Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks Archiv
364 Episoden
6 Minuten
Legumes as a substitute for meat
Legumes are healthy and they make you full, lentils, beans and peas are real superfoods that can replace meat and provide enough iron.
Buddhists in particular are accustomed to meat-free food, but are always looking for new ideas to add variety to their cooking as well.
Whether in a delicious curry, or as a burger without meat, legumes are incredibly versatile, also always offer a culinary surprise. In my youth, legumes were still a side dish, the satiator, which is also gladly called saturation side dish. Today that is completely different, there all possible special forms of the leguminous plants became genuine stars. Straight ones the vegan and the vegetarian scene discovered a completely new kitchen in the meat substitute from leguminous plants. Here the legumes are then often even used as a substitute for pasta, potatoes or rice.
Especially in my hometown of Stuttgart, "Lentils with spaetzle" have long been a filling meal for the less fortunate, a poor man's dish that has made it to certain notoriety. Anyone visiting the Swabian capital should try the popular lentils.
By consuming legumes, people absorb a lot of fiber, minerals and various vitamins, and the complex carbohydrates can help with weight loss and disease prevention.
Similar to bakery products made from whole grains, pulses also provide longer-lasting satiety; you don't want to eat something else right away because there is content here. So calories can be saved, just the many people plaguing "constant appetite" is usually contained after the consumption of legumes.
Especially important is the consumption of legumes for people with pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, gout or rheumatism, since, for example, according to the teachings of the Mayr cure, all diseases originate from the intestines, so the healthy fruits from the pod should come preferentially on the table (I for my part follow the teachings of the doctor Franz Xaver Mayr unconditionally, who was the father of the Mayr cure).
Legumes are also low in fat and an important source of protein. The soybean, for example, is very popular as a source of protein, especially in Asia, and in Europe soy products are on the rise.
In the supermarkets in the meantime whole shelves with legume mash are found, straight Hummus becomes ever more popular, tastes for instance as spread, or as addition to vegetables.
If you do without animal products completely, you can cover your iron requirements from pulses, since the healthy vegetables provide a high iron content. However, dietary supplements (especially iron) should always be taken.
Just with the meal applies: The way is the goal!
Whoever looks for pleasure unrestrained, without measure at the meal and sluggish, weak in forces: the Mara falls like the storm the tree enclosure.
- 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)
Legumes are healthy and they make you full, lentils, beans and peas are real superfoods that can replace meat and provide enough iron.
Buddhists in particular are accustomed to meat-free food, but are always looking for new ideas to add variety to their cooking as well.
Whether in a delicious curry, or as a burger without meat, legumes are incredibly versatile, also always offer a culinary surprise. In my youth, legumes were still a side dish, the satiator, which is also gladly called saturation side dish. Today that is completely different, there all possible special forms of the leguminous plants became genuine stars. Straight ones the vegan and the vegetarian scene discovered a completely new kitchen in the meat substitute from leguminous plants. Here the legumes are then often even used as a substitute for pasta, potatoes or rice.
Especially in my hometown of Stuttgart, "Lentils with spaetzle" have long been a filling meal for the less fortunate, a poor man's dish that has made it to certain notoriety. Anyone visiting the Swabian capital should try the popular lentils.
By consuming legumes, people absorb a lot of fiber, minerals and various vitamins, and the complex carbohydrates can help with weight loss and disease prevention.
Similar to bakery products made from whole grains, pulses also provide longer-lasting satiety; you don't want to eat something else right away because there is content here. So calories can be saved, just the many people plaguing "constant appetite" is usually contained after the consumption of legumes.
Especially important is the consumption of legumes for people with pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, gout or rheumatism, since, for example, according to the teachings of the Mayr cure, all diseases originate from the intestines, so the healthy fruits from the pod should come preferentially on the table (I for my part follow the teachings of the doctor Franz Xaver Mayr unconditionally, who was the father of the Mayr cure).
Legumes are also low in fat and an important source of protein. The soybean, for example, is very popular as a source of protein, especially in Asia, and in Europe soy products are on the rise.
In the supermarkets in the meantime whole shelves with legume mash are found, straight Hummus becomes ever more popular, tastes for instance as spread, or as addition to vegetables.
If you do without animal products completely, you can cover your iron requirements from pulses, since the healthy vegetables provide a high iron content. However, dietary supplements (especially iron) should always be taken.
Just with the meal applies: The way is the goal!
Whoever looks for pleasure unrestrained, without measure at the meal and sluggish, weak in forces: the Mara falls like the storm the tree enclosure.
- 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 4
So first of all I unpacked my backpack, I would still be able to think about the connections later. Nevertheless, a queasy feeling remained, what had driven me here to the Shaolin Temple China? Wasn't that much too ambitious for a recreational athlete? On the way here I passed countless martial arts schools, saw surely tens of thousands (if not more) of students, lined up for training, flexible and fast, with a completely different physique than me, small and nimble, me big and strong.
The young men trained all day, I watched them for hours, up and down they ran lanes, practicing punches, kicks, sweeps, holds, strength and endurance. And now here I come, a typical German recreational athlete, training three times a week, between school, university and work, more time just wasn't in it. The hard-working Chinese were completely different, they trained for about 9 hours a day, I couldn't even manage that once a week. What had gotten me into this? How did I get the stupid idea to go to the Shaolin Temple to learn Kung Fu from the monks? What an overconfidence.
What I did not know at that time was that the temple was actually taboo for all "normal" students, that only monks and novices found (and find) admission here. I was to find this out much later, at the time of my "admission" to the temple I was not aware of this at all. What honor was bestowed upon me here, I was not at all aware of. According to the normal rules I should have been accepted "only" in one of the schools, not at all in the temple. However, after a long period of isolation, I was one of the first people interested, so I seemed unusual and interesting.
I had quickly stowed my few things, when my new friend asked me to come with him. It went out through the main entrance onto the temple path, which was packed over and over with stalls. Mile after mile of small stores, mainly food and souvenirs, it was noisy and full of foreign smells. Shi Yan Zi bought sweet potatoes at one stall, a sticky candy at another, we devoured everything hungrily as we walked. Then we walked around the area, stopping here and there, the monk talked to many people, he seemed to be very well known, clearly, he was the only one with such clothing. The tourists were also long gone, the area now seemed quiet and peaceful, in some corners you could still hear Buddhist songs from the tape, there was a magical mood, almost magical, so my first evening seemed to me. Slowly we strolled back to the temple, the simple bulb in the room barely gave light, we quickly went to bed. I into my sleeping bag, which I packed on the rack, the monk put on a tracksuit, lay down fully dressed on his mattress, covered himself with all kinds of things, it was bitterly cold, the monk's hermitage was without windows, only some newspaper replaced a glass, we slept almost "outside", visibly with a few degrees in the minus.
The way was and is my goal!
Long lasts the night to the awake, long the way to the wandering tired.
Long wanders through the worlds, to whom knowledge is not granted
- Buddha - honorary name of the 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)
So first of all I unpacked my backpack, I would still be able to think about the connections later. Nevertheless, a queasy feeling remained, what had driven me here to the Shaolin Temple China? Wasn't that much too ambitious for a recreational athlete? On the way here I passed countless martial arts schools, saw surely tens of thousands (if not more) of students, lined up for training, flexible and fast, with a completely different physique than me, small and nimble, me big and strong.
The young men trained all day, I watched them for hours, up and down they ran lanes, practicing punches, kicks, sweeps, holds, strength and endurance. And now here I come, a typical German recreational athlete, training three times a week, between school, university and work, more time just wasn't in it. The hard-working Chinese were completely different, they trained for about 9 hours a day, I couldn't even manage that once a week. What had gotten me into this? How did I get the stupid idea to go to the Shaolin Temple to learn Kung Fu from the monks? What an overconfidence.
