Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks Archiv
364 Episoden
6 Minuten
A healthy self-confidence part 2
The most important question (at least for people who want to get more self-confidence) is whether you know yourself, because if you know yourself, you can listen to criticism without any problems, you know how things really are.
Here my usual question (Who am I?) arises again, because here first an answer must be found. If this important question remains in the room, then no changes can arise.
Buddhists have usually already spent a lot of time thinking about this question, and often it does not let them go. Also, this very question is asked by Chan (Zen) masters to their students as a Gong An (Koan) to bring them out of their thoughts to the teaching, to connect them with the Buddha nature.
So again, what are your strengths? There is not a single person in this world who is not good at something, who does not have talents, some more, some less, but no one is talentless.
Just because you can cook well does not mean that all people can cook well. You have a beautiful voice, well, only a very select few are endowed with that gift.
For my part, for example, I can't sing, I don't have any manual talents either, but I have a degree in law, which just wouldn't interest everyone. One person can do one thing, the other something else.
There is also the question of what you are passionate about, what is close to your heart, what subjects are easy for you to deal with? Build a decent self-confidence, start with your strengths, your advantages, the things you do well. Direct your thoughts to the successes, to your "good" sides.
To build up sufficient self-confidence it is imperative to enrich respect for yourself. If you are stuck in a job you hate, or (as an example) in a failed relationship, you may not stand up for yourself enough, you may not respect yourself enough.
Therefore we come back to the above question: Who am I? Only if a good answer is found here, then comes respect for one's own person, and of course as a consequence then also plenty of self-confidence. Solve your problems, clear the air, stand by yourself, by the person you really are. Otherwise, you will be reborn many more times, until you will muster the courage and stand by your being.
You know: The way is the goal!
Consciousness is infinite
- 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)
The most important question (at least for people who want to get more self-confidence) is whether you know yourself, because if you know yourself, you can listen to criticism without any problems, you know how things really are.
Here my usual question (Who am I?) arises again, because here first an answer must be found. If this important question remains in the room, then no changes can arise.
Buddhists have usually already spent a lot of time thinking about this question, and often it does not let them go. Also, this very question is asked by Chan (Zen) masters to their students as a Gong An (Koan) to bring them out of their thoughts to the teaching, to connect them with the Buddha nature.
So again, what are your strengths? There is not a single person in this world who is not good at something, who does not have talents, some more, some less, but no one is talentless.
Just because you can cook well does not mean that all people can cook well. You have a beautiful voice, well, only a very select few are endowed with that gift.
For my part, for example, I can't sing, I don't have any manual talents either, but I have a degree in law, which just wouldn't interest everyone. One person can do one thing, the other something else.
There is also the question of what you are passionate about, what is close to your heart, what subjects are easy for you to deal with? Build a decent self-confidence, start with your strengths, your advantages, the things you do well. Direct your thoughts to the successes, to your "good" sides.
To build up sufficient self-confidence it is imperative to enrich respect for yourself. If you are stuck in a job you hate, or (as an example) in a failed relationship, you may not stand up for yourself enough, you may not respect yourself enough.
Therefore we come back to the above question: Who am I? Only if a good answer is found here, then comes respect for one's own person, and of course as a consequence then also plenty of self-confidence. Solve your problems, clear the air, stand by yourself, by the person you really are. Otherwise, you will be reborn many more times, until you will muster the courage and stand by your being.
You know: The way is the goal!
Consciousness is infinite
- 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)
6 Minuten
A healthy self-confidence
You are not self-confident at all - what could be the reason for that? We build up self-confidence as children. If you don't make your experiences in time and put them into practice, you will fall short as an adult.
Self-confidence can be reduced to a very simple formula: How do we perceive ourselves? How do we think other people see us, how do they "find" us, what do they think of us. If you are not convinced of yourself as a person, you will quickly be "undercut", you will feel rejection where there is none, you will become more and more insecure, and your mental problems will grow into a serious disorder.
Are you insecure? Do you doubt yourself? Do you think that you "screw up" everything, that you can't do anything right? Then it is time to think about your self-confidence. According to Buddha, however, it makes no difference whether we doubt ourselves or are convinced of ourselves, because according to the great teacher, everything comes as it must.
However, the main part of Buddhists are so-called "feel-good Buddhists", who first have to be introduced to the teaching, so they should first "feel-good" before they go deeper into the teaching.
But how does "one" become self-confident, can self-confidence also be learned? YES! First of all, we have to look at ourselves, as Buddha also exemplified this to us, look behind the "scenes", and believe me, to analyze oneself, this can be very difficult. Because "you" can only get an increased self-confidence if you are relentlessly honest with yourself, don't fool yourself anymore, only then can you really grow. And above all, it doesn't help to pick on yourself, things are the way they are, you are in no way to blame for it (perhaps from previous lives), but it comes as it must come, everything is predetermined.
We have to accept ourselves as we are, something else would not make sense. But for this we must know ourselves exactly, how are we knitted, how are our circumstances connected? And can we then draw stability and self-confidence from the fact of honesty?
Start with your strengths, what are you good at? Everyone has things that come easily to them and things that are difficult. So, what comes easily to you? Can you even appreciate your advantages?
Have those around you ever praised you? And if so, for what? In the next few days, you will continue to read here on the topic of "self-confidence".
Anyway, the way is the goal!
And because I see no basis for it, I dwell in security, fearlessness and self-confidence
- 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)
You are not self-confident at all - what could be the reason for that? We build up self-confidence as children. If you don't make your experiences in time and put them into practice, you will fall short as an adult.
Self-confidence can be reduced to a very simple formula: How do we perceive ourselves? How do we think other people see us, how do they "find" us, what do they think of us. If you are not convinced of yourself as a person, you will quickly be "undercut", you will feel rejection where there is none, you will become more and more insecure, and your mental problems will grow into a serious disorder.
