Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks Archiv
364 Episoden
6 Minuten
The truth about wolves
There are two wolves living in us; one wolf is bad, he stands for bad qualities like arrogance, jealousy, greed, envy and jealousy. The other wolf is good, representing peace, goodness, hope and love.
These two wolves are in each of us, fighting daily against each other, consciously or unconsciously.
The wolf that we feed, that we pay attention to with our thoughts, that we spend our energies on, will win.
You can see a thing this way or that way, express yourself about it this way or that way, put your focus this way or that way.
Example:
Option A - I am so exhausted from all the work, never having any money, having to raise my children, and now also taking care of my sick mother
Option B - I am so happy that I have enough work, money is tight but I manage, my children are a complete joy, my mother lives with us now, that's nice.
We are often not aware of how we evaluate things, but an attentive listener can already recognize our thoughts and feelings from the energy of the words.
What can we do, how can we improve ourselves here?
First we should ask ourselves if we want to improve at all, which wolf we will feed in the future, how our energy should be from now on.
Then we can consciously pay attention to our thoughts, such as replacing an "I must" with an "I will", integrate the mindfulness taught by Buddha into our lives, become attentive to the energies. Right cognition, right thinking, right acting and right speaking can be practiced, this strengthens one's self, one's character, one's personality.
As a next step we should get used to distinguish the two wolves, to train ourselves to feed only the 'good' wolf, for example by starting to look forward to everyday things. I look forward to cooking dinner (for me and my family), I look forward to doing laundry, I look forward to cleaning day, I LOOK FORWARD TO ..............
Such an approach makes us humble and grateful, thankful for every moment, for every day, for every encounter.
Whether success or failure, I am glad for every experience, it makes me grateful and happy to be able to "experience", to "be", to be human.
Search in your memory palace for the two wolves, give them a name, personalize the two. Talk to the wolves inside you, become aware of them.
See how you can get rid of the bad wolf!
I will not miss fighting, fighting will miss me
- Muhammad Ali - former US boxer - 1942 to 2016
I fight, I fight to win
- Margaret Thatcher - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - 1925 to 2013
When we fight evil, we fight the most terrible thing of all: Indifference
- Robin Williams - US actor and comedian - 1951 - 2014
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
There are two wolves living in us; one wolf is bad, he stands for bad qualities like arrogance, jealousy, greed, envy and jealousy. The other wolf is good, representing peace, goodness, hope and love.
These two wolves are in each of us, fighting daily against each other, consciously or unconsciously.
The wolf that we feed, that we pay attention to with our thoughts, that we spend our energies on, will win.
You can see a thing this way or that way, express yourself about it this way or that way, put your focus this way or that way.
Example:
Option A - I am so exhausted from all the work, never having any money, having to raise my children, and now also taking care of my sick mother
Option B - I am so happy that I have enough work, money is tight but I manage, my children are a complete joy, my mother lives with us now, that's nice.
We are often not aware of how we evaluate things, but an attentive listener can already recognize our thoughts and feelings from the energy of the words.
What can we do, how can we improve ourselves here?
First we should ask ourselves if we want to improve at all, which wolf we will feed in the future, how our energy should be from now on.
Then we can consciously pay attention to our thoughts, such as replacing an "I must" with an "I will", integrate the mindfulness taught by Buddha into our lives, become attentive to the energies. Right cognition, right thinking, right acting and right speaking can be practiced, this strengthens one's self, one's character, one's personality.
As a next step we should get used to distinguish the two wolves, to train ourselves to feed only the 'good' wolf, for example by starting to look forward to everyday things. I look forward to cooking dinner (for me and my family), I look forward to doing laundry, I look forward to cleaning day, I LOOK FORWARD TO ..............
Such an approach makes us humble and grateful, thankful for every moment, for every day, for every encounter.
Whether success or failure, I am glad for every experience, it makes me grateful and happy to be able to "experience", to "be", to be human.
Search in your memory palace for the two wolves, give them a name, personalize the two. Talk to the wolves inside you, become aware of them.