What I did not know at that time was that the temple was actually taboo for all "normal" students, that only monks and novices found (and find) admission here. I was to find this out much later, at the time of my "admission" to the temple I was not aware of this at all. What honor was bestowed upon me here, I was not at all aware of. According to the normal rules I should have been accepted "only" in one of the schools, not at all in the temple. However, after a long period of isolation, I was one of the first people interested, so I seemed unusual and interesting.
I had quickly stowed my few things, when my new friend asked me to come with him. It went out through the main entrance onto the temple path, which was packed over and over with stalls. Mile after mile of small stores, mainly food and souvenirs, it was noisy and full of foreign smells. Shi Yan Zi bought sweet potatoes at one stall, a sticky candy at another, we devoured everything hungrily as we walked. Then we walked around the area, stopping here and there, the monk talked to many people, he seemed to be very well known, clearly, he was the only one with such clothing. The tourists were also long gone, the area now seemed quiet and peaceful, in some corners you could still hear Buddhist songs from the tape, there was a magical mood, almost magical, so my first evening seemed to me. Slowly we strolled back to the temple, the simple bulb in the room barely gave light, we quickly went to bed. I into my sleeping bag, which I packed on the rack, the monk put on a tracksuit, lay down fully dressed on his mattress, covered himself with all kinds of things, it was bitterly cold, the monk's hermitage was without windows, only some newspaper replaced a glass, we slept almost "outside", visibly with a few degrees in the minus.
The way was and is my goal!
Long lasts the night to the awake, long the way to the wandering tired.
Long wanders through the worlds, to whom knowledge is not granted
- Buddha - honorary name of the 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
Endure our Self
We all end up just trying to bear ourselves somehow. We are all vulnerable, very needy, full of anger and rage, but also filled with shame.
Until today, we do not feel sufficiently loved, we all suffer from the same things that the great teacher has shown us to be useless. There is no justice in this world, certainly not in this universe, and there is no truth either, only the countless subjective sensations that we feel to be true, from which we then "knit" "our" truth.
Who is honest to himself will have to admit that our human existence is only difficult to bear. First of all the great uncertainty, what comes after death, is there a life after, what happens to "me", will I go to heaven, to hell, will I be born again, or was that it after my departure. And then the fact that we age, become sick and ugly, might be dependent on care, the prospects are not really inspiring in themselves. Furthermore, the dangers that lurk on the path of life, that we have to endure and suffer, human existence is hard to bear.
But the situation is quite different for those of us who follow the Buddha's teachings, either as "feel-good Buddhists", or as already awakened ones. The philosophy of the Indian prince helps us a lot to bear (and thus to carry) our self, because nothing we can change the result, everything is as the karma dictates. Of course, we have acquired the karma in previous incarnations, so we are not to blame (today). Besides, it is connected with the destiny of the people around us, with the karma of the whole universe.
We must learn to bear ourselves, we must not be displeased with our self, we must not hate our reflection, we must accept everything and everyone in our life, because we have no choice anyway. Then we can also go our way in peace and quiet. However, as long as we are caught up in the occidental concept of guilt and atonement, no "awakening" will be possible, because the self cannot be endured from this mindset.
We can and must detach ourselves from the old thought patterns, follow the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers, detach ourselves from subjective feelings. Because only then, when we deal with the matter, only then we can understand the connections.
And the way is and remains the goal!
He who has reached the goal of the wandering, free of suffering, after long waiting, stands free, all fetters have fallen.
- 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 all end up just trying to bear ourselves somehow. We are all vulnerable, very needy, full of anger and rage, but also filled with shame.
Until today, we do not feel sufficiently loved, we all suffer from the same things that the great teacher has shown us to be useless. There is no justice in this world, certainly not in this universe, and there is no truth either, only the countless subjective sensations that we feel to be true, from which we then "knit" "our" truth.
Who is honest to himself will have to admit that our human existence is only difficult to bear. First of all the great uncertainty, what comes after death, is there a life after, what happens to "me", will I go to heaven, to hell, will I be born again, or was that it after my departure. And then the fact that we age, become sick and ugly, might be dependent on care, the prospects are not really inspiring in themselves. Furthermore, the dangers that lurk on the path of life, that we have to endure and suffer, human existence is hard to bear.
But the situation is quite different for those of us who follow the Buddha's teachings, either as "feel-good Buddhists", or as already awakened ones. The philosophy of the Indian prince helps us a lot to bear (and thus to carry) our self, because nothing we can change the result, everything is as the karma dictates. Of course, we have acquired the karma in previous incarnations, so we are not to blame (today). Besides, it is connected with the destiny of the people around us, with the karma of the whole universe.
We must learn to bear ourselves, we must not be displeased with our self, we must not hate our reflection, we must accept everything and everyone in our life, because we have no choice anyway. Then we can also go our way in peace and quiet. However, as long as we are caught up in the occidental concept of guilt and atonement, no "awakening" will be possible, because the self cannot be endured from this mindset.
We can and must detach ourselves from the old thought patterns, follow the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers, detach ourselves from subjective feelings. Because only then, when we deal with the matter, only then we can understand the connections.
And the way is and remains the goal!
He who has reached the goal of the wandering, free of suffering, after long waiting, stands free, all fetters have fallen.
- 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 Inner Critic Part 2
We could also equate the so-called inner critic with thinking itself, because we think that the voice in our head is our voice, our ego. But we don't realize that there is also an ego that is doing its mischief here, that makes us believe in all kinds of horror scenarios, 99 percent of which don't happen, of course.
This ego (and its constant, usually aggravating voice) is the result of evolution, which makes us live through all kinds of situations, simply to warn us of the dangers that might occur, to prepare us for them, to go through life carefully and thoughtfully. Today, however, there is not a saber-toothed tiger lurking behind every rock, the ego has become independent, but continues to present us with all possible threats, simply because that is the task of the ego.
Today we must silence this ego, just as the teacher of all teachers has exemplified to us.
Because in this context, the inner voice brings up issues that are de facto harmful to us, because here we are "persuaded" that there is something "wrong" with us. Also, more and more fears arise in this way, which in no way improve things, but rather unsettle us, because the feeling arises that something about us does not fit.
No matter what the ego wants to tell us, we have to silence this voice, but we have to think about real things, like making plans, or lists, or papers, but we have to switch off the chattering ego.
What do you think life would be like without the thoughts that we are not "good" enough?
What would it be like without the feeling that we are always doing everything "wrong"?
What could become of us if we didn't think that we couldn't do "it"?
On the contrary, should we instead put ourselves in a mental state where we could be satisfied with who we are, make the inner voice stop?
The inner critic, in most cases, is an accumulation of the past, of the experiences that have shaped us, that we have inherited from whomever, from upbringing, from family and friends, from work, from wherever.
According to Buddha, everything always comes the way it has to come, so everything is fine the way it is right now, it's ok.
Every moment is good as it is, because it is our karma, so we can be happy, why not?
Free yourself from this inner critic, the way is the goal!
What hits us, springs from thinking, always goes back to thinking
- 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 could also equate the so-called inner critic with thinking itself, because we think that the voice in our head is our voice, our ego. But we don't realize that there is also an ego that is doing its mischief here, that makes us believe in all kinds of horror scenarios, 99 percent of which don't happen, of course.
This ego (and its constant, usually aggravating voice) is the result of evolution, which makes us live through all kinds of situations, simply to warn us of the dangers that might occur, to prepare us for them, to go through life carefully and thoughtfully. Today, however, there is not a saber-toothed tiger lurking behind every rock, the ego has become independent, but continues to present us with all possible threats, simply because that is the task of the ego.
Today we must silence this ego, just as the teacher of all teachers has exemplified to us.
Because in this context, the inner voice brings up issues that are de facto harmful to us, because here we are "persuaded" that there is something "wrong" with us. Also, more and more fears arise in this way, which in no way improve things, but rather unsettle us, because the feeling arises that something about us does not fit.