Are you insecure? Do you doubt yourself? Do you think that you "screw up" everything, that you can't do anything right? Then it is time to think about your self-confidence. According to Buddha, however, it makes no difference whether we doubt ourselves or are convinced of ourselves, because according to the great teacher, everything comes as it must.
However, the main part of Buddhists are so-called "feel-good Buddhists", who first have to be introduced to the teaching, so they should first "feel-good" before they go deeper into the teaching.
But how does "one" become self-confident, can self-confidence also be learned? YES! First of all, we have to look at ourselves, as Buddha also exemplified this to us, look behind the "scenes", and believe me, to analyze oneself, this can be very difficult. Because "you" can only get an increased self-confidence if you are relentlessly honest with yourself, don't fool yourself anymore, only then can you really grow. And above all, it doesn't help to pick on yourself, things are the way they are, you are in no way to blame for it (perhaps from previous lives), but it comes as it must come, everything is predetermined.
We have to accept ourselves as we are, something else would not make sense. But for this we must know ourselves exactly, how are we knitted, how are our circumstances connected? And can we then draw stability and self-confidence from the fact of honesty?
Start with your strengths, what are you good at? Everyone has things that come easily to them and things that are difficult. So, what comes easily to you? Can you even appreciate your advantages?
Have those around you ever praised you? And if so, for what? In the next few days, you will continue to read here on the topic of "self-confidence".
Anyway, the way is the goal!
And because I see no basis for it, I dwell in security, fearlessness and self-confidence
- 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)
6 Minuten
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
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
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
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
6 Minuten
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
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
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
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
6 Minuten
Who wants to be alone?
We humans are and feel lonely, we do not want to be alone.
Many people are downright afraid of loneliness, they can't be alone at all, as a consequence they then make concessions of every kind just to not feel "lonely".
I have many friends who wake up in the morning and immediately turn on the TV (or the radio), some even fall asleep, the background noise then replaces family or friends, just don't be alone, that's the motto here.
Already in our youth we squeeze into discotheques, narrow and dirty rooms, to be "among people", to get to know someone, we stand in queues and wait for admission, we become a member of the gym to "make connections", we sit for hours in the coffee house, because we don't want to be alone at home, we eat in a restaurant, because in our home only walls are waiting for us.
When nothing else helps, we organize ourselves in clubs and associations, we join religions and sects, we meet in groups, the feeling of belonging is so important to us.
For my part, I can be alone for months, hardly meet people, stay for myself, I am satisfied with myself, can be good without company.
But I understand all the people who have their problems with the great loneliness and emptiness. All the spasmodic activities that come from the fear of loneliness, I have sympathy for them, the fate of people is hard, the knowledge of the finiteness of existence hovers like a sword of Damocles over the heads, occupies young and old, sick and healthy, stupid or smart, simply all people (subconsciously) constantly think about their own transience.
What activities do you do just because you can't be alone? Be honest for once, what don't we do just because we have such unbelievable fears, feel such deep despair about our fate. And how nice would it be to just leave those fears behind?
And then there is the search for spirituality that our humanity brings with it, we search for a meaning to our existence, while we go about our normal tasks we brood unstoppably.
Yet staying in the here and now would be precisely the right course of action, namely to focus our consciousness on doing the laundry, cooking the meal, getting the job done, not poking around in the past with our thoughts, nor seeking the future.
The way is the goal!
Never grieve for the past, do not expect anything from the future! Because what is past is gone, not yet is what will come. But he who clearly sees through the present with its manifoldness, let him, when he has recognized it, strive for that which is unshakable.
- 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)
We humans are and feel lonely, we do not want to be alone.
Many people are downright afraid of loneliness, they can't be alone at all, as a consequence they then make concessions of every kind just to not feel "lonely".
I have many friends who wake up in the morning and immediately turn on the TV (or the radio), some even fall asleep, the background noise then replaces family or friends, just don't be alone, that's the motto here.
Already in our youth we squeeze into discotheques, narrow and dirty rooms, to be "among people", to get to know someone, we stand in queues and wait for admission, we become a member of the gym to "make connections", we sit for hours in the coffee house, because we don't want to be alone at home, we eat in a restaurant, because in our home only walls are waiting for us.
When nothing else helps, we organize ourselves in clubs and associations, we join religions and sects, we meet in groups, the feeling of belonging is so important to us.
For my part, I can be alone for months, hardly meet people, stay for myself, I am satisfied with myself, can be good without company.
But I understand all the people who have their problems with the great loneliness and emptiness. All the spasmodic activities that come from the fear of loneliness, I have sympathy for them, the fate of people is hard, the knowledge of the finiteness of existence hovers like a sword of Damocles over the heads, occupies young and old, sick and healthy, stupid or smart, simply all people (subconsciously) constantly think about their own transience.
What activities do you do just because you can't be alone? Be honest for once, what don't we do just because we have such unbelievable fears, feel such deep despair about our fate. And how nice would it be to just leave those fears behind?
And then there is the search for spirituality that our humanity brings with it, we search for a meaning to our existence, while we go about our normal tasks we brood unstoppably.
Yet staying in the here and now would be precisely the right course of action, namely to focus our consciousness on doing the laundry, cooking the meal, getting the job done, not poking around in the past with our thoughts, nor seeking the future.
The way is the goal!
Never grieve for the past, do not expect anything from the future! Because what is past is gone, not yet is what will come. But he who clearly sees through the present with its manifoldness, let him, when he has recognized it, strive for that which is unshakable.
- 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)
6 Minuten
Rebirth
Rebirth is a subject that fascinates outsiders and Buddhists about Buddhism.
