eyes, keep your head minimally lowered forward.

Use my app for this meditation to time it (Android or Apple).

Insight meditation is a traditional Buddhist practice that focuses on "mindfulness of breath."

This calms the mind, controlling access to the 6 windows of the person. Thereby the (mental) attention wanders more and more to the physical sensations and the connected mental occurrences, which arise in the now and in the here, to which just should not be attached.

More and more the "consciousness" follows the breath, the attention goes mindfully into rest, the belly rises and falls, the air flowing in and out becomes more and more relaxed, the nostrils and the upper lip feel the breeze, the surroundings recede more and more, it becomes quiet, the body no longer feels, the mind palace goes into a rest mode.

What emotions come up now, what happens when you try to "perceive" them? Concentration takes place in complete mindfulness, all thoughts become less and less, become "background noise", similar to the babble of voices at the train station, which we notice when we enter, but which "falls silent" after a few moments.

Now it is time to focus on the movement of the abdomen during breathing, to dive deeper into insight meditation, the 5 senses (6 windows of the human being) should draw less and less attention.

If now unwillingness to continue arises I recommend the lecture of sHanLi on the subject. Note in your mind what brings you out of calm, just continue the meditation. The important thing here is to take the disturbing things out of character. For example, we refer to the ringing of the phone as a noise, the pain in our back only as a pain, thinking of a person only as a memory.

When you have gained control over your 6 windows, then (at the end of the meditation) turn your attention in full mindfulness to the thoughts, let them come to the surface again. Why is this particular thought bothering me? What sensations arise, why do they disappear again by themselves? Do the thoughts pull me along? And why can't I dwell on a thought?

Slowly the "seeing" develops in front of your inner eye, you understand more, you now allow it to "understand".

Slowly you open your eyes, stretch. The meditation comes to an end.

The way is the goal! Are you developing insight?

A practitioner enters a deepening with the stilling of the initial and sustained turning to the object of meditation

- Buddha - honorific name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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The Spiritual Guide Part 2

Have you heard the first parts about the "spiritual guides" here on my podcast?

How to recognize a good spiritual teacher, after all, is not so easy.

For my part, I see the Buddha as one of the greatest spiritual teachers in human history, whose philosophy has greatly influenced and impressed me. But now we live in a confusing and also frightening time, so many people need comfort and encouragement in the here and now.

What should one look for when seeking a spiritual teacher? What to do when the constant problems seem at least temporarily overwhelming, when a person feels alone? Or if one wants to have the words of Buddha explained simply and clearly?

Even the great teachers, such as Buddha or Jesus, were ordinary people, just like you and me. What ultimately makes the difference between a great teacher and an ordinary person is the fact that the spiritual leader also consistently completed the path of spirituality, did not give up, put his life at the service of others. It is true that at the beginning of his path, the spiritual leader also sought liberation from human suffering, and for this he had to leave behind his possessions, abandon his family, renounce worldly things, set out on his own search, listen to different opinions, test countless teachers.

In the case of Buddha, enlightenment came to him when he no longer expected it and had already given up everything. The teacher of all teachers summarized this enlightenment in his worldview, which we call Buddhism today. One of his core statements was that every person can find his Buddha nature, by overcoming suffering then achieve complete inner freedom.

However, in order to understand the teachings of the Indian prince, we sometimes need teachers, role models, or an appropriate community to practice the appropriate rituals, practices, and prayers, and to convey the spirit of the Buddha. Buddhism in particular is about the ego, which is the nucleus of suffering, which first brings in the temptations and delusions in the mind palace.

A good Buddhist spiritual teacher knows about the problems of the mind and the charms of the beautiful appearance. He himself knows the path of the Buddha towards enlightenment, is ready to follow the path, and in the best case has already passed through the gateless gate. You don't recognize a good spiritual guide by a beautifully made website, nor by really great photos, nor by such great promises. Nor by expensive seminars or physical attempts at greater closeness.

A good spiritual guide can be recognized by whether his statements touch you or not.

The way is the goal!

Those who speak wise words much and often, but fail to follow the right path in their actions, do not become members of a holy community, are shepherds who count other people's cattle.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama

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Thank you

Everybody is talking about thank you .....

..... but thank you does not make full

Everywhere I read just how grateful one is to the nurses, the truck drivers, the sales clerks etc.. All politicians praise the occupational groups, which stand in front at the "Corona front".

We all know how poorly these professions are paid, how much some people are exploited in the process, and now suddenly they are the heroes of our society?

While the main part of society protects itself at home from the 'danger of life' with HomeOffice and StayHome, other people risk their health to supply us (as fresh and cheap as possible).

But these people can't buy anything from babbling, a thank you is nice, but it doesn't fill the fridge.

So, how about a whopping bonus for the nurses, for the postal employees, for the people who just keep the place running? A recognition for the services rendered, an appreciation of their dedication. Combined with an exemption from taxes, let's say for at least the times of crisis, those would be the words I would like to hear now.

And yes, it should remain so after the crisis, the thanks should not be only now and straight.