No matter what the ego wants to tell us, we have to silence this voice, but we have to think about real things, like making plans, or lists, or papers, but we have to switch off the chattering ego.
What do you think life would be like without the thoughts that we are not "good" enough?
What would it be like without the feeling that we are always doing everything "wrong"?
What could become of us if we didn't think that we couldn't do "it"?
On the contrary, should we instead put ourselves in a mental state where we could be satisfied with who we are, make the inner voice stop?
The inner critic, in most cases, is an accumulation of the past, of the experiences that have shaped us, that we have inherited from whomever, from upbringing, from family and friends, from work, from wherever.
According to Buddha, everything always comes the way it has to come, so everything is fine the way it is right now, it's ok.
Every moment is good as it is, because it is our karma, so we can be happy, why not?
Free yourself from this inner critic, the way is the goal!
What hits us, springs from thinking, always goes back to thinking
- 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)
8 Minuten
Beginning part 3
With due respect (and shaking knees) I waited for a reaction from the monk Shi Yan Zi regarding my question whether I could learn martial arts here (in the Shaolin Temple), the time just wouldn't pass.
Then his hand reached for my arm, he felt the muscles, then the shoulders, then the upper body, finally the leg muscles. The procedure was quite "rough", but I could tell that he knew what he was doing, the pain went through my limbs again and again. He seemed to be hitting specific acupuncture points, probably wanting to test my physique and stamina.
After what felt like an eternity, he straightened up and looked deeply into my eyes. He didn't make a face, more minutes passed, and the whole thing seemed to me like a scan of my thoughts.
After what seemed like an eternity, he nodded at me, a "heave" came from his lips, he gestured for me to follow him. The path went through courtyards, temple doors, buildings, cloisters, rooms and side rooms, past statues and steles, up and down I trotted behind him with my backpack.
When we finally arrived in front of a simple wooden door, the monk opened the door and kindly waved me in. The room was simple and spartan, there was no glass in the windows, the furniture was made of nailed-together wood, the door actually consisted only of two crossbars and boards nailed on top, the sun shone through everywhere, you could lock it, but with a huge key.
The bed was also homemade, which immediately caught the eye. And although it was already noticeably warmer in the mountains (in April), there was clearly no heating, the room was freezing cold.
Everywhere there were weights carved out of stone, large and smaller ones, pulleys attached to the ceiling, surely for strength training, the monk looked like a walking wall unit after all. The situation was somehow reminiscent of the US comics "The Flintstones", looked at closely, the furnishings were very very simple.
The only seats were two stools (also homemade) without backrests, one of which my new friend pushed towards me, indicating that I should sit down.
The monk made tea, woo long, an unforgettable delicacy that I still can't get enough of. As there was only one bed in the large room, Shi Yan Zi set out to organise another mattress, offering the bed to me.
Everything looked old and scuffed, but it was evening, I was tired, didn't understand much anyway, then better make arrangements. The sheet was thin, the light was a lone bulb without a lampshade.
The Shaolin Temple is high up in the sacred Song Shan mountains, here it gets really cold at night, which is why the monks only take off their clothes to wash, otherwise they stay fully dressed day and night, in their rooms, in the religious buildings, just everywhere.
When I dreamt of the Shaolin Temple, I had imagined it all quite differently, more glamorous, more sublime, also more well-kept. Certainly not accommodation that we would use for animals, without glass in the windows, without heating, without any comfort.
You can read about how things went on in one of my next posts in the next few days.
The way is the goal!
He who gathers his thinking seriously, free of all desire for pleasure, who dwells beyond good and evil, also dwells beyond all anxiety.
- 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)
With due respect (and shaking knees) I waited for a reaction from the monk Shi Yan Zi regarding my question whether I could learn martial arts here (in the Shaolin Temple), the time just wouldn't pass.
Then his hand reached for my arm, he felt the muscles, then the shoulders, then the upper body, finally the leg muscles. The procedure was quite "rough", but I could tell that he knew what he was doing, the pain went through my limbs again and again. He seemed to be hitting specific acupuncture points, probably wanting to test my physique and stamina.
After what felt like an eternity, he straightened up and looked deeply into my eyes. He didn't make a face, more minutes passed, and the whole thing seemed to me like a scan of my thoughts.
After what seemed like an eternity, he nodded at me, a "heave" came from his lips, he gestured for me to follow him. The path went through courtyards, temple doors, buildings, cloisters, rooms and side rooms, past statues and steles, up and down I trotted behind him with my backpack.
When we finally arrived in front of a simple wooden door, the monk opened the door and kindly waved me in. The room was simple and spartan, there was no glass in the windows, the furniture was made of nailed-together wood, the door actually consisted only of two crossbars and boards nailed on top, the sun shone through everywhere, you could lock it, but with a huge key.
The bed was also homemade, which immediately caught the eye. And although it was already noticeably warmer in the mountains (in April), there was clearly no heating, the room was freezing cold.
Everywhere there were weights carved out of stone, large and smaller ones, pulleys attached to the ceiling, surely for strength training, the monk looked like a walking wall unit after all. The situation was somehow reminiscent of the US comics "The Flintstones", looked at closely, the furnishings were very very simple.
The only seats were two stools (also homemade) without backrests, one of which my new friend pushed towards me, indicating that I should sit down.
The monk made tea, woo long, an unforgettable delicacy that I still can't get enough of. As there was only one bed in the large room, Shi Yan Zi set out to organise another mattress, offering the bed to me.
Everything looked old and scuffed, but it was evening, I was tired, didn't understand much anyway, then better make arrangements. The sheet was thin, the light was a lone bulb without a lampshade.
The Shaolin Temple is high up in the sacred Song Shan mountains, here it gets really cold at night, which is why the monks only take off their clothes to wash, otherwise they stay fully dressed day and night, in their rooms, in the religious buildings, just everywhere.
When I dreamt of the Shaolin Temple, I had imagined it all quite differently, more glamorous, more sublime, also more well-kept. Certainly not accommodation that we would use for animals, without glass in the windows, without heating, without any comfort.
You can read about how things went on in one of my next posts in the next few days.
The way is the goal!
He who gathers his thinking seriously, free of all desire for pleasure, who dwells beyond good and evil, also dwells beyond all anxiety.
- 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
Immersion in Buddha Nature
Those who have left the deep valley of desires, opinions, evaluations and resolutions come closer and closer to their Buddha-nature. No more: "I am the .......", or: "I am the ........", nor: "I am that .......", no, but only: "I am", completely without putting a description after it, or a profession, or a gender, simply without any explanation!
Because it simply doesn't matter what (or who) you are, what matters is that you are! Without any characteristics, without any role, without any pretended wanting; whoever can do that has reached the ultimate security, has come incredibly closer to his Buddha-nature.
Of course, you have to be able to do that, have the right nerves, develop them first, develop the endeavour, figure out the necessary steps. However, without wanting to, but by "giving" it real freedom, giving oneself the opportunity to reflect on the experiences one has had, to open up a spiritual basis which then, after a fair distance along the way, enables a powerful presence that can do without fears.
In order to achieve such a state of being, "one" must first also take care of one's "being", no longer allow oneself to drift, no longer live from moment to moment. For this, few things are better suited than the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers, who explained precisely (but in a language from long ago) how the path must be followed. All suffering comes from attachment, which we humans develop (despite knowing better) because we have such great fears of the truth.
The "I am" is the beginning of the path, which leads on the pathless path to the gateless gate, culminating in Nirvana.
Whoever now thinks that he/she can determine and explain everything with the intellect cannot let go enough, whoever must trust, must leave his/her course to the Buddha's teaching. What we think we know is only illusion anyway, according to the great teacher, but the "I am", that is a temporary fact.
Whoever then experiences the contradiction between intellect and letting go, takes another step towards awakening, can slowly "take hold" of the situation, think more and more thoughts, which then become more and more purposeful.