Reincarnation was also a fixture in Christianity until this doctrine was banned as "unacceptable" in the Council of Constantinople in 553. However, Christian doctrine says that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead.
First of all something very important at the beginning: Not all Buddhists believe in rebirth! Also in the teaching of the Indian prince there are different schools (similar to Christianity), which follow other views. For example, the "Mahayana" school (Japanese:Zen or Chinese: Chan) does not require a belief in reincarnation, while the "Theravada" school (and here especially the "Vajrayana" philosophy) holds partly opposite views.
Many spiritual paths have developed in Buddhism over the centuries, but rebirth is not a mandatory content of the Chan (Zen) teachings.
The "path of reality" is not about the path itself, but about where the path leads, namely to nirvana. The doctrine of rebirth indicates that those who could not reach nirvana in this life then have another opportunity in the next incarnation.
Personally, I not only believe in rebirth, I am convinced of it because I can remember my past lives (to some extent).
I believe that reincarnation is the transcendence of ego-identity towards realization, which proceeds over many lifetimes, as Buddha-nature is very difficult to find, overlaid by the debris of events.
We must understand that there is no place to hide, no place that can overcome impermanence. Only in us can we find the emptiness that corresponds to an incredible fullness.
Our thought palace lives in patterns, "good" or "bad", "right" or "wrong", "below" or "above", "black" or "white", every thought contains the opposite already at its origin, otherwise it could not arise at all. So also birth and death, which then finds its cycle in the rebirth, but in the Nirvana everything is extinguished, because the Nirvana is only a state of mind. Thus, even the awakened one who has entered nirvana can be reborn if he has not yet been granted the completion of all tasks.
In Nirvana everything is balanced, nothing is important, neither the birth nor the death, so that the new incarnation does not matter either, everything loses its value when time and space merge into one big context.
All people who have already lived and all those who will live, they are connected, in the now and in the here.
Can you remember your lives?
The path is the goal!
Purification comes through the cycle of rebirth
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero Exercise is one of the healthy habits that you forgive a certain stubbornness
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Rebirth is a subject that fascinates outsiders and Buddhists about Buddhism.
Reincarnation was also a fixture in Christianity until this doctrine was banned as "unacceptable" in the Council of Constantinople in 553. However, Christian doctrine says that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead.
First of all something very important at the beginning: Not all Buddhists believe in rebirth! Also in the teaching of the Indian prince there are different schools (similar to Christianity), which follow other views. For example, the "Mahayana" school (Japanese:Zen or Chinese: Chan) does not require a belief in reincarnation, while the "Theravada" school (and here especially the "Vajrayana" philosophy) holds partly opposite views.
Many spiritual paths have developed in Buddhism over the centuries, but rebirth is not a mandatory content of the Chan (Zen) teachings.
The "path of reality" is not about the path itself, but about where the path leads, namely to nirvana. The doctrine of rebirth indicates that those who could not reach nirvana in this life then have another opportunity in the next incarnation.
Personally, I not only believe in rebirth, I am convinced of it because I can remember my past lives (to some extent).
I believe that reincarnation is the transcendence of ego-identity towards realization, which proceeds over many lifetimes, as Buddha-nature is very difficult to find, overlaid by the debris of events.
We must understand that there is no place to hide, no place that can overcome impermanence. Only in us can we find the emptiness that corresponds to an incredible fullness.
Our thought palace lives in patterns, "good" or "bad", "right" or "wrong", "below" or "above", "black" or "white", every thought contains the opposite already at its origin, otherwise it could not arise at all. So also birth and death, which then finds its cycle in the rebirth, but in the Nirvana everything is extinguished, because the Nirvana is only a state of mind. Thus, even the awakened one who has entered nirvana can be reborn if he has not yet been granted the completion of all tasks.
In Nirvana everything is balanced, nothing is important, neither the birth nor the death, so that the new incarnation does not matter either, everything loses its value when time and space merge into one big context.
All people who have already lived and all those who will live, they are connected, in the now and in the here.
Can you remember your lives?
The path is the goal!
Purification comes through the cycle of rebirth
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero Exercise is one of the healthy habits that you forgive a certain stubbornness
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
6 Minuten
The daily training part 2
The foreign world had me under its spell, I had become a part of the Shaolin Temple, up to here the fixed idea had driven me, I also felt well, the life in the monastery had something calming, the temperatures slowly became more pleasant, the inconveniences receded further and further.
For weeks I trained with my master, always three days of training, one day off, four hours in the morning, then a long lunch break of three to four hours, then another four hours of training.
The first weeks my master only allowed some exercises that I would count as "martial arts". The rest were stretching exercises, balance techniques, and strength exercises practiced with weights hewn from stone. Up and down I had to run movement patterns remotely reminiscent of Kung Fu, always in the lowest position, the buttocks just above the ground, the legs strongly bent. Then with speed upwards, into one of the positions shown to me, attack or defense movements followed. A brute ordeal, almost impossible for the untrained, and to make up for years of Shaolin practice in a short time, what a presumptuous undertaking.
Almost out of the splits then up again, hold position, down again, built into a flow of movement that was distantly reminiscent of "running forms" from karate.
A bamboo stick over the shoulders, hands placed over it on either side, then the stick parallel to the feet in one direction, and back in the other. The legs and feet follow the movement, the body gets a swinging moment, over and over, for longer and longer periods of time, the balance getting better and better.
With the back against the wall, slightly bent at the knees, then turning the upper body backwards, hitting the wall with the swinging fist at head level, just where the opponent's head should be. Then swinging back, now the other shoulder comes forward, the hand follows, the fist strikes again imaginary. Without really touching the wall, without losing balance.