This blog has as a principle "no politics", no politics. Nevertheless, today I will vent about the Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn, not because of his political opinion, I do not care about that, but because he does not do his job, has not done, and also has no ability to do so. When will there finally be masks, protective suits, disinfectants, gloves?

When will the professional groups that all the dignitaries are thanking be properly equipped? Was the responsible minister too busy? And if so, with what? The virus has been spreading in Germany for almost 2 months, didn't they see it coming? Countries like China, Korea, Singapore and Japan have been able to procure everything they need in a rush, why are no consequences being drawn in Berlin? There was almost 3 months warning time.

I demand an investigation committee and the immediate resignation of the sleeping pill! And his salary belongs donated, all funds belong taken away from him, distributed as a bonus to the nurses.

A thank you doesn't fill you up, and thank you notes from the sleeping pill sound like mockery too!

Thank you for the tragedy. I need it for my art

- Kurt Cobain - US rock musician - 1967 to 1994

How quickly the thanks of men fades away, and ingratitude becomes!

- Sophocles - Greek tragedian - 497 to 406 before the year zero

Who expects thanks for his love, does not love

- Heinrich Wolfgang Seidel - pastor and writer - 1876 to 1945

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Life artists are also artists

Become a life artist!

Easier said than done?

NO

It is only up to your inner attitude, the way you see things, assess, act with your environment, how you see your life and your person, your "I", yourself and thus represent it to the outside.

In other words, it is only up to you!

Hopeless situations, unsolvable problems, trouble here and problems there, no money, maybe even debts, broken relationships, alcohol, drugs, failing health, bad qualities, terrible habits? Only in their own film things go wrong, put on another film.

Although according to Buddhist conception everything is already written, the karma for you is already fixed, but maybe in the script of your movie for today it is written that from now on you will be a life artist. I'm not talking about "becoming", I'm talking about "already being"; immediately and right away you don't take things in your life so much to heart anymore; you handle your "I" better, you treat yourself and your environment more playfully, just like an artist, the work of art is you yourself, your person, your "I", your being!

No matter what your attitude may be, you can change nothing anyway, it comes as it should come, nothing will change if you suffer under the burden of your life, just as nothing will change if you are a life artist from now on; the circumstances are exactly the same, only you as a person will cope better with it.

A life artist is a person who tries to make the best out of all situations. That's a nice approach, a pleasant way to live.

You are seriously ill, your future is uncertain, in your family a member is dying, you are in debt, your partner has left you, life is burdensome?

Make the best of your life anyway.

We are what we think!

- Buddha -

Think of yourself for one day that you are a life artist and therefore a person who makes the best out of everything!

It would be worth a try, don't you think?

Understanding everything means forgiving everything!

- also Buddha –

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Bodhidharma

Who was Bodhidharma?

Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk and the founder of the Shaolin Temple; for this reason, he will be told about it here. As with all historical figures, stories continue to be "embellished" and "made more vivid" from generation to generation.

Bodhidharma (short: Damo) lived approximately from 444 to 529 AD; he was born in India or Persia and is said to have had blue eyes, which is why Chinese chronicles called him the "blue-eyed devil". He was also trained in martial arts, such as Vajramushti (Indian style) or Pahlavani (Persian style), which subsequently had a great influence on Shaolin Kung Fu.

How Damo came into contact with the philosophy of Buddha is not known. At that time, countless monks and itinerant preachers were traveling throughout Asia to spread their teachings, but of course also to make a living. Probably Damo met a follower of Buddha, who trained him to become a Buddhist monk.

According to the understanding of that time, a monk had to live ascetic and abstemious, preach, and wander (wandering monk). Certainly, there were monasteries already at that time, but the majority of the various scholars did not find shelter in a temple. Thus, they had no choice but to earn their living by "itinerant preaching".

Damo, however, traveled much further than other Buddhist monks. He traveled across the Himalayas to China to the court of the Chinese emperor Wu-Di. The latter led China into a "golden age". Unimaginable wealth and sensational splendorous buildings made the imperial court the center of the world at that time ("China", in Chinese, means "the land of the middle").

At the emperor's court, a tradition had developed whereby Indian monks spread the teachings of Buddha in a missionary manner. Itinerant preachers had become a kind of "normality".

Standing out from this crowd was guaranteed not to be easy. Especially since the Chinese emperor was firmly anchored in Confucianism, and may have rejected Buddhist ideas. But Damo managed to reach the emperor Wu-Di with his views.

Here he seems to have succeeded in explaining to the emperor, who had distinguished himself by particularly much "good", that the doing of good works does not necessarily entail "salvation" or even "enlightenment".

Those who do positive things, because he expects advantages from them, achieve exactly the opposite. "Do good and talk about it" is said today, but the philosophy founded by Damo, his further development of Buddha's teachings, show that doing good things just to take credit for them is wrong and dishonorable.

Emperor Wu-Di is said to have given Damo the site of the present Shaolin Temple in the Song Shan Mountains, one of the five sacred mountains of China, for the propagation of his view of life. There he meditated in a cave for nine years. A practice is common in the philosophy of self-reflection derived from Mahayana Buddhism. During this time, Damo developed a subspecies of Buddhism called Chan Buddhism (better known by the Japanese term Zen). The core message of Chan is that the desired enlightenment can be achieved by sinking into meditation all by itself.