Then, one fine day, the "I-am" will also fall away, the depth of the teaching can be experienced, awakening comes within reach.
The true Buddha-nature slumbers directly under the "I-am", still overlaid by debris and shards that have accumulated in the course of life.
As always, the path is the goal!
May my deed be praised far and wide, to me the glory, to me the honour!
To me the dominion over all that I will and whom I will!
The fool thinks and is blindly led to greed and arrogance.
- Buddha - honorific 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)
Those who have left the deep valley of desires, opinions, evaluations and resolutions come closer and closer to their Buddha-nature. No more: "I am the .......", or: "I am the ........", nor: "I am that .......", no, but only: "I am", completely without putting a description after it, or a profession, or a gender, simply without any explanation!
Because it simply doesn't matter what (or who) you are, what matters is that you are! Without any characteristics, without any role, without any pretended wanting; whoever can do that has reached the ultimate security, has come incredibly closer to his Buddha-nature.
Of course, you have to be able to do that, have the right nerves, develop them first, develop the endeavour, figure out the necessary steps. However, without wanting to, but by "giving" it real freedom, giving oneself the opportunity to reflect on the experiences one has had, to open up a spiritual basis which then, after a fair distance along the way, enables a powerful presence that can do without fears.
In order to achieve such a state of being, "one" must first also take care of one's "being", no longer allow oneself to drift, no longer live from moment to moment. For this, few things are better suited than the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers, who explained precisely (but in a language from long ago) how the path must be followed. All suffering comes from attachment, which we humans develop (despite knowing better) because we have such great fears of the truth.
The "I am" is the beginning of the path, which leads on the pathless path to the gateless gate, culminating in Nirvana.
Whoever now thinks that he/she can determine and explain everything with the intellect cannot let go enough, whoever must trust, must leave his/her course to the Buddha's teaching. What we think we know is only illusion anyway, according to the great teacher, but the "I am", that is a temporary fact.
Whoever then experiences the contradiction between intellect and letting go, takes another step towards awakening, can slowly "take hold" of the situation, think more and more thoughts, which then become more and more purposeful.
Then, one fine day, the "I-am" will also fall away, the depth of the teaching can be experienced, awakening comes within reach.
The true Buddha-nature slumbers directly under the "I-am", still overlaid by debris and shards that have accumulated in the course of life.
As always, the path is the goal!
May my deed be praised far and wide, to me the glory, to me the honour!
To me the dominion over all that I will and whom I will!
The fool thinks and is blindly led to greed and arrogance.
- Buddha - honorific 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
Beginning part 2
Read part 1 of "Beginning" here click
As I walked through the temple door, I passed the temple guards and the Mile Fo, the happy, fat Buddha.
After that, everything seemed so familiar, the first courtyard lay before me, buildings to the left and right, a staircase in the middle, trees and stelae all around, some older, some newer, the faint smell of garlic over everything.
An endless number of tourists made their way through the complex, always following a tour guide with flags and a megaphone.
Chatter and chatter, as if it were a quiet and tranquil temple, it was as loud as a fairground. There was no sign of the world-famous Shaolin monks, who had probably fled from the tourists, understandable at any rate.
Through another gate, we went easily up the hill into the second courtyard, which was laid out similarly to the first, then followed (again through a door) the third, then the fourth courtyard. Here, in the middle, resided the abbot of Shaolin (but I didn't know that at the time).
Slowly the temple emptied, I got tired, sat down on a bench in a side courtyard, then I saw the first monk coming straight towards me, a real monk, at least dressed like in the films, should it be true, at least the one fighter I wanted to meet, I waved to him friendly, he looked at me, what a wall of wardrobe the man was, wide as high, with the gait of a feline predator.
Friendly he greeted me back. I was a special case in China at that time, apart from me I saw no Europeans, the country was still "Red China", entry was not easy, individual tourism did not (yet) exist. So it was clear that the monk was curious, who was sitting here in "his" temple, how had the person come here, what had probably moved him?
Suddenly it was there again, the fear. What had possessed me to come here, I spoiled little man from the West. I wanted to belong to the hard men, what presumption! I had brought a translation computer with me, on which I painstakingly entered my words (the thing was not yet as comfortable as the models nowadays), but we were able to establish some kind of understanding.
Where am I from, the powerhouse asked. And what's my name? Rainer, from Germany. His name was Shi Yan Zi, the pocket computer announced his words. And Germany is very popular in China, where is my group?
I typed into the computer that I would not have a group. What was I doing here all alone, the now curious monk asked? I wanted to learn Kung Fu here at the source, with the world-famous Shaolin monks, I explained to him.
He looked at me and said nothing for a long time.
What happened then, you can read in one of my next articles.
The path is the goal!
Paradoxical as it may seem, there is a path that can and must be travelled, but there is no traveller. Actions are performed, but there is no doer.
- 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)
Read part 1 of "Beginning" here click
As I walked through the temple door, I passed the temple guards and the Mile Fo, the happy, fat Buddha.
After that, everything seemed so familiar, the first courtyard lay before me, buildings to the left and right, a staircase in the middle, trees and stelae all around, some older, some newer, the faint smell of garlic over everything.
An endless number of tourists made their way through the complex, always following a tour guide with flags and a megaphone.
Chatter and chatter, as if it were a quiet and tranquil temple, it was as loud as a fairground. There was no sign of the world-famous Shaolin monks, who had probably fled from the tourists, understandable at any rate.
Through another gate, we went easily up the hill into the second courtyard, which was laid out similarly to the first, then followed (again through a door) the third, then the fourth courtyard. Here, in the middle, resided the abbot of Shaolin (but I didn't know that at the time).
Slowly the temple emptied, I got tired, sat down on a bench in a side courtyard, then I saw the first monk coming straight towards me, a real monk, at least dressed like in the films, should it be true, at least the one fighter I wanted to meet, I waved to him friendly, he looked at me, what a wall of wardrobe the man was, wide as high, with the gait of a feline predator.
Friendly he greeted me back. I was a special case in China at that time, apart from me I saw no Europeans, the country was still "Red China", entry was not easy, individual tourism did not (yet) exist. So it was clear that the monk was curious, who was sitting here in "his" temple, how had the person come here, what had probably moved him?
Suddenly it was there again, the fear. What had possessed me to come here, I spoiled little man from the West. I wanted to belong to the hard men, what presumption! I had brought a translation computer with me, on which I painstakingly entered my words (the thing was not yet as comfortable as the models nowadays), but we were able to establish some kind of understanding.
Where am I from, the powerhouse asked. And what's my name? Rainer, from Germany. His name was Shi Yan Zi, the pocket computer announced his words. And Germany is very popular in China, where is my group?
I typed into the computer that I would not have a group. What was I doing here all alone, the now curious monk asked? I wanted to learn Kung Fu here at the source, with the world-famous Shaolin monks, I explained to him.
He looked at me and said nothing for a long time.
What happened then, you can read in one of my next articles.
The path is the goal!
Paradoxical as it may seem, there is a path that can and must be travelled, but there is no traveller. Actions are performed, but there is no doer.
- 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)
8 Minuten
Saying goodbye
In a very popular monastery, the moment came for one of the masters when life would soon come to an end. When he felt the foreboding he went into his hermitage, bathed, shaved and cut his hair one last time. Then he put on his most beautiful robe, went into the banquet hall, called the younger monks together.
When all the inhabitants of the temple were gathered, the wise master raised his voice, instructed the novice to ring the bell and, in a calm but collected manner, explained his request, namely his wish to say goodbye to all the disciples and to go his last way surrounded by the monks.
As soon as he had finished, his life energy became weaker and weaker, his inner strength left him, the disciples became frightened, the master was a great role model in the whole world, he was loved and revered, to see him like this frightened his followers, a great howling filled the hall, all those present had tears in their eyes.