The feet parallel at a distance of about 60 centimeters, the knees bent, the arms describe circling movements against each other, while the body goes completely down on one leg, the other stands off as if in the splits. Short pause, then begin the circular movements in the other direction, the upper body comes up briefly, then the body goes on the other leg towards the floor, the second leg now stands off in the "half splits".
In between, strength exercises, as they are also done in the studio, but with stone weights, some of which were suspended from rollers attached to the ceiling, a brute drudgery.
And of course the punch and kick training, very similar to today's martial arts schools, but equipped with the secret knowledge of Shaolin, which my master passed on to me "with hands and feet" (on the post picture you can see the self-made punching bag).
In case of cramps (and I had them frequently) there was an extra layer of stretching exercises, which in itself made me tired. I longed for the breaks, especially the lunch break.
Still, I had found my way!
Best gift is health; frugality is wealth's sun, most faithful clan is trust, and nirvana highest bliss
- 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)
The foreign world had me under its spell, I had become a part of the Shaolin Temple, up to here the fixed idea had driven me, I also felt well, the life in the monastery had something calming, the temperatures slowly became more pleasant, the inconveniences receded further and further.
For weeks I trained with my master, always three days of training, one day off, four hours in the morning, then a long lunch break of three to four hours, then another four hours of training.
The first weeks my master only allowed some exercises that I would count as "martial arts". The rest were stretching exercises, balance techniques, and strength exercises practiced with weights hewn from stone. Up and down I had to run movement patterns remotely reminiscent of Kung Fu, always in the lowest position, the buttocks just above the ground, the legs strongly bent. Then with speed upwards, into one of the positions shown to me, attack or defense movements followed. A brute ordeal, almost impossible for the untrained, and to make up for years of Shaolin practice in a short time, what a presumptuous undertaking.
Almost out of the splits then up again, hold position, down again, built into a flow of movement that was distantly reminiscent of "running forms" from karate.
A bamboo stick over the shoulders, hands placed over it on either side, then the stick parallel to the feet in one direction, and back in the other. The legs and feet follow the movement, the body gets a swinging moment, over and over, for longer and longer periods of time, the balance getting better and better.
With the back against the wall, slightly bent at the knees, then turning the upper body backwards, hitting the wall with the swinging fist at head level, just where the opponent's head should be. Then swinging back, now the other shoulder comes forward, the hand follows, the fist strikes again imaginary. Without really touching the wall, without losing balance.
The feet parallel at a distance of about 60 centimeters, the knees bent, the arms describe circling movements against each other, while the body goes completely down on one leg, the other stands off as if in the splits. Short pause, then begin the circular movements in the other direction, the upper body comes up briefly, then the body goes on the other leg towards the floor, the second leg now stands off in the "half splits".
In between, strength exercises, as they are also done in the studio, but with stone weights, some of which were suspended from rollers attached to the ceiling, a brute drudgery.
And of course the punch and kick training, very similar to today's martial arts schools, but equipped with the secret knowledge of Shaolin, which my master passed on to me "with hands and feet" (on the post picture you can see the self-made punching bag).
In case of cramps (and I had them frequently) there was an extra layer of stretching exercises, which in itself made me tired. I longed for the breaks, especially the lunch break.
Still, I had found my way!
Best gift is health; frugality is wealth's sun, most faithful clan is trust, and nirvana highest bliss
- 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)
6 Minuten
Doing the right thing
Buddhists in particular often want to do the right thing, are righteous people, do not want to harm any living being.
But what is 'the right thing', isn't this classification subjective for every human being, dependent on personal filters?
Even in the time of Jesus Christ, this seemed to be a problem, as it is written in the Bible (Luke 18:9-14) that some trusted in being righteous and would despise those they thought were not righteous. For those, the founder of the religion also had the advice that he who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will then be exalted.
Over the centuries, the opinion about the righteousness even frequently changed sides, depending on power and the powerful, the simple man became only the plaything of the authorities. Many people like to think that they create the right, are righteous.
But according to Buddha we should not want, not wish and not judge, what seems "good" today can turn out to be a complete failure tomorrow, what seemed "bad" sometimes becomes a stroke of luck.
And what few people even think about is the fact that righteousness can also go completely "in the pants". Because there is a big difference between righteousness and self-righteousness, which is not known to everyone.
Doing the right thing is already clearly mentioned in the Buddha's noble eightfold path, namely right seeing, right understanding (realization), right speaking and right acting, i.e. all righteous steps.
The teaching of the teacher of all teachers reached a critical point when the exalted one was considering whether to strive for his own perfection or for the propagation of his worldview. So to make clear the demarcation between righteousness and self-righteousness. His decision was delayed, he could not decide for a while. But then he preferred the transmission of the teaching to his own studies, Buddhism had experienced an important turning point.
But what is the right thing? This question is still unresolved. Well, the readers of my blog will have a good basic idea "of the right thing to do", because what is meant here is not a valuation, but an action that is without attachments, without desires, without opinions, without judgments and without prejudices. So, we should live a righteous life, not valuing things and living beings, therefore then live "happily".
Anyway, the person is a righteous person who speaks the truth, because at the beginning there are the cognitive abilities, who does not speak the truth, he does not find the wayless path, because the noble eightfold path of Buddha cannot be without truth.
As a trained German lawyer, I know roughly how law should be, but we are still too far away from that in this society. However, if righteousness turns into self-righteousness, then the problems are pre-programmed.
Because then the heart falls into turmoil, the conceit, arrogance and ignorance produce hatred, greed and delusion, from which anger, rage and disappointment arise. Here it is then not far to delusion, which not infrequently ends in an asylum, according to Buddha it is the thoughts that make us ill. Are you righteous?
The way is as always the goal!
World is like a royal carriage, just come and see! - Colorful and more colorful. World drips off the mind of the sage; only the fool submerges in it
- 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)
Buddhists in particular often want to do the right thing, are righteous people, do not want to harm any living being.