Words are illusions

- Bodhidharma (short: Damo) - original quote

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The Shaolin Temple London Part 2

I am here again, my master is still training students now, his wife (Mrs. Fu) picked me up at Caledonian Road tube station, drove me to the temple, which is not far from Tufnell Park station.

On the way, her son Tian Tian, who is one of my godchildren, also lived with me for several years, joined me. When my master Shi Yan Zi met his wife he gave up the status of "monk" at that time, but a "master" he remains of course. His Kung Fu is still a dream, his wisdom comprehensive.

When Shi Yan Zi was finished we were able to embrace each other, a long time has passed since the last meeting, the worldwide hysteria also had its effects on the Buddhist community, the London temple was closed for more than six months, today it is running almost normally again.

We sat down at a table in the entrance area of the temple and started talking, as if we had not been apart for more than a week, we picked up more or less seamlessly where we had ended. My master's wife cooked a snack, we talked for a long time, and when we realized it was past one o'clock, we went to bed, somewhat melancholy but brisk.

I didn't really sleep well, my room is big and bright, but in the bed there is no mattress, but a kind of board (futon), which is supposed to be very healthy for the back, but just not what I am usually "used to".

I brought my own coffee (soluble), a kettle is always in a room in a Chinese household; first coffee, then into the shower. I also went through my usual yoga program, I don't leave without my mat, the daily stretching exercises have become incredibly important to me. My master was already training again, I waited until he was done, we greeted each other joyfully. Although there are about ten teachers in the Shaolin Temple London, but to Shi Yan Zi somehow still remains the main part.

He said we were going to a well-known furniture store, he wanted to buy a mattress for my bed. I hadn't said anything, I wouldn't complain under any circumstances, it was his idea, but I wasn't sad about it.

No sooner said than done, we drove around London, first had a coffee in the canteen of the Swedish company, then went through the obligatory tour, found a suitable pad for my bed, and drove back to the temple. The next night will certainly be more restful.

And as always, the journey is the destination!

Shi Yan Zi and me in Chinatown London May 2022

It is finished, life is lived, everything has been done that needed to be done, there is nothing more to do

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Who is right?

Long ago, in a Buddhist temple, two monks argued about the content of a sacred text. Each wanted to be right, his own view seemed only logical to him, the opinion of the monk's brother as wrong.

All day long the words went back and forth, sometimes in a matter-of-fact form, occasionally also disparaging, but in the matter nothing moved, each monk wanted to be right, to assert himself, not to give in under any circumstances.

The other brothers in the monastery were increasingly burdened by the quarrel, the opponents were irreconcilable, each invoked a different passage in the text, which in his opinion would "clearly prove" his point of view. When the discord did not end the whole afternoon, a monk said: "I have enough of your bickering now, go and ask the master, our abbot is known for his wisdom, he will make a judgement, and after this word you shall finally keep peace"!

The first quarreler ran into the hermitage of the master and said: "Venerable abbot, I have been quarreling with my brother all day, it is about a passage in a blessed book, may I present you the passage, and my point of view about it"? "Yes, of course," replied the monastic leader.

The monk laid it all out, sparing no small malice toward his temple brother, but also explaining his version of the passage in question.

The abbot answered succinctly, "Yes, you are in the right." The monk went back triumphantly and explained the decision to each monastic brother, saying that he was right and the other monk was wrong.

The defeated monk did not want to accept this without complaint, he also went to the abbot's room and complained: "Master, how can this be, I refer to the words of another eminent teacher, why should I be in the wrong"?

The abbot just looked at the monk for a moment and again replied curtly, "Yes, you are in the right."

The second monk went back, reported the abbot's statement to his adversary. The quarrel began as it had ended; the positions had even hardened, both now invoking the abbot as well.

Now the monk who had sent the two to the abbot had really had enough, he went to see the monastery master himself to finally bring the unpleasant matter to a good conclusion, to have peace in the house again.

"Great master," he said, "why do you agree with both monks, only one can be in the right?

The white abbot also looked at the third monk only briefly, and again answered curtly: "Yes, you are in the right".

Only small minds always want to be right

- Louis XIV- French King (1638 - 1715)

The one who comes closest to the gods is the one who can keep silent even when he is in the right

- Marcus Porcius Cato, the Elder (Cato Censorius)- (234 - 149 B.C.)

Everyone is so right

- unknown - Source: Inscription on a house in Wertheim (Germany), quoted by Kurt Tucholsky (1907-1935).

Ghastly is the type of people who always want to be right. These are ready to condemn innocent people, saints, God himself, just to be right

Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1910)

You will be tomorrow what you think today

- Buddha –

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Memories of life

When we wake up they are immediately back, the problems we have grown fond of, because these problems have become memories.