The Master, who was already almost in another world, was frightened and opened his eyes, which had been closed almost forever, suddenly there was strength in him again, the suffering of his brothers touched him. He said to them: a true follower of Buddha should not be measured by worldly feelings, but have a free and independent mind. We teach people that life consists of suffering, but if we masters and our novices also suffer in the same way as all other living beings, then something is not right, not as the great teacher taught us. Certainly, human existence is difficult, life consists mainly of suffering, birth, old age, illness and death are the lot of all living beings, but complaining about it does not bring any change.
No matter what the wise master told his disciples and confreres, the lamentation around him did not diminish, the tears flowed, the voices failed. Then the wise master gathered all his energy once more, he wanted to live on until his confreres and novices had understood this last lesson.
So he said: "We want to have a feast together once more, and I would like to explain to you the lesson of saying goodbye. I cannot leave without leaving you this important wisdom. Afterwards I want to go in peace, please do not make it difficult for me to say goodbye.
No sooner said than done, the monks and novices jumped apart, seeing hope again, wanting to keep their master alive as long as possible. When the master then asked when the feast might take place, he was given all kinds of excuses to postpone his departure as long as possible. Sometimes the monk was ill, sometimes there was another reason. Then the moment came when the matter could no longer be postponed, the banquet took place. At the end, the master raised his voice one last time, trying to convey to his fellow monks that, according to Buddha's teaching, taking leave must be done without complaining and lamenting, so that the one who is leaving can also leave in peace.
One of the senior monks stood up and said: "We know about the Buddha's teachings, but when you are personally affected as you are now, it is really difficult to let go of attachments. We know that you, as our master, will understand this best. The monk sat down, the old master got up and left the hall without a greeting. Once in his room, he sat down in the lotus position and passed away.
The path is the goal!
Do not ask about the origin, but ask about the conduct; for truly, fire is made from wood.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
In a very popular monastery, the moment came for one of the masters when life would soon come to an end. When he felt the foreboding he went into his hermitage, bathed, shaved and cut his hair one last time. Then he put on his most beautiful robe, went into the banquet hall, called the younger monks together.
When all the inhabitants of the temple were gathered, the wise master raised his voice, instructed the novice to ring the bell and, in a calm but collected manner, explained his request, namely his wish to say goodbye to all the disciples and to go his last way surrounded by the monks.
As soon as he had finished, his life energy became weaker and weaker, his inner strength left him, the disciples became frightened, the master was a great role model in the whole world, he was loved and revered, to see him like this frightened his followers, a great howling filled the hall, all those present had tears in their eyes.
The Master, who was already almost in another world, was frightened and opened his eyes, which had been closed almost forever, suddenly there was strength in him again, the suffering of his brothers touched him. He said to them: a true follower of Buddha should not be measured by worldly feelings, but have a free and independent mind. We teach people that life consists of suffering, but if we masters and our novices also suffer in the same way as all other living beings, then something is not right, not as the great teacher taught us. Certainly, human existence is difficult, life consists mainly of suffering, birth, old age, illness and death are the lot of all living beings, but complaining about it does not bring any change.
No matter what the wise master told his disciples and confreres, the lamentation around him did not diminish, the tears flowed, the voices failed. Then the wise master gathered all his energy once more, he wanted to live on until his confreres and novices had understood this last lesson.
So he said: "We want to have a feast together once more, and I would like to explain to you the lesson of saying goodbye. I cannot leave without leaving you this important wisdom. Afterwards I want to go in peace, please do not make it difficult for me to say goodbye.
No sooner said than done, the monks and novices jumped apart, seeing hope again, wanting to keep their master alive as long as possible. When the master then asked when the feast might take place, he was given all kinds of excuses to postpone his departure as long as possible. Sometimes the monk was ill, sometimes there was another reason. Then the moment came when the matter could no longer be postponed, the banquet took place. At the end, the master raised his voice one last time, trying to convey to his fellow monks that, according to Buddha's teaching, taking leave must be done without complaining and lamenting, so that the one who is leaving can also leave in peace.
One of the senior monks stood up and said: "We know about the Buddha's teachings, but when you are personally affected as you are now, it is really difficult to let go of attachments. We know that you, as our master, will understand this best. The monk sat down, the old master got up and left the hall without a greeting. Once in his room, he sat down in the lotus position and passed away.
The path is the goal!
Do not ask about the origin, but ask about the conduct; for truly, fire is made from wood.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
7 Minuten
Buddhism and the Flag Part 2
In a temple once lived a learned master, he had many interesting and extraordinary disciples. One day, when a group of monks came to visit, the master invited the foreign monks to dinner. The conversation was animated, the wandering monks told of the events on their journey.
The next day, the wise monk taught the travellers, explaining his view of things, followed by an erudite conversation. Of course, the topic was mainly the teaching of the teacher all teachers, where different views and opinions opposed each other again and again.
At the end of the conversation, the topic of the parable of the wind and the flags, attributed to the famous master Hui Neng, came up. Do the flags now move in the wind, or do they move because they have the possibility to do so, the movement would be their true characteristic?
Of course, each of those present had his own opinion on the subject, none was prepared to accept the other's view. There was only one thing they all agreed on, Master Hui Neng, as one of Buddha's followers, was beyond all doubt.
It is precisely on this subject that disputes arise again and again in Buddhist monasteries, because it is not clear how the great master from the past "really" meant this parable. The very question of whether the movement of the flags can only be noticed in the mind, whether perhaps without the observer there would be no movement at all, this dispute has been going on for many centuries. In any case, it is justified to think about this, because without the observer there would be no sound.
In any case, if there was no wind, there would be no movement of the flags, so that the spirit could not move either, one of the monks said. Everyone had to think about this for a while, the mood recovered, and the dispute seemed to be resolved at first.
Until one of those present had the idea to quote the monk's exact words correctly: "it is not the wind, it is not the flags, it is the spirit that moves things".
And again the argument broke out anew, the one saying that all things come from the spirit, the other saying that where there is no spirit to argue, there can be no argument.
This discussion is somewhat reminiscent of the argument about which came first, the hen or the egg!
In any case, the path is the goal!
As a flame goes out with the wind, is blown away and concepts no longer fit, so is the way freed from "spirit and body": He can no longer be grasped conceptually
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
In a temple once lived a learned master, he had many interesting and extraordinary disciples. One day, when a group of monks came to visit, the master invited the foreign monks to dinner. The conversation was animated, the wandering monks told of the events on their journey.
The next day, the wise monk taught the travellers, explaining his view of things, followed by an erudite conversation. Of course, the topic was mainly the teaching of the teacher all teachers, where different views and opinions opposed each other again and again.
At the end of the conversation, the topic of the parable of the wind and the flags, attributed to the famous master Hui Neng, came up. Do the flags now move in the wind, or do they move because they have the possibility to do so, the movement would be their true characteristic?
Of course, each of those present had his own opinion on the subject, none was prepared to accept the other's view. There was only one thing they all agreed on, Master Hui Neng, as one of Buddha's followers, was beyond all doubt.
It is precisely on this subject that disputes arise again and again in Buddhist monasteries, because it is not clear how the great master from the past "really" meant this parable. The very question of whether the movement of the flags can only be noticed in the mind, whether perhaps without the observer there would be no movement at all, this dispute has been going on for many centuries. In any case, it is justified to think about this, because without the observer there would be no sound.
In any case, if there was no wind, there would be no movement of the flags, so that the spirit could not move either, one of the monks said. Everyone had to think about this for a while, the mood recovered, and the dispute seemed to be resolved at first.
Until one of those present had the idea to quote the monk's exact words correctly: "it is not the wind, it is not the flags, it is the spirit that moves things".
And again the argument broke out anew, the one saying that all things come from the spirit, the other saying that where there is no spirit to argue, there can be no argument.
This discussion is somewhat reminiscent of the argument about which came first, the hen or the egg!