But what is 'the right thing', isn't this classification subjective for every human being, dependent on personal filters?
Even in the time of Jesus Christ, this seemed to be a problem, as it is written in the Bible (Luke 18:9-14) that some trusted in being righteous and would despise those they thought were not righteous. For those, the founder of the religion also had the advice that he who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will then be exalted.
Over the centuries, the opinion about the righteousness even frequently changed sides, depending on power and the powerful, the simple man became only the plaything of the authorities. Many people like to think that they create the right, are righteous.
But according to Buddha we should not want, not wish and not judge, what seems "good" today can turn out to be a complete failure tomorrow, what seemed "bad" sometimes becomes a stroke of luck.
And what few people even think about is the fact that righteousness can also go completely "in the pants". Because there is a big difference between righteousness and self-righteousness, which is not known to everyone.
Doing the right thing is already clearly mentioned in the Buddha's noble eightfold path, namely right seeing, right understanding (realization), right speaking and right acting, i.e. all righteous steps.
The teaching of the teacher of all teachers reached a critical point when the exalted one was considering whether to strive for his own perfection or for the propagation of his worldview. So to make clear the demarcation between righteousness and self-righteousness. His decision was delayed, he could not decide for a while. But then he preferred the transmission of the teaching to his own studies, Buddhism had experienced an important turning point.
But what is the right thing? This question is still unresolved. Well, the readers of my blog will have a good basic idea "of the right thing to do", because what is meant here is not a valuation, but an action that is without attachments, without desires, without opinions, without judgments and without prejudices. So, we should live a righteous life, not valuing things and living beings, therefore then live "happily".
Anyway, the person is a righteous person who speaks the truth, because at the beginning there are the cognitive abilities, who does not speak the truth, he does not find the wayless path, because the noble eightfold path of Buddha cannot be without truth.
As a trained German lawyer, I know roughly how law should be, but we are still too far away from that in this society. However, if righteousness turns into self-righteousness, then the problems are pre-programmed.
Because then the heart falls into turmoil, the conceit, arrogance and ignorance produce hatred, greed and delusion, from which anger, rage and disappointment arise. Here it is then not far to delusion, which not infrequently ends in an asylum, according to Buddha it is the thoughts that make us ill. Are you righteous?
The way is as always the goal!
World is like a royal carriage, just come and see! - Colorful and more colorful. World drips off the mind of the sage; only the fool submerges in it
- 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)
6 Minuten
Buddhism in Asia and Europe
Growing up with a worldview (or religion), experiencing it constantly in one's environment, that is something completely different than 'accepting' it, this of course also applies to Buddhism.
Whether one was born into a worldview, or consciously converted as an adult (or at least adolescent), that has a completely different dynamic, different energies.
Often both groups are suspicious of each other, one is too lax for the other, or too pedantic, or, or.
Even the origin of the Buddhist teachings, for example Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Japanese, Thai, Korean, or even teachers who have already come from the West, show little understanding among each other. The respective national tradition regulates the Buddhist style of the groups, each one chants in his language, prays his words, dresses according to his customs, worships the 'saints' of his country.
Those who know a worldview from a young age like to arrange aspects of life according to the rules of their community, celebrate the same holidays as their ancestors, find pleasure in the traditional events, think in terms of 'their' rites that govern the social order of their environment.
In Asia, each house has its own small altar, even in front of the house a mini-pagoda, although Buddha warned his followers not to worship him, the 'believers' are more comfortable when the great teacher is 'tangible'. Also, the local temple is active in caring for the elderly and the sick, as it was in Germany before commercialization took hold, the community members meet, the property is cared for communally, donations are made, the poor are remembered communally, the entire life is and remains intertwined with the 'religion'.
Those who now think that people who have converted to Buddhism are 'second-class' Buddhists have not been able to properly implement the teachings of the great teacher. No matter if you grew up in Buddhism or if you are a 'feel-good Buddhist', all views are welcome, nobody has the right to force his opinion on others.
Buddhism is characterized by the personal search for 'awakening', which in the best case can be done in complete seclusion, but can also get its expression through living in a Buddhist community. Westerners are usually attracted by the freedom from violence, the absence of superstition, falsehood and hypocrisy, the noble image of the great teacher peacefully 'meditating', who also predicts a completely different destiny with reincarnation than the monotheistic teachings do.
The absence of history and the non-existent intermingling of all aspects of life makes it so difficult for Buddhism to gain a proper foothold in Europe. Although many people are attracted to the image of the great teacher, there seems to be little orientation in the variety of teachings.
What do you think about this?
The path is the goal!
Never serve this world!
- 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)
Growing up with a worldview (or religion), experiencing it constantly in one's environment, that is something completely different than 'accepting' it, this of course also applies to Buddhism.
Whether one was born into a worldview, or consciously converted as an adult (or at least adolescent), that has a completely different dynamic, different energies.
Often both groups are suspicious of each other, one is too lax for the other, or too pedantic, or, or.
Even the origin of the Buddhist teachings, for example Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Japanese, Thai, Korean, or even teachers who have already come from the West, show little understanding among each other. The respective national tradition regulates the Buddhist style of the groups, each one chants in his language, prays his words, dresses according to his customs, worships the 'saints' of his country.
Those who know a worldview from a young age like to arrange aspects of life according to the rules of their community, celebrate the same holidays as their ancestors, find pleasure in the traditional events, think in terms of 'their' rites that govern the social order of their environment.
In Asia, each house has its own small altar, even in front of the house a mini-pagoda, although Buddha warned his followers not to worship him, the 'believers' are more comfortable when the great teacher is 'tangible'. Also, the local temple is active in caring for the elderly and the sick, as it was in Germany before commercialization took hold, the community members meet, the property is cared for communally, donations are made, the poor are remembered communally, the entire life is and remains intertwined with the 'religion'.