Memories are linked to people, to places or to events that we have "recorded", that spring from the past, not from the NOW and HERE. Now, if you think of your problems as soon as you wake up, you are living in the past, not in the present. From these memories then emotions follow, which extend to the present, because the discontent, the worries and needs, the sadness, all this is immediately present again, immediately with getting up the pains of the life (Weltschmerz) are again there. The present state is thus not created from the NOW, but is based solely on what was.

You thus live in the past, which seems more and more "familiar" to you, which becomes your present, and thus naturally (co)-determines the future.

Thus, your past naturally has to do with your future destiny, because you cannot think "anew", you cannot experience the emotions in the HERE and in the NOW, but you live through the past again and again.

It follows that life will be similar again and again, because the same thoughts determine the same actions again and again. Your behavior is determined by rituals, how we get up, what we do afterwards, tea or coffee, suit or jeans, we have coupled our life to the memories. Showering and coffee, the same way to work, the same rituals, even our thoughts are the same every day, the same things catch our eye, the same smells appeal to us (or repel us), the same events evoke the same reactions, routine becomes our inner software.

Is it still our will to do something, or is it the software (created by us) that is acting right now? Have you outsourced the responsibility for your actions? Have you voluntarily placed yourself in captivity? According to Buddha, we should just not have preconceived judgments (prejudices), but always look at things anew, at least as far as that goes.

If you realize that about 90 % of our actions originate from such software (created by ourselves) then it becomes clear why any change is so difficult for us. The behavior patterns are learned, the reactions come from these preconceived judgments, even the emotions are not from the HERE and in the NOW. If you want to change, you "must" first realize that you also carry "computer programs" (software or apps) within you. Only then you can get to the bottom of the matter, strive for change.

The way is the goal!

Because his memories and intentions are overcome

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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Negative things part 2

Right, negative things we want to ignore from now on (as far as it is somehow possible).

If something negative comes on TV again, then change the channel until something "positive" comes on.

If something negative is being talked about again, then don't participate in that conversation, but try to steer the topic to something positive, simply because your mood is contagious, because the "positive" topic spreads pleasant vibrations, because enough is enough with "bad" conversations.

If you find yourself thinking something negative again, change your thoughts at the exact moment you notice the "negative".

If there is too much drinking in the group again, take out the negative component by saying something like "I've had enough, I'll have a water now" out loud.

If your children fall into a negative pattern, take the time to turn the tide, you just need to do it and it will happen.

Negative things can be deprived of energy, drowned out by positive vibrations, directed in a different direction, you can play with it, try yourself out in energy work, work consciously on yourself (and thus also on your environment) again and again.

According to Buddha there is no "good" and no "bad", because this would presuppose a valuation. But we do notice the vibrations that negative things bring with them. And these are unpleasant, whether for awakened exalted ones, or for "feel-good Buddhists".

So we should help other people down from their dark and negative trips by an exemplary life, so that for us and our complete environment the being there is pleasant, we let our Buddha-nature also penetrate to the outside.

Roughly speaking, there are two ways to deal with "negative" things: First, to stay away from it, and second, to let the negative elements get to you. Decide for yourself which you prefer. I stopped listening to the news a long time ago, I stopped reading the newspapers, things are just not pleasant. I understand that many people are completely frightened by it, withdraw, in the worst case even get a mental disorder from it.

I for my part would like to have (if it is in my power) only positive vibrations around me, for that I stand up, there I am ready to work on it, also to put effort and time into the topic. According to Buddha, everything is illusory anyway, so why not set it up for me the way I find it comfortable?

Here it is especially true: The way is the goal!

Through a higher mental power I enter this destiny and stay in it.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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The truth about wolves

There are two wolves living in us; one wolf is bad, he stands for bad qualities like arrogance, jealousy, greed, envy and jealousy. The other wolf is good, representing peace, goodness, hope and love.

These two wolves are in each of us, fighting daily against each other, consciously or unconsciously.

The wolf that we feed, that we pay attention to with our thoughts, that we spend our energies on, will win.

You can see a thing this way or that way, express yourself about it this way or that way, put your focus this way or that way.

Example:

Option A - I am so exhausted from all the work, never having any money, having to raise my children, and now also taking care of my sick mother

Option B - I am so happy that I have enough work, money is tight but I manage, my children are a complete joy, my mother lives with us now, that's nice.

We are often not aware of how we evaluate things, but an attentive listener can already recognize our thoughts and feelings from the energy of the words.

What can we do, how can we improve ourselves here?

First we should ask ourselves if we want to improve at all, which wolf we will feed in the future, how our energy should be from now on.

Then we can consciously pay attention to our thoughts, such as replacing an "I must" with an "I will", integrate the mindfulness taught by Buddha into our lives, become attentive to the energies. Right cognition, right thinking, right acting and right speaking can be practiced, this strengthens one's self, one's character, one's personality.

As a next step we should get used to distinguish the two wolves, to train ourselves to feed only the 'good' wolf, for example by starting to look forward to everyday things. I look forward to cooking dinner (for me and my family), I look forward to doing laundry, I look forward to cleaning day, I LOOK FORWARD TO ..............

Such an approach makes us humble and grateful, thankful for every moment, for every day, for every encounter.