In any case, the path is the goal!
As a flame goes out with the wind, is blown away and concepts no longer fit, so is the way freed from "spirit and body": He can no longer be grasped conceptually
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Contemplate every breath
Buddha taught his disciples to regard breathing as the centre of meditative contemplation.
If you really want to arrive in the now, in the here and now, you can't avoid the fact that you also have to occupy yourself with your breathing, to look at every breath, to evaluate it and to consider why it might be different from the last one.
If you breathe mindfully, you will quickly realise that no two breaths are the same, they are all special, they all have their characteristics, they all depend on many factors.
Everyone knows that our breathing is different when we are anxious, when we are excited, when we are hungry or simply "out of breath". But even small things have an influence on our breathing, show us how it looks in our mind palace, what our emotional state is, what emotions are spreading inside us.
And of course it works the other way round too, when we control and monitor our breathing, it has an effect on our well-being, on our personality and on our general life. So both sides influence each other, and of course we should think about how things are actually connected.
Would you like to take the trouble to look at your breath? What do you notice first, what things change immediately, what stays the same, what is good, what could be better?
For my part, I have studied breathing therapy according to Professor Middendorf for many years and have practised Qi Gong for most of my life. If, for example, I open a door "with" the breath, then it is easy for me, if I fight "against" the breath, then it is a difficult undertaking.
Breathing is the absolute centre of every human being, the fuel that gets us through the day. That's why it makes sense to take a closer look at this system, to simply give breathing more value and importance. Most people don't even think about their breathing, but I see it as my centre.
Here on my website you will find some breathing exercises that you can easily practise. When you start to enjoy your breathing you will find that you can gain an incredible amount of energy, that you benefit a lot from looking at your breath.
If you are willing to expend some energy here, you will reach a whole new level of human existence. Calm, cultivated breathing can also protect against illness, or rather fight it. When the breath can flow freely, an incredible feeling of happiness sets in.
The path is the goal!
Why do we put so much emphasis on food and so little on breathing and even less on our thoughts?
- Ebo Rau - German physician - born 1945
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Buddha taught his disciples to regard breathing as the centre of meditative contemplation.
If you really want to arrive in the now, in the here and now, you can't avoid the fact that you also have to occupy yourself with your breathing, to look at every breath, to evaluate it and to consider why it might be different from the last one.
If you breathe mindfully, you will quickly realise that no two breaths are the same, they are all special, they all have their characteristics, they all depend on many factors.
Everyone knows that our breathing is different when we are anxious, when we are excited, when we are hungry or simply "out of breath". But even small things have an influence on our breathing, show us how it looks in our mind palace, what our emotional state is, what emotions are spreading inside us.
And of course it works the other way round too, when we control and monitor our breathing, it has an effect on our well-being, on our personality and on our general life. So both sides influence each other, and of course we should think about how things are actually connected.
Would you like to take the trouble to look at your breath? What do you notice first, what things change immediately, what stays the same, what is good, what could be better?
For my part, I have studied breathing therapy according to Professor Middendorf for many years and have practised Qi Gong for most of my life. If, for example, I open a door "with" the breath, then it is easy for me, if I fight "against" the breath, then it is a difficult undertaking.
Breathing is the absolute centre of every human being, the fuel that gets us through the day. That's why it makes sense to take a closer look at this system, to simply give breathing more value and importance. Most people don't even think about their breathing, but I see it as my centre.
Here on my website you will find some breathing exercises that you can easily practise. When you start to enjoy your breathing you will find that you can gain an incredible amount of energy, that you benefit a lot from looking at your breath.
If you are willing to expend some energy here, you will reach a whole new level of human existence. Calm, cultivated breathing can also protect against illness, or rather fight it. When the breath can flow freely, an incredible feeling of happiness sets in.
The path is the goal!
Why do we put so much emphasis on food and so little on breathing and even less on our thoughts?
- Ebo Rau - German physician - born 1945
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
The emergency
As in every religion (or worldview), there are also places in Buddhism to which people go on pilgrimage to connect with the special spirituality of the area, to express wishes and ask for fulfilment, or simply to search for their own self in peace and quiet.
On one of these pilgrimages, a pious man once crossed an inhospitable desert, the air was dry, the path dusty, the destination still far. When a storm arose, he lost all orientation, wandered about, had lost his way. Further and further he strayed from his path, deeper and deeper into the sandy desert his way led. He also had no more supplies, far and wide there was no house, no human being and no animal to be seen.
As he rummaged through his pockets once more, he noticed a small green apple that he had taken from a tree a few days ago while passing by. Now, of course, he was happy about the unexpected find in his pockets, but he put the apple away again, as it was still completely unripe.
The pilgrim continued to search for his original path, but he was hopelessly lost. His hunger grew and thirst nearly drove him mad. Several times he thought of giving up, sitting down and falling asleep, hoping never to wake up and escape the hardships of fate. But again and again he thought of the small, green apple that was just waiting to be eaten in his pocket, often taking it out, looking at it almost lovingly, because in some way this apple symbolised hope for him, so he put it back in his pocket and thought to himself that he would only eat this apple in an extreme emergency. And right now it was not yet so bad that this extreme emergency would have occurred, so he put the apple back into his pocket again and again.
So the apple became a strong synonym for hope for the pilgrim, because he had something in his pocket for an emergency, he had something he could rely on, he was not without supplies.
After wandering for a while, the exhausted man finally reached his original path again, towards the original place, on the way to his destination. He had saved himself, saw people again, found water and food. When he was finally able to rest under a shady palm tree, he pulled the apple out of his pocket and bit into the still sour apple with relish. The apple tasted delicious, it was the best apple he had ever eaten in his life.
The path is the goal!
When your thoughts are full of restlessness, when you cast your eyes eagerly for pleasures
Your thirst must only increase, your thirst creates your fetters: strong ropes.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
As in every religion (or worldview), there are also places in Buddhism to which people go on pilgrimage to connect with the special spirituality of the area, to express wishes and ask for fulfilment, or simply to search for their own self in peace and quiet.
On one of these pilgrimages, a pious man once crossed an inhospitable desert, the air was dry, the path dusty, the destination still far. When a storm arose, he lost all orientation, wandered about, had lost his way. Further and further he strayed from his path, deeper and deeper into the sandy desert his way led. He also had no more supplies, far and wide there was no house, no human being and no animal to be seen.
As he rummaged through his pockets once more, he noticed a small green apple that he had taken from a tree a few days ago while passing by. Now, of course, he was happy about the unexpected find in his pockets, but he put the apple away again, as it was still completely unripe.
The pilgrim continued to search for his original path, but he was hopelessly lost. His hunger grew and thirst nearly drove him mad. Several times he thought of giving up, sitting down and falling asleep, hoping never to wake up and escape the hardships of fate. But again and again he thought of the small, green apple that was just waiting to be eaten in his pocket, often taking it out, looking at it almost lovingly, because in some way this apple symbolised hope for him, so he put it back in his pocket and thought to himself that he would only eat this apple in an extreme emergency. And right now it was not yet so bad that this extreme emergency would have occurred, so he put the apple back into his pocket again and again.
So the apple became a strong synonym for hope for the pilgrim, because he had something in his pocket for an emergency, he had something he could rely on, he was not without supplies.
After wandering for a while, the exhausted man finally reached his original path again, towards the original place, on the way to his destination. He had saved himself, saw people again, found water and food. When he was finally able to rest under a shady palm tree, he pulled the apple out of his pocket and bit into the still sour apple with relish. The apple tasted delicious, it was the best apple he had ever eaten in his life.
The path is the goal!
When your thoughts are full of restlessness, when you cast your eyes eagerly for pleasures
Your thirst must only increase, your thirst creates your fetters: strong ropes.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
The lottery win
Imagine that a friend of yours had won the jackpot in the lottery without knowing about it, perhaps because the ticket can no longer be found or he has simply forgotten about it.