Those who now think that people who have converted to Buddhism are 'second-class' Buddhists have not been able to properly implement the teachings of the great teacher. No matter if you grew up in Buddhism or if you are a 'feel-good Buddhist', all views are welcome, nobody has the right to force his opinion on others.
Buddhism is characterized by the personal search for 'awakening', which in the best case can be done in complete seclusion, but can also get its expression through living in a Buddhist community. Westerners are usually attracted by the freedom from violence, the absence of superstition, falsehood and hypocrisy, the noble image of the great teacher peacefully 'meditating', who also predicts a completely different destiny with reincarnation than the monotheistic teachings do.
The absence of history and the non-existent intermingling of all aspects of life makes it so difficult for Buddhism to gain a proper foothold in Europe. Although many people are attracted to the image of the great teacher, there seems to be little orientation in the variety of teachings.
What do you think about this?
The path is the goal!
Never serve this world!
- 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)
7 Minuten
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.
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.
6 Minuten
Wisdom in the breeze
The following story was reported from a Buddhist temple:
An aged master saw a group of tourists walking up the mountain, the temple was high in the mountains, the view was magical, it was a beautiful spring day.
The monk watched the colorful hustle and bustle, whole families puffed higher and higher, made a rest, some held picnics in the sun, the monk listened to them, he wanted to know what moves the people, what they speak, what they think. Then he heard how one man said to the other, he had heard that one should sit down there, where the writing monks would lay out their sutras (doctrinal texts of Buddhism) to dry, the wisdom of the writings would then be distributed by the wind to those present, besides, the wind is healing, the bad thoughts would give way, this is, by the way, also known to everyone.
However, the story was completely new to the aged master, he had to smile inwardly, it struck him what a strange idea of the teachings of the Buddha people had. He decided to make the tourists think. After a short while he lay down on the grass, pulled his robe down around the top so that he was naked from the belt up. The sun warmed him, he enjoyed the beautiful spring day.
Immediately the tourists began to talk about him, he heard their voices all the way over, whether such a behavior would be appropriate for a monk, so asked one woman, the other man was so astonished about the behavior of the master that he became vociferously excited.
Other monks came along the way, they spoke to the master, they did not know such behavior, normally monks are always clothed, only among themselves sometimes exposed, but never to third parties. Such behavior would not suit a person of respect like him, decency must be preserved, he should behave, so all those present cackled at the old man.
But the old man did not let himself be distracted, turned away again and again, and did not even seem to notice anything.
When it became too stupid for him, he turned to the pile and spoke: "Here goes the story that it would bring even luck to be touched by the wind, which blew before over the sutras. But here is only ink on paper, dead matter drying in the wind, none of it has a quality that could rub off on the wind.
Here, on the other hand, I sit, a real, living monk, full of wisdom and full of compassion, living the teaching of the great teacher in the midst of my brothers, but you would rather squat in the wind blowing from dead paper than ask me anything. In order to show you your senseless deeds I have made myself free, I wanted to make you think. I hope that you now no longer strive for the things that are subject to decay.
Well, the way is also here the aim!
As a flame goes out from the wind, is blown away and concepts do not fit any more, 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
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
The following story was reported from a Buddhist temple:
An aged master saw a group of tourists walking up the mountain, the temple was high in the mountains, the view was magical, it was a beautiful spring day.
The monk watched the colorful hustle and bustle, whole families puffed higher and higher, made a rest, some held picnics in the sun, the monk listened to them, he wanted to know what moves the people, what they speak, what they think. Then he heard how one man said to the other, he had heard that one should sit down there, where the writing monks would lay out their sutras (doctrinal texts of Buddhism) to dry, the wisdom of the writings would then be distributed by the wind to those present, besides, the wind is healing, the bad thoughts would give way, this is, by the way, also known to everyone.
However, the story was completely new to the aged master, he had to smile inwardly, it struck him what a strange idea of the teachings of the Buddha people had. He decided to make the tourists think. After a short while he lay down on the grass, pulled his robe down around the top so that he was naked from the belt up. The sun warmed him, he enjoyed the beautiful spring day.
Immediately the tourists began to talk about him, he heard their voices all the way over, whether such a behavior would be appropriate for a monk, so asked one woman, the other man was so astonished about the behavior of the master that he became vociferously excited.
Other monks came along the way, they spoke to the master, they did not know such behavior, normally monks are always clothed, only among themselves sometimes exposed, but never to third parties. Such behavior would not suit a person of respect like him, decency must be preserved, he should behave, so all those present cackled at the old man.
But the old man did not let himself be distracted, turned away again and again, and did not even seem to notice anything.
When it became too stupid for him, he turned to the pile and spoke: "Here goes the story that it would bring even luck to be touched by the wind, which blew before over the sutras. But here is only ink on paper, dead matter drying in the wind, none of it has a quality that could rub off on the wind.
Here, on the other hand, I sit, a real, living monk, full of wisdom and full of compassion, living the teaching of the great teacher in the midst of my brothers, but you would rather squat in the wind blowing from dead paper than ask me anything. In order to show you your senseless deeds I have made myself free, I wanted to make you think. I hope that you now no longer strive for the things that are subject to decay.
Well, the way is also here the aim!
As a flame goes out from the wind, is blown away and concepts do not fit any more, 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
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
6 Minuten
Start part 5
The monk woke me up early, it was still dark, of course I had not yet gotten used to the place, but Shi Yan Zi was very lenient with me, he saw that I was not yet "with me". His day began at 5 a.m. for morning prayer, which I did not yet participate in that day, I had to wake up my limbs first, sleeping in such cold was most unusual (today I sleep with the window open even in winter, remember my time in the temple fondly).