Whether success or failure, I am glad for every experience, it makes me grateful and happy to be able to "experience", to "be", to be human.

Search in your memory palace for the two wolves, give them a name, personalize the two. Talk to the wolves inside you, become aware of them.

See how you can get rid of the bad wolf!

I will not miss fighting, fighting will miss me

- Muhammad Ali - former US boxer - 1942 to 2016

I fight, I fight to win

- Margaret Thatcher - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - 1925 to 2013

When we fight evil, we fight the most terrible thing of all: Indifference

- Robin Williams - US actor and comedian - 1951 - 2014

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This is how I have heard!

One day, the exalted Buddha spoke to the beggars (this is how monks are referred to in Theravada Buddhism): "You beggars."

They replied, "Venerable sir."

"unwholesome states of mind, such as greed, hatred, and delusion, arise from sense pleasures, for these are delusive and false. For disciples, these unwholesome states of mind are an obstacle to overcome in order to let themselves fall inwardly as well," the Teacher of All Teachers elaborated.

"He who practices also attains confidence for his mind, so that with an enlarged heart he touches the unshakable, whereupon wisdom comes to him. All material form results from the four elements, so that the practitioner, after his extinction, continues to explore the unshakable, experiences the awareness of it.

All forms in the here and now and also in future incarnations are transient, not worth holding on to. In the practitioner a spiritual climate of confidence arises more and more, so that he now reaches the unshakable, or else he experiences the full wisdom. After his passing, his consciousness can lead him to the unshakable.

But where the perception of all states ends without retaining any parts, there the seeker comes to the most peaceful, to the complete nothingness, which is more sublime than any perception, empty of a self, freed from wanting, without desires. I belong to no one, and no one belongs to me, I perceive nothing, but I also do not perceive nothing, the dual state progresses.

Some students will reach nirvana, but others will not, overcome what has arisen, even if nirvana is not for you (yet). Maybe it is not yours, it will not be yours (yet), nevertheless do not attach to Nirvana, an attachment prevents the attainment, the ultimate consequence always remains "enlightenment".

Unwholesome states of mind, sensual pleasures, confidence, the material forms in the here and now, but also in a new incarnation, the perception of the great nothingness in the midst of nothingness, neither perceiving anything, nor perceiving nothing, this is the pathless path to the gateless gate, to "non-death" through "non-attachment".

Noble Lords, I tell you that this is how you can cross the stream, this is how you will find salvation.

Infinity awaits those who let go, perceive nothing, and yet perceive, who see no forms and no emptiness, who see those who cling to nothing, who have left their selves behind in one-dimensionality, thus attain perfect perception.

Sense pleasures and sense perceptions are inhibitors, because nothing will remain, everything will pass away, the way is the goal!

Violence over the will gives also violence over the body.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

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The Shaolin Temple London Part 3

Have you already read the first part of my series about the "Shaolin Temple London"?

First, Yan Zi then showed me new exercises specially composed for my weak points (back). After being almost sixty years old, my training is more rehab than Kung Fu.

In the afternoon, I took my time recording my English podcast, (the "London edition" so to speak), looking at the many students who came to train, talking to people, and of course waiting for dinner. There is a big kitchen in the temple, my master is a fantastic cook. When it became quiet in the temple we sat down and ate in silence, as we have done so often together, the Shaolin master and the man from Stuttgart, a unit, for almost forty years.

After dinner my eyes fell shut, a journey is just exhausting, I slept immediately and deeply.

The next morning, the instructions already echoed across the courtyard to which my room was attached, the first class had Kung Fu in the courtyard. I heard my master, a reassuring feeling. First a coffee, then into the shower to get fit for the yoga. 40 minutes went by quickly, then my new back exercises, no pain no gain, such is life.

Students came and went, the courtyard was alive, young and older students took turns. I went to my room to record the German podcast, after all episode 67, a certain perseverance is not to deny me. After that I came to the temple dining hall, here was already plenty of activity, people gathered for the meditation, which was led today by a Buddhist nun from China, Fa Shi Renryu Dhammavihari. After the ceremony I "interviewed" the nun, recorded our conversation, which I will edit and publish as a podcast sometime soon. I will present the content of the meditation in a separate post. Anyway, I hadn't spent several hours sitting cross-legged in a while, the immersion was hard to come by.

After the session, the big cooking started in the temple kitchen, everyone seemed to have brought something, a hectic bustle broke out, in a short time the house was "flooded" with all kinds of good smells, I was very much looking forward to the food. The tables were arranged until it was a long table, perhaps you know the picture from the commercials when the happy family sits at a long table.

Holding the sacred life in esteem

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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The salt of wisdom part 2

Arriving at the river, the young man took a deep breath, everything had happened so quickly, what was the monk trying to tell him, that salt tastes "salty", that was already clear to him before, had he fallen for a charlatan?

Around him were many people, some lying stretched out in the grass next to the river, others meditating, still others were just silent, gazing at the water, or simply resting on the shore. The young man wondered greatly, there was a magic about the place, he could feel it.