Now your friend would be a millionaire without having the slightest idea of the process, without wasting a thought on it, he would not have to think about it, he would not have to tell anyone about it, he would not have to conceal it, NOTHING would change for your friend, at least not as long as he does not know about it.
The situation is completely different when your friend knows about the winnings, now hundreds of considerations arise, the mind palace really gets going, what to do, who to ask, will life as a millionaire still be the same? Questions upon questions suddenly burst out of your friend, everything has to be put in order, has to be brought under control.
Or is it not?
Let's compare the two hypothetical states of said friend. The only difference is that in the first case he knows nothing, but in the second he does. Only his emotional state has completely changed for him, he is otherwise still the same guy, outwardly in any case, inwardly it is a different situation.
A Buddhist would (theoretically) behave like in the first scenario if he won the lottery, he wouldn't change just because he won (something), but he would be the person he was before.
If you think about it like this, once you were the friend, put yourself in his shoes. Imagine that you were the big winner, only you didn't know it yet. Now a certain security radiates through you, because financial prosperity brings independence, everyday worries become smaller. Now you think through the scenario, but now you "know" about the win.
This duality of events is also the right way of thinking for all lifetimes. Does she love me, or does she not? Does it really make a difference? After all, what is important is your feelings without asking for anything in return.
If you love, if you feel like a winner, no matter if you have won, then you are following the Buddha on his path.
What is important is not how things are, but how your attitude towards them is, how you look at things, which subsequently makes up your emotions.
Every new day is a real lottery win, the big jackpot is your inner attitude, nothing else.
The path is the goal!
Fight hatred by not hating, by kindness the wicked, win the miser by your sacrifices and the liar by your love of truth.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Imagine that a friend of yours had won the jackpot in the lottery without knowing about it, perhaps because the ticket can no longer be found or he has simply forgotten about it.
Now your friend would be a millionaire without having the slightest idea of the process, without wasting a thought on it, he would not have to think about it, he would not have to tell anyone about it, he would not have to conceal it, NOTHING would change for your friend, at least not as long as he does not know about it.
The situation is completely different when your friend knows about the winnings, now hundreds of considerations arise, the mind palace really gets going, what to do, who to ask, will life as a millionaire still be the same? Questions upon questions suddenly burst out of your friend, everything has to be put in order, has to be brought under control.
Or is it not?
Let's compare the two hypothetical states of said friend. The only difference is that in the first case he knows nothing, but in the second he does. Only his emotional state has completely changed for him, he is otherwise still the same guy, outwardly in any case, inwardly it is a different situation.
A Buddhist would (theoretically) behave like in the first scenario if he won the lottery, he wouldn't change just because he won (something), but he would be the person he was before.
If you think about it like this, once you were the friend, put yourself in his shoes. Imagine that you were the big winner, only you didn't know it yet. Now a certain security radiates through you, because financial prosperity brings independence, everyday worries become smaller. Now you think through the scenario, but now you "know" about the win.
This duality of events is also the right way of thinking for all lifetimes. Does she love me, or does she not? Does it really make a difference? After all, what is important is your feelings without asking for anything in return.
If you love, if you feel like a winner, no matter if you have won, then you are following the Buddha on his path.
What is important is not how things are, but how your attitude towards them is, how you look at things, which subsequently makes up your emotions.
Every new day is a real lottery win, the big jackpot is your inner attitude, nothing else.
The path is the goal!
Fight hatred by not hating, by kindness the wicked, win the miser by your sacrifices and the liar by your love of truth.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
6 Minuten
In search of the truth
In Buddhist temples, people like to tell each other stories, since cell phones, laptops or tablets are usually not allowed.
I find the story about the search for "the truth" particularly beautiful.
Once upon a time there was a powerful king who had already grown old. He had a beautiful daughter who could hardly resist offers, but he decided to give her as a wife only to the man who would find "the truth". When he had this announced, the young men poured out of his kingdom, each wanting to find "the truth" and live with the beautiful princess.
Those who wanted to marry traveled to all temples, to all provinces, to every wise man who had already been reported somewhere, everywhere they asked for "the truth", where one could find it.
On remote mountains, in distant valleys, in cities and in villages, everywhere the collective search for "the truth" broke out.
"The truth" itself was also coming of age, at some times it stood tall, at other times it had to hide. She quickly learned of the search for her, the birds brought her the news, yet she did not leave her cave in the mountains, "the truth" had endured too much over the centuries. She had become an old woman, her hair hung tangled in her face, her wrinkles were deep, she had no more teeth, she had already seen a lot, "the truth" had suffered badly over the years.
Suddenly a young warrior stood in the entrance to the cave, he was wet and shaky, but he asked determinedly, "Are you 'the truth', I've been looking everywhere for you?"
"Yes, I am 'the truth', I live here secluded, because most people just don't want to hear "the truth", they like beautiful lies better, I am tired of living with their stupidity, so I better hide here, but you come in and keep me company."
The two disparate people started talking, for a whole day and night, without a break. The young warrior learned answers to all his questions, he became a wise and educated man in a short time. He explained to "the truth" why he was here in the first place, "the truth" began to smile, and said, "yes yes, love".
The young warrior wanted to go back to the beautiful princess, the anticipation overwhelmed him. Then he asked how he could prove that he had found "the truth", and further, what he should tell about "the truth".
"The truth" answered him wisely: "Say that I am young and incredibly pretty, the rest will come naturally. But don't tell anyone where you found me."
Doubt everything. Find your own light
- Buddha - honorary name of Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
In Buddhist temples, people like to tell each other stories, since cell phones, laptops or tablets are usually not allowed.
I find the story about the search for "the truth" particularly beautiful.
Once upon a time there was a powerful king who had already grown old. He had a beautiful daughter who could hardly resist offers, but he decided to give her as a wife only to the man who would find "the truth". When he had this announced, the young men poured out of his kingdom, each wanting to find "the truth" and live with the beautiful princess.
Those who wanted to marry traveled to all temples, to all provinces, to every wise man who had already been reported somewhere, everywhere they asked for "the truth", where one could find it.
On remote mountains, in distant valleys, in cities and in villages, everywhere the collective search for "the truth" broke out.
"The truth" itself was also coming of age, at some times it stood tall, at other times it had to hide. She quickly learned of the search for her, the birds brought her the news, yet she did not leave her cave in the mountains, "the truth" had endured too much over the centuries. She had become an old woman, her hair hung tangled in her face, her wrinkles were deep, she had no more teeth, she had already seen a lot, "the truth" had suffered badly over the years.
Suddenly a young warrior stood in the entrance to the cave, he was wet and shaky, but he asked determinedly, "Are you 'the truth', I've been looking everywhere for you?"
"Yes, I am 'the truth', I live here secluded, because most people just don't want to hear "the truth", they like beautiful lies better, I am tired of living with their stupidity, so I better hide here, but you come in and keep me company."
The two disparate people started talking, for a whole day and night, without a break. The young warrior learned answers to all his questions, he became a wise and educated man in a short time. He explained to "the truth" why he was here in the first place, "the truth" began to smile, and said, "yes yes, love".
The young warrior wanted to go back to the beautiful princess, the anticipation overwhelmed him. Then he asked how he could prove that he had found "the truth", and further, what he should tell about "the truth".
"The truth" answered him wisely: "Say that I am young and incredibly pretty, the rest will come naturally. But don't tell anyone where you found me."
Doubt everything. Find your own light
- Buddha - honorary name of Indian philosopher Siddhartha Gautama
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
The Spiritual Guide Part 4
Have you heard the first parts about the "spiritual guides" here on my podcast?
Those in search of a spiritual teacher are particularly susceptible to cults. At first glance, cults make sense, of course, as they use values such as community, harmony, cohesion, and a sense of belonging to attract souls who feel alone and abandoned. Cults also approach people, speak directly to potential candidates on the street, and woo particularly lonely people.
