Index - SutrasGlossaryHistory of Buddhism

All Sentient beings have Buddha's heart, and everybody was a Buddha before. In order to regain our Buddha's heart, one needs to practice cultivation, removing whatever obstructions that clouded our heart in order to attain self-realization, for Buddha walked several paces ahead of us.

One creates the good or bad causes; one will experience either good or bad effects. Cause by oneself, effects back to oneself.

Sometimes, people say, "how come I always do good-deeds, but I still receive quite a lots of bad effects!" Just wonder why?

In the Buddhist way, the effects from the cause in this life are largely accumulated from previous life or lives: for instance some people are born into a rich family, some into a poor family, some people are always sick, some always happy etc.

In another word, some of the Causes generated in this life, one may not experience the Effects in this life; it could be carried over to the next life. Just like having a Credit & Debit account book, everything we do will be recorded. There is no such thing as write-off but if one does a lot of good deeds, bad effects from a previous life would be minimized or disappear.

Bad effects can be compensated by good-deeds. Cycle of Life is just like a graph, having its ups & downs, when one is down, just remind yourself, this is perhaps what I accrued from my previous life, then you might feel better. For sure, one does not always stay either at the bottom of the trough or at the top of crest all the time. Adopting a "medium approach" would help to over come both extremes.

If one wants to know how one did in the previous life then just take a look what one has or experience in this life.

For what the next life will be, then one needs to take note of the performances in this life.

There is no such thing as non-changeable or such as being forever young. Thousands of our body cells die every second; there is no stable state or non-changeable "I".

From the moment the fetus is conceived, growing, ageing and dying processes are parts of life cycle and one should make full use of such lifetime opportunity to cultivate further progress.

When doing charitable deeds, do not think of self-aggrandizement but do them with all your sincere heart and for others benefits.

Few hundred years ago, in the Ching Dynasty a rich, sick old man summoned his four wives to his bed-side, saying:

I am very sick and will die soon; I think my journey will be a bit lonely without company. Will anyone of you will accompany me to the next life.

Old man said to the fourth wife (the youngest one), I love you dearly since you are young and full-of-beans. You come with me then.

Number four wife said, my dear husband, I am still young and have years of happy life ahead, please do let me continue to enjoy my life.

The sick old man looking at the third wife:
The third wife said, my husband, I am still beautiful and am not really old, I am thinking to re-marry after you gone.

The second wife said, my dear, you know I have to look after your children, who will look after them if I go with you? Anyway, I could organize an unforgettable grand funeral for you, shed a few tears, and then return home to continue my normal household chores.

Then the sick old man anxiously and eagerly looked at his first wife:
The first wife said, my husband, you've been ignoring me for years, never mind, I will accompany you.

**Buddha said, everybody also have four wives too.

The fourth wife is our youth.
This is what we most love and would like to maintain and treasure. We worry when we have white hair, wrinkles around the eyes, railway lines on fore-head and so on, but growing from young to old age is part our life cycle on earth.

Third wife is our money and treasures.
When we are carrying on our journey, we could not arrange to transfer our money to wherever we are going to. Instead all our money and treasures will have to change ownership.

Second wife is all our friends and relatives.
They will shed a few tears for you, and then afterward their life must go on as usual.

The first wife is our Credit and Debit Book.
All good or bad deeds are recorded in the book; the only thing we can carry is this book.

Each time you think you have progressed as far as you can, another path appears and you continue to progress further.

Just imagine one is faced with having to complete a 30 mathematic calculations, where the first two answers are required to answer the third parts to derive the results, and the process becomes more complex as one continues to attempt the rest of the calculations; perhaps using the tenth answer for the twentieth question and so on, until one managed to solve the last part of the calculation.

When one reaches such moment, one would suddenly feel relieved merely for a split second which is known as emptiness. But such feeling is only momentarily for one still has other things to attain as one continues to progress forward and it does not mean one has reached the peak of emptiness.

A big argument broke out between: Eyebrows, eyes, nose and mouth.

The eyes said: Hey! Guys, why I am always positioned below the eyebrows since I am the most important organ amongst you all, I should be placed at the top of the eyebrows, without me, you cannot see your way! How great am I?

Oh no! The nose said: I tell you what, without me, you cannot smell or breathe. I am sure I should be at the top.

It must be the biggest joke that I ever heard, ha, ha! The mouth said: If I close my month, you will be hungry and die in no time. So, I should be at the top.

Eyebrows said: Oh I am so sorry my friends, I only can stop a few drops of rain or water fall from forehead, since I am the most useless amongst the group, I should move straight to the bottom of the face.

After the eyes exchanged places with the eyebrows. They checked in the mirror.

Oh! Oh! What is this, it does not look like a face anymore. Well! Let's change again and see what happens. Still there was no joy.

At the end, they all changed back to their original position.

Then they all agreed: Ah! This is much better. Why did we have to argue?

The Moral of the above is:

Buddha said:

No matter how insignificant any being is, they are still important and useful in their own way and no one is superior.

Everybody has their own specialty in their own way; nobody can live on this earth alone. If there are no dustmen, rubbish will be everywhere; without farmers there will be no rice, no vegetables for people to eat, if there is no soil, trees cannot grow etc.

In this world, everybody compliments each other in their special way, everybody is important; we should work together to create a peaceful world.

It is a rare chance to become a human being; we should do more good deeds and do not waste our lifetime but fully utilize what we are.

Cycle of Life has its Ups and Downs like a graph. No one will stay at the top or the bottom forever. Adopting a "Middle Attitude" approach is the motto.

Consider tuning of a musical instrument as an example:

If the strings are too tight or too loose, the sound will not be right. Ideal sound can only be achieved when the instrument is tuned to the appropriate level.

** That is life! **

Just like people drinking hot water, the acceptance of the temperature is different, only the person concerned can know what they could accept.

There are 84,000 different ways to cultivate Buddha's nature and the teachings are about helping others, doing good-deeds, love & respect all sentient beings, perfecting ourselves, understanding, abstaining from "greed, hatred, and ignorance" etc. Other religions in this world also teach people similar caring and loving natures, ultimately would lead an individual to perfection.

Those who do not adopt any religion or teaching can also cultivate in their own WAY by not harming others and managing to abstain from negative activities in their daily lifestyle, which constitutes one of the 84,000 Ways.

Modified date: 1st July 2005

More information will be added in next update.