His family had sent him here, surely his loved ones had thought of something, if he was already here now, then he wanted to go through with the matter, the way here was far, he did not want to leave with "empty hands" again. He opened the small letter, there was written in wonderful handwritten letters the following: "Take the salt from the bowl and throw it into the river, then take a handful of the water and drink it! Afterwards you come again into the hall of the temple, I wait there for you.

Again there was a long line in front of him, he had to wait. This time, however, he watched what was happening closely, he had become curious. He saw how many questioners came to the monk, drank there apparently a glass with water, then got a small letter and went away (like him before). When it was his turn, the master immediately addressed him, "So, how did the water taste?" "Master, it was delicious, clear water from the mountains, very refreshing." "Did you taste the salt?" "No master, not at all, it was completely neutral water, no taste."

Then the white master reached out his hand, put it on the shoulder of the bewildered young man, he spoke, "Your sufferings are like the salt, they are always the same, no more, no less. The pain is the same, the thoughts are the same! But what is different, that is the taste of the suffering, it depends on the vessel in which we put the salt (or the sufferings)."

"If you suffer again, and you will suffer a lot more, there is only one thing you can do. You can change the way you look at the way you let the suffering come to you. To stay with the comparison with salt, you can choose to be a jar or a river, it's just a choice. Which container do you want to choose for your future?

The way is always the goal!

Student, this is the path that leads to wisdom.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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We have to silence the monkeys in our heads, otherwise the ego will drive us crazy.

All day long the head cinema runs, constantly new thoughts are played, there to come to rest seems impossible. Some people have already reached the next stage, the monkeys in the head have become a threat to mental health, many of the mental illnesses go back to the original head cinema.

Sure, if "one" thinks about everything like this, then one can already "start to ponder", the destiny of man is not easy, everything will be lost by "one" one day, nothing can be kept, every living being and every thing is transient. We are all going to die, nothing we can do about it, so why do anything at all, better to get drowsy, just don't think about it, just numb yourself.

That's how you might think, yes. But there are other approaches, how "one" can spend the life, to each little animal its Plaisierchen. But no matter how we occupy ourselves, deep down we can't stop thinking about the meaning of life. What happens to me after death is a very important question, but also "where do I come from", "where am I going" keeps popping up in the mind palace.

Monotheistic religions have their beliefs, which you just have to believe. Buddhism is different, because the teachings of Buddha leave little "to believe" here, but everything needs a beginning.

No matter how one stands to religion or spirituality, the monkeys in the head must be silenced. Here it is advisable to take a general "day of silence" once, in order to pull the brake, to make the own personality once familiar with the whole problem. Could you do that, be silent for a whole day? Well, nuns or monks in Buddhist monasteries are silent for years in some cases, so yes, it is doable to not speak for a day.

If you have your problems with the monkeys in your head, then make the effort with the "day of silence", I promise you that you will achieve great success. Such a day needs preparation, especially if you do not live alone. Talk to those around you about this special occasion, explain to those around you how important the endeavor is to you, why you want to try it, what the motivations are. Others are usually understanding if they know what is going on. Turn off the phone and the doorbell, and if you can, the TV and the radio. On this day, read that book you've been meaning to read.

The way is the goal!

Apply your mind to everything, and when you have analyzed it and found it good for you and everyone else, then you can believe in it, live by it and help your neighbor to live by it too

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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The moment counts

The moment counts, only the moment, past experiences are the past, future events are only dreams, it is difficult to express what cannot be said with words.

The body finds its ways to show the expression of the moment, the final realization that there is only this moment, that penetrates only with difficulty. Whoever realizes that only the moment counts, will automatically make peace, with the environment, but also with himself, with his own ego, because from this realization follows that we are all only guests in this incarnation, so it is not worth it to get upset, to impose reproaches or self-doubt, only the moment counts, what comes after, who knows?

Whoever manages to make the present moment the most beautiful moment in his life, in which he can just make peace with himself (it's just a decision in the end), will do that, depending on the respective karma will do what needs to be done. We all have only a very limited span, which we call "our life". These few moments strung together are to be enjoyed, even if there is little to enjoy.

Depending on our attitude, it may be "the most beautiful moment in my life", or it may be the "horror par excellence", depending on how I want to see it, it will influence my feelings.

For example, if I am completely with myself because I want to set out on the journey to "enlightenment", then the moment takes on a wonderful quality.

However, if I hate my job, my environment, and my center of life, then there is little joyful to say.

It is only a decision whether I like to be me, or prefer to be someone else, therefore taking refuge in drugs, alcohol and addictions. Do I have the necessary strength to "digest" the complexity of life in its fullness, or do I continue to just run away? How would my life change if I continued (and intensified) to follow the Buddha's philosophy?

Can I gain more understanding of myself and my surroundings through the teachings of the teacher of all teachers? Can I experience more mindfulness for the moment? What would have to change in me in order for me to be satisfied with myself? How would my changed perspective affect the moment?

The person who can enjoy the moment as a cleaner of public restrooms is much further along than the wealthy person who is constantly nagging.

Here, the journey is the destination!

Within a moment all are transformed

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)

Even love can kill, if things get out of hand, then anything can happen.