There was some kind of breakfast, again the delicious woo long tea, plus some kind of porridge. The hot tea brought me back to life, the energy came back into my body, life seemed "good" again, I suddenly didn't worry so much about my being here.
I got along better and better with my new master thanks to the translation computer, we slowly got into conversation, so to speak, short and concise, but clearly understandable, he meant to me that today would be my first training.
Well, I wanted to go through with it now, that's why I traveled so far, took a lot on myself, was in a completely foreign country, not on a package vacation, no, independently and without a "tour guide" I had come to this moment. I wanted to do like my great idol Bruce Lee, that's why I came here, I wanted to do the training of Shaolin, to learn Kung Fu at the source, in the world famous Shaolin Temple, together with the famous monks. The Rainer from Stuttgart, here in China, together with the monk Shi Yan Zi.
The master began to show me smaller movements, we practiced first directly in the monk's hermitage, here it was at least not windy. I was supposed to copy the movements, over and over again, he started correcting me, lower in the stance, the hand position this way or that, the legs, the feet, the pelvis, my head was buzzing.
The exercises were completely different from the ones I knew from the German training. The muscles began to burn, the thighs felt like fire, the master probably noticed that I was getting weaker and weaker, but was not interested in it at all, his orders still echo through my head today, he counted off the exercises, "Yī'èrsānsì" (one, two, three, four), it sounded in the barracks yard tone through the hermitage.
Again and again the same sequences, the muscles burned even more, but in the spirit pride arose, I had made it, to the Shaolin Temple in China, I trained with a real Shaolin monk. What I didn't know at that time was that in 1989, after a long time, I was the first foreigner (at least in "Red" China) to be accepted here, but more about that later and in more detail.
The path became my goal!
He who remains faithful to the holy trail will reach the other shore.
- 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)
The monk woke me up early, it was still dark, of course I had not yet gotten used to the place, but Shi Yan Zi was very lenient with me, he saw that I was not yet "with me". His day began at 5 a.m. for morning prayer, which I did not yet participate in that day, I had to wake up my limbs first, sleeping in such cold was most unusual (today I sleep with the window open even in winter, remember my time in the temple fondly).
There was some kind of breakfast, again the delicious woo long tea, plus some kind of porridge. The hot tea brought me back to life, the energy came back into my body, life seemed "good" again, I suddenly didn't worry so much about my being here.
I got along better and better with my new master thanks to the translation computer, we slowly got into conversation, so to speak, short and concise, but clearly understandable, he meant to me that today would be my first training.
Well, I wanted to go through with it now, that's why I traveled so far, took a lot on myself, was in a completely foreign country, not on a package vacation, no, independently and without a "tour guide" I had come to this moment. I wanted to do like my great idol Bruce Lee, that's why I came here, I wanted to do the training of Shaolin, to learn Kung Fu at the source, in the world famous Shaolin Temple, together with the famous monks. The Rainer from Stuttgart, here in China, together with the monk Shi Yan Zi.
The master began to show me smaller movements, we practiced first directly in the monk's hermitage, here it was at least not windy. I was supposed to copy the movements, over and over again, he started correcting me, lower in the stance, the hand position this way or that, the legs, the feet, the pelvis, my head was buzzing.
The exercises were completely different from the ones I knew from the German training. The muscles began to burn, the thighs felt like fire, the master probably noticed that I was getting weaker and weaker, but was not interested in it at all, his orders still echo through my head today, he counted off the exercises, "Yī'èrsānsì" (one, two, three, four), it sounded in the barracks yard tone through the hermitage.
Again and again the same sequences, the muscles burned even more, but in the spirit pride arose, I had made it, to the Shaolin Temple in China, I trained with a real Shaolin monk. What I didn't know at that time was that in 1989, after a long time, I was the first foreigner (at least in "Red" China) to be accepted here, but more about that later and in more detail.
The path became my goal!
He who remains faithful to the holy trail will reach the other shore.
- 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)
6 Minuten
Sport does not only make muscles
Through sport, people suffer less from depression, feel less anxiety, they can sleep much better, and an active person is much less likely to suffer from mental illness.
Buddha's philosophy revolves around suffering, or rather, the avoidance of suffering. During his lifetime, people will have moved much more than is the case today, there was hardly any talk of sport (in today's sense of the word).
Also, according to today's understanding, Buddha was a "nutritionist", he usually had only one meal a day (today this is called interval fasting), he did not consume alcoholic beverages, he ate a vegetarian diet.
I with my Buddhist blog see my task in assisting people in their daily life, advising things, explaining the teachings of Buddha. And also in strengthening your motivation to understand exercise, nutrition, spirituality and the path to enlightenment as a kind of unity.
To become better at sports you need to know what your body can do, how you feel with and without exercise, what is the right amount of exercise for you, especially what exercises are good for you. You wouldn't think it, but even yoga builds muscles, strengthens the body, which is why I recommend yoga for really everyone, young and old, healthy or sick. For my part, I do my stretches every day for at least 30 minutes, without the program I don't feel well today.
What keeps you from doing anything athletically?
If you need help getting started you should either contact your health insurance company (they have excellent programs especially for beginners), or look for a club that covers your needs.
I would like to encourage you to start exercising now, or if you are already exercising, to continue exercising. The more actively you work on your well-being, the sooner the mind palace can organize the journey to enlightenment, because everything is separate, but also a unity.
If you even suffer from obesity or serious illnesses (depression, burn-out, psychological disorders of all kinds), you should seek professional help, for example from the many free counseling centers, which your health insurance company can also tell you about.
When coping with anxiety, not only the mind must be involved, no, the body must also be decently involved. The well-being is to be considered holistically, already the old Romans brought the thing on the point: A healthy spirit can live only in a healthy body.
The way is (as always) the most important goal!