In a second step, there is suddenly talk of money, the spiritual must be worth something, even a spiritual teacher must pay his rent, electricity is not for free and the car does not run on water either, period, you have to understand that! And the more expensive the seminar is, the more valuable is surely the content?
Does your adored guru perhaps even drive a Rolls-Royce? Are monthly fees demanded, or do you have the impression that profit is to be made from spiritual guidance?
Anyone who may tell you that spiritual breakthrough will come without effort and discipline is lying to you. A good Buddhist guide points with an outstretched index finger to the direction in which you should set out, but this guide is only a signpost, he is not himself the solution.
Whoever is looking for spiritual presence is welcome to be inspired, but he or she has to walk the path himself, no guru, no guide, no teacher, simply no one is able to take this part from us. We are not carried up the mountain, we have to make our own effort, the teacher can only be a kind of mountain guide for us, who just (leads) our way up the mountain, but just does not walk it.
A good spiritual guide will prepare you for the journey, will enable you to start and walk the journey.
The connection between teacher and student is something unique. I for one have been devoted to my master Shi Yan Zi for almost 40 years, we see each other frequently, talk on the phone regularly, I will be going to visit him again soon. When we see each other, sometimes I call him by his name, but sometimes I just call him Master.
For the people who wish to have a master, I like to be the virtual teacher and friend, a patient companion, a rock, daily you can read and listen to my words, just accept the offer, it costs you nothing (except time).
Again: the way is the goal!
To be rich in truth, diligence, virtuous control, and at the same time to speak good words, that brings the highest salvation.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Have you heard the first parts about the "spiritual guides" here on my podcast?
Those in search of a spiritual teacher are particularly susceptible to cults. At first glance, cults make sense, of course, as they use values such as community, harmony, cohesion, and a sense of belonging to attract souls who feel alone and abandoned. Cults also approach people, speak directly to potential candidates on the street, and woo particularly lonely people.
In a second step, there is suddenly talk of money, the spiritual must be worth something, even a spiritual teacher must pay his rent, electricity is not for free and the car does not run on water either, period, you have to understand that! And the more expensive the seminar is, the more valuable is surely the content?
Does your adored guru perhaps even drive a Rolls-Royce? Are monthly fees demanded, or do you have the impression that profit is to be made from spiritual guidance?
Anyone who may tell you that spiritual breakthrough will come without effort and discipline is lying to you. A good Buddhist guide points with an outstretched index finger to the direction in which you should set out, but this guide is only a signpost, he is not himself the solution.
Whoever is looking for spiritual presence is welcome to be inspired, but he or she has to walk the path himself, no guru, no guide, no teacher, simply no one is able to take this part from us. We are not carried up the mountain, we have to make our own effort, the teacher can only be a kind of mountain guide for us, who just (leads) our way up the mountain, but just does not walk it.
A good spiritual guide will prepare you for the journey, will enable you to start and walk the journey.
The connection between teacher and student is something unique. I for one have been devoted to my master Shi Yan Zi for almost 40 years, we see each other frequently, talk on the phone regularly, I will be going to visit him again soon. When we see each other, sometimes I call him by his name, but sometimes I just call him Master.
For the people who wish to have a master, I like to be the virtual teacher and friend, a patient companion, a rock, daily you can read and listen to my words, just accept the offer, it costs you nothing (except time).
Again: the way is the goal!
To be rich in truth, diligence, virtuous control, and at the same time to speak good words, that brings the highest salvation.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
The Spiritual Guide Part 3
Have you heard the first parts about the "spiritual guides" here on my podcast?
Whoever thinks that one will find a great, gifted master (such as Buddha, Mohammad or Jesus Christ was) only if he/she searches long enough, misses the peculiarity of such exceptional personalities, who appear once every millennia, then retain a voice in the reverberations of history.
The contemporary witnesses of such spiritual leaders often had to deal with difficult situations (for example, the disciples of Jesus Christ), which for normal people seem almost overpowering, carried the suffering of whole generations, discredited until today (Judas).
To find a great teacher, even in one's own environment, perhaps even in one's own city, seems to be a pure stroke of luck (the said six correct numbers in the lottery). Here one should set clearly smaller requirements, so that one is not disappointed then.
Who goes with smaller wishes to the search for a spiritual teacher, which should look around first for a kind of adviser, whereby here the question is whether this "expert" is on the correct way, or not. On the path to one's self, to Buddha-nature, we all need (now and then) a nudge, a little lesson, some assistance. A person who is able to provide that can be the (or a) guide on the journey. We can learn something from every person, but the question is whether this knowledge enriches our path, whether it is purposeful for our ideas?
Usually the teaching finds the person, at least that's how it was in my case. And so it goes with spiritual guides, they find the seekers. An inner voice then tells you that here is something worth looking at, which triggers an echo in your ego, causes a reaction.
But what about the teacher, the spiritual guide, can you follow him/her? Does he/she make an impression on you, do hunches come up in you here, a certain intuition that tells you that here is something worth discovering?
Whoever flatters you, plays with your feelings, makes you bigger than you are, only wants your money, or at least other advantages. Your ego craves to know why you are special, why you are the only one, why not listen, the words are a balm for your soul?
In China, the master-disciple relationship represents something unique, especially in Shaolin Temple China, where the master, in addition to the spiritual component, is also the teacher of martial arts, so can teach the practitioner real pain. This idea does not really suit the normal Central European, which is why adjustments are necessary here.
In the next days you will read here the last part about the search for a "spiritual guide
The way is the goal!
The wise words much and often in the mouth (lead), however limp in the action right way miss, do not become members of holy community, are shepherds, who count the cattle of others.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Have you heard the first parts about the "spiritual guides" here on my podcast?
Whoever thinks that one will find a great, gifted master (such as Buddha, Mohammad or Jesus Christ was) only if he/she searches long enough, misses the peculiarity of such exceptional personalities, who appear once every millennia, then retain a voice in the reverberations of history.
The contemporary witnesses of such spiritual leaders often had to deal with difficult situations (for example, the disciples of Jesus Christ), which for normal people seem almost overpowering, carried the suffering of whole generations, discredited until today (Judas).
To find a great teacher, even in one's own environment, perhaps even in one's own city, seems to be a pure stroke of luck (the said six correct numbers in the lottery). Here one should set clearly smaller requirements, so that one is not disappointed then.
Who goes with smaller wishes to the search for a spiritual teacher, which should look around first for a kind of adviser, whereby here the question is whether this "expert" is on the correct way, or not. On the path to one's self, to Buddha-nature, we all need (now and then) a nudge, a little lesson, some assistance. A person who is able to provide that can be the (or a) guide on the journey. We can learn something from every person, but the question is whether this knowledge enriches our path, whether it is purposeful for our ideas?
Usually the teaching finds the person, at least that's how it was in my case. And so it goes with spiritual guides, they find the seekers. An inner voice then tells you that here is something worth looking at, which triggers an echo in your ego, causes a reaction.
But what about the teacher, the spiritual guide, can you follow him/her? Does he/she make an impression on you, do hunches come up in you here, a certain intuition that tells you that here is something worth discovering?
Whoever flatters you, plays with your feelings, makes you bigger than you are, only wants your money, or at least other advantages. Your ego craves to know why you are special, why you are the only one, why not listen, the words are a balm for your soul?
In China, the master-disciple relationship represents something unique, especially in Shaolin Temple China, where the master, in addition to the spiritual component, is also the teacher of martial arts, so can teach the practitioner real pain. This idea does not really suit the normal Central European, which is why adjustments are necessary here.
In the next days you will read here the last part about the search for a "spiritual guide
The way is the goal!
The wise words much and often in the mouth (lead), however limp in the action right way miss, do not become members of holy community, are shepherds, who count the cattle of others.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