I was given an aquarium as a gift at the Shaolin Temple Europe near Kaiserslautern, a small one, with plants and a snail as the only inhabitant. The good spirit of the temple breeds ornamental fish in the basement of the facility, I was taken and given a gift

I was specifically told that the aquarium was not suitable for fish, I should settle shrimp in it, but I would not listen, after some time went to a store and bought six small neon fish, which shine beautifully. The seller said that this would fit, and I wanted to hear the story so, because I wanted the little fish, pets that I could „love".

After a while I realized that the fish tank was "too small" even for the little fish, I got a guilty conscience, decided to go back to the temple, to find a solution there. Once back in the temple, the good spirit told me that I was a murderer because I had almost killed them out of "love for the fish", that my affection had turned into a danger for the fish. Urgently I would need a larger aquarium, so that the fish get the necessary place. No sooner said than done, I received (again as a gift) a larger tank (with accessories) and went back home. There I relocated the fishies, none was lost, I was proud of myself in the end.

And I learned something from the story, namely that even love (or affection) can kill, "good" is not always "good", and "bad" must not always be "bad". If even love can kill, then hate can be positive in some cases, nothing is as it seems at first glance. The historical Buddha was right, we should not judge, not divide into "good" or "bad", but accept things and people as it comes, so it should be.

In the meantime I bought another coral dwarf frog, the fish feel good, they jump through the outlet nozzle of the water pump, they play with the water jet like in a Jacuzzi. And I watch them (and the frog) mindfully and in peace, the fish tank has a meditative effect on me.

I can highly recommend such an aquarium, it is a pleasure to admire nature (in the glass). And I have also learned something, namely to question my feelings better.

As always, the journey is the destination!

Do not kill and do not let kill!

- Buddha ( Siddhartha Gautama) - founder of the philosophy named after him Buddhism- 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)

The desire

Who doesn't know it, the desire?

Imagine you really want something. I have an acquaintance who always wants the latest iPhone. As soon as it's presented to him, he's hooked, and as soon as he can, he orders it home.

His desire is satisfied for the time being. By the time the phone arrives at his house, he's no longer asking for it, now he's looking forward to it. After all, he knows he now owns an iPhone, he doesn't have to desire it anymore.

But what about the desire, this feeling? Where does it come from, and what happens when I own the object, where does the desire go?

Desire, after all, has to come about somehow. Why does he want just this phone, and no other?

The simple answer is that the craving was in us before the phone even came on the market (in fact, it always has been), so when it is satisfied, it stays in us, much like a little internal poison dwarf that gnaws at us when the time is right.

This desire remains in us, even if the momentary desire has been satisfied, until the next time when the poison dwarf can make itself felt again.

The poison dwarf is ourselves; our ego wants the new phone and produces the desire.

The ego determines the desire, works in our head, and reports back over and over again.

Our ego turns to the next thought after the desire is satisfied. Until the poison dwarf appears again.

And this poison dwarf can demand something completely different from other persons instead of a telephone, drugs, alcohol or money, power or sex, or whatever.

So we should question where this particular desire is coming from and how far we can tolerate this desire.

THINK ONCE BEFORE YOU GIVE, THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU ACCEPT, AND A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE YOU DEMAND.

- MARIE VON EBNER-ESCHENBACH - AUSTRIAN WRITER - 1830 TO 1916

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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What is Chan? Part 6

You are searching, otherwise you would not read my texts here, you might read about soccer, or about fashion, but not at all about Chan (Zen) Buddhism.

The problem with spirituality in Europe is that religions have done so much incredible damage, which is why "faith" moves people less and less.

A worldview today even seems to contradict the Enlightenment, science has already explained everything, what else is there to come?

To be spiritual does not necessarily mean to become religious, because especially the teaching of Buddha is not characterized by a relationship of superiority and subordination, Buddha did not want to be worshipped.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism is the manifestation of the Buddhist teaching that we know today as Buddhism, which is based on the essence of the Buddha's worldview (the "enlightenment"), was conceived by the founder of Chan (Bodhidharma). What makes the matter problematic is the fact that little was written down during the lifetimes of the two great teachers, but the Chan continued to develop over the centuries. And not always in a direction that I would like.

Chan offers us a way to connect with the Buddha-nature, to experience what is the consequence of the essence of the teaching of the teacher of all teachers. Those who go through life mindfully become more and more connected to the environment, to the people on life's path, to all living beings.

No matter how many books on Buddhism (and specifically on Chan) you may read, there is not, there must not be, a single explanation. Go directly to the source, look for the wisdom immanent in the Buddha's teaching, follow in the footsteps of the Indian prince, gather what you think makes sense.

Chan clashes with the various ancestral ways of thinking of the Central Europeans, but the feelings pull the seekers in the direction of awakening.

Bodhidharma said that Chan cannot be explained with words, which is why I have strung together many words here over six episodes to show you what Chan can be all about, but the very attempt fails. Chan is and remains the spiritual practice of seekers, of people who think about it, who want to explore the potential that lies within.

Because to follow only the sufferings, that seems as no practicable path, at least not for me.