The best gift is health; frugality is the sun of wealth, the most faithful clan is trust and Nirvana is the highest bliss.
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - 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)
Through sport, people suffer less from depression, feel less anxiety, they can sleep much better, and an active person is much less likely to suffer from mental illness.
Buddha's philosophy revolves around suffering, or rather, the avoidance of suffering. During his lifetime, people will have moved much more than is the case today, there was hardly any talk of sport (in today's sense of the word).
Also, according to today's understanding, Buddha was a "nutritionist", he usually had only one meal a day (today this is called interval fasting), he did not consume alcoholic beverages, he ate a vegetarian diet.
I with my Buddhist blog see my task in assisting people in their daily life, advising things, explaining the teachings of Buddha. And also in strengthening your motivation to understand exercise, nutrition, spirituality and the path to enlightenment as a kind of unity.
To become better at sports you need to know what your body can do, how you feel with and without exercise, what is the right amount of exercise for you, especially what exercises are good for you. You wouldn't think it, but even yoga builds muscles, strengthens the body, which is why I recommend yoga for really everyone, young and old, healthy or sick. For my part, I do my stretches every day for at least 30 minutes, without the program I don't feel well today.
What keeps you from doing anything athletically?
If you need help getting started you should either contact your health insurance company (they have excellent programs especially for beginners), or look for a club that covers your needs.
I would like to encourage you to start exercising now, or if you are already exercising, to continue exercising. The more actively you work on your well-being, the sooner the mind palace can organize the journey to enlightenment, because everything is separate, but also a unity.
If you even suffer from obesity or serious illnesses (depression, burn-out, psychological disorders of all kinds), you should seek professional help, for example from the many free counseling centers, which your health insurance company can also tell you about.
When coping with anxiety, not only the mind must be involved, no, the body must also be decently involved. The well-being is to be considered holistically, already the old Romans brought the thing on the point: A healthy spirit can live only in a healthy body.
The way is (as always) the most important goal!
The best gift is health; frugality is the sun of wealth, the most faithful clan is trust and Nirvana is the highest bliss.
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - 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)
6 Minuten
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
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
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
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
6 Minuten
The only place
The only place we can be is here, right here, where we are right now, because it is our fate, our karma, our destiny. Only here, and nowhere else, in this very special spot, in a place that is "our" place right now, but that can be "empty" again in the very next moment, or could be the place of another person. Or might cease to exist as a place, break apart, perhaps recompose itself, who knows?
Imagination is a very powerful force. With it we choose the parts that we perceive, that we allow to penetrate our consciousness, that we understand as reality, simply because we close our eyes to the other realities. We make the world as we like it, but it is not like that, it will never be like that. If we understand all people as "bad", then we will also meet "bad" people, constantly and everywhere. But if we cultivate a generally "good" conception, then we will also meet the "good" things, living beings and incidents, just as it pleases us.
But the truth is neither "good" nor "bad", but nothing of what we have made up, nothing of it exists. Because the perception, we have created for ourselves, the reality we do not even know, and there is also clearly more like ONE clarity.
Who still divides everything into "good" or "bad", puts it into the said pigeonholes, does not see how things really are, remains caught in the whirlpool of "wrong" perceptions. It is precisely from this tension that suffering, fear and discord arise. The one who refrains from judging the various illusions, clearly advances on the way to "enlightenment", because the imagination then no longer collides with reality, the disappointments do not occur.
Who remains arrested in his pigeonhole thinking, he is a prisoner of himself, he can only awaken if he recognizes that even the absolute reality is an illusion, like a dream within a dream.
But the one who stops fighting against all the things is very close to awakening, who understands that everything must be an illusion of an illusion, there is no other possibility, nor can there be.
Immediately after the unconditional surrender, the admission of total defeat, the cessation of fighting, we realize that even the prison does not exist, we have only fooled ourselves, rubbed up against our fate.
The way is also the goal, the only place!
If one lives too long in one place, too many things accumulate
- 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)
The only place we can be is here, right here, where we are right now, because it is our fate, our karma, our destiny. Only here, and nowhere else, in this very special spot, in a place that is "our" place right now, but that can be "empty" again in the very next moment, or could be the place of another person. Or might cease to exist as a place, break apart, perhaps recompose itself, who knows?
Imagination is a very powerful force. With it we choose the parts that we perceive, that we allow to penetrate our consciousness, that we understand as reality, simply because we close our eyes to the other realities. We make the world as we like it, but it is not like that, it will never be like that. If we understand all people as "bad", then we will also meet "bad" people, constantly and everywhere. But if we cultivate a generally "good" conception, then we will also meet the "good" things, living beings and incidents, just as it pleases us.
But the truth is neither "good" nor "bad", but nothing of what we have made up, nothing of it exists. Because the perception, we have created for ourselves, the reality we do not even know, and there is also clearly more like ONE clarity.
Who still divides everything into "good" or "bad", puts it into the said pigeonholes, does not see how things really are, remains caught in the whirlpool of "wrong" perceptions. It is precisely from this tension that suffering, fear and discord arise. The one who refrains from judging the various illusions, clearly advances on the way to "enlightenment", because the imagination then no longer collides with reality, the disappointments do not occur.
Who remains arrested in his pigeonhole thinking, he is a prisoner of himself, he can only awaken if he recognizes that even the absolute reality is an illusion, like a dream within a dream.
But the one who stops fighting against all the things is very close to awakening, who understands that everything must be an illusion of an illusion, there is no other possibility, nor can there be.
Immediately after the unconditional surrender, the admission of total defeat, the cessation of fighting, we realize that even the prison does not exist, we have only fooled ourselves, rubbed up against our fate.
The way is also the goal, the only place!
If one lives too long in one place, too many things accumulate
- 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)