The way is the goal!

I eat only once a day. By living this way, I do not get sick, and I enjoy great strength and lightness.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

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Healing "Yourself" Part 6

Good, you have come this far, karma seems to be sending you a message.

So you are ready to take on the not-so-easy journey of at least attempting the painful healing process. What always helps are notes, for example in the form of a diary, or on a simple piece of paper. Here you can unload everything that is bothering you, give free rein to your feelings, this is where honesty begins. Write things down as they are, not as you would like them to be, life is not a concert of wishes.

What has worked is to always ask yourself simple questions before taking notes, such as:

Will I continue to heal?

Where am I in the process?

What's next for me?

What am I stuck on?

How am I doing, physically and mentally?

We humans don't always act logically, often we hurt ourselves for reasons we don't even understand. Often we are dissatisfied with ourselves, our emotions go crazy, we get angry, frightened, indignant, angry and desperate. All emotions that we craft for ourselves, which according to Buddha are completely unnecessary and also useless. Nevertheless, we get entangled in them, can't help it, we are constantly thinking (with our ego) about our "situation", are in self-talk, demanding, wanting, wishing, cursing. None of it helps, nothing changes, only we get "bad" at it.

Self-healing is such a thing, deep inside we already know everything about it, but we repress it, because we don't feel "well", or because we just can't think clearly, because we have buried our feelings under a pile of shards, from destroyed dreams, broken relationships, fears, worries and paranoia. To clear away all these shards requires strength, discipline and effort, without effort the process cannot be mastered. Every person can do this, but every person can also let "it" slide, continue to live in his illusions, maybe even be satisfied in the process, everyone is different, there are no generally valid rules for the human mind palace.

Only those who want to grow (according to Buddha, by the way, we are not supposed to want anything) can set out on the journey, because we all need to heal, modern man is completely shattered, no longer knows where is up and where is down, because the senses are flooded, the panic reflexes come from evolution, only we can help ourselves.

And one day then from the "well-being Buddhism" then becomes an awakening process.

The way is the goal!

I have clearly recognized the dangers contained in aging, illness, death, sorrow and defilement.

- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero

Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de

(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)

Bad luck becomes good luck

- and vice versa

My father used to say, "Son, there is nothing bad that doesn't have something good about it"!

Examples (freely invented):

Mr. K. broke his leg in a car accident, a complicated comminuted fracture, at first the doctors thought they would have to remove the foot, he was in the hospital for almost two months, for a long time he thought he would never be able to walk properly again.

/ during his time in the hospital he met a nurse, the two fell in love, married shortly after his discharge. If he had not broken his leg, who knows if Mr. K. would have ever met his wife, he still says today that this accident changed his life in a positive way.

For a long time Tom felt a slight tugging in the stomach area, but thought nothing of it, he didn't want to go to the doctor, after all there was always so much to do, to take care of, to work, it will pass, he thought to himself anyway. One morning he slipped in the shower, hit his head on the edge of the tub, the skin burst, he had to call the ambulance to have the wound stitched.

/ while being treated by the paramedics, he also told them about the pain in his stomach. The doctor patched him up, and also immediately examined the other complaints in question. He thought it could be appendicitis, utmost urgency was required, he was immediately taken to the hospital, emergency surgery was the result. Tom knows today that the fall in the bathroom probably saved his life.

Actually, Mrs. T. wanted to go home by plane at the weekend, she was in another city the whole week, her work gave her little pleasure, but was well paid. She had been looking for another job for some time, but found nothing suitable. In her cozy home her family was already waiting for her, her husband had prepared a big meal, the children were jostling on the phone, she was tired and exhausted. At the airport she was told that the flight was canceled due to technical problems, that she could not fly on today, that a hotel room had already been booked for her, and that she could not fly until tomorrow. At first she was very disappointed.

/ in the waiting area of the airport she got into conversation with another passenger, both of them complained about their fate, in the course of the conversation she also told the fellow sufferer about her unsuccessful search for a new job. The man was the managing director of a company, he was looking for new employees but could not find any suitable personnel. He immediately offered Mrs. T. a job with much better earnings, and for her much better working hours and conditions. Even today, she remembers that day fondly; the supposed bad luck changed her life in a positive way.

The M. family wanted to go to the sea by car this year, finally on vacation together, the summer was hot, the children were looking forward to the cool pleasure. But halfway there, the old car broke down and stopped. Black smoke came out of the hood, the towing service took car and family to a small town, there was the nearest garage. The mechanic said that he would first have to order spare parts, and that it would be impossible to continue the journey for the time being. The children's nagging was great, no beach, no bathing, the vacation was a disaster. At first sight.

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Buddha Blog English Podcast Episode 11

Hello and welcome to Buddha Blog, the Buddhist podcast. Your show for Buddhist topics, mindfulness and meditation. I am ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shaolin Rainer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and I am very happy that you are here. Buddhism in everyday life - Mindfulness in every day actions 

This podcast is largely funded by its listeners. I would be happy to welcome you as a supporter as well. Thank you to everyone who supports Buddha Blog in their own way.

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