See how you can get rid of the bad wolf!
I will not miss fighting, fighting will miss me
- Muhammad Ali - former US boxer - 1942 to 2016
I fight, I fight to win
- Margaret Thatcher - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - 1925 to 2013
When we fight evil, we fight the most terrible thing of all: Indifference
- Robin Williams - US actor and comedian - 1951 - 2014
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
6 Minuten
The Robber Aṅgulimāla - the Story of the 99 Cut Off Fingers
Aṅgulimāla was a murderer at the time of the historical Buddha.
He was a student at the college, he came from a distinguished family.
Legends tell of his extraordinary good looks. His teacher's wife was also more fond of him than other students, but he refused further contact. Thus, the race woman is said to have been incensed by the rejection. She told her husband, the teacher, that Aṅgulimāla wanted to rape her, but she was just able to prevent it. Her husband became jealous, and began to give the student false advice.
So he should strive for "enlightenment", and for this purpose cut off a finger of 100 people, then he would enter "nirvana".
The young man was probably very handsome, but somewhat simple-minded, he set out to fulfill the task set by the teacher. When he found that no one wanted to "donate" a finger for the personal "enlightenment" of the Aṅgulimāla, he proceeded to kill people, cut off their coveted finger, and then "thread" it on a necklace. This is how he got his name, Aṅgulimāla, which translates roughly as "finger necklace."
The powerful serial killer had already threaded 99 fingers onto the necklace when he met the historical Buddha. The latter was to contribute the hundredth finger to the collection, so that he could finally experience "enlightenment". Buddha was not particularly strong, characterized by meditation and asceticism, a simple victim. Thought the killer!
Although the robber ran after Buddha with speed and strength, he could not reach the slowly holy man. Exhausted and full of frustration, Aṅgulimāla called out to Buddha to stop.
Buddha turned around with no apparent emotion, and told Aṅgulimāla that he had been standing for a long time after all, and it was time for Aṅgulimāla to stop as well, to stop killing, to stop hurting other people because of his ego.
Something about the Buddha's person and his words must have touched Aṅgulimāla deeply, he threw away his weapons and followed the Buddha to a monastery where he became a monk, the "enlightenment" struck him like lightning.
The king wanted to arrest Aṅgulimāla and found him together with Buddha in a temple. He paid his respects to Buddha and asked his opinion. The Buddha answered the king: what you could not achieve with weapons, you could easily achieve with the right words!
Impressed, the king moved on with his army, leaving Aṅgulimāla to the Buddha's benevolence.
THE LESSON OF THE STORY?
Even extreme circumstances can be overcome, people can change, one can grow from the right example. Yesterday is not today, what will be tomorrow we do not know. In the moment lies the power, who we meet, which circumstances influence us, also our karma holds lots of surprises.
Have you met the Buddha yet?
HISTORY TEACHES PEOPLE THAT HISTORY TEACHES PEOPLE NOTHING
- MAHATMA GANDHI - INDIAN LAWYER - 1869 TO 1948
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Aṅgulimāla was a murderer at the time of the historical Buddha.
He was a student at the college, he came from a distinguished family.
Legends tell of his extraordinary good looks. His teacher's wife was also more fond of him than other students, but he refused further contact. Thus, the race woman is said to have been incensed by the rejection. She told her husband, the teacher, that Aṅgulimāla wanted to rape her, but she was just able to prevent it. Her husband became jealous, and began to give the student false advice.
So he should strive for "enlightenment", and for this purpose cut off a finger of 100 people, then he would enter "nirvana".
The young man was probably very handsome, but somewhat simple-minded, he set out to fulfill the task set by the teacher. When he found that no one wanted to "donate" a finger for the personal "enlightenment" of the Aṅgulimāla, he proceeded to kill people, cut off their coveted finger, and then "thread" it on a necklace. This is how he got his name, Aṅgulimāla, which translates roughly as "finger necklace."
The powerful serial killer had already threaded 99 fingers onto the necklace when he met the historical Buddha. The latter was to contribute the hundredth finger to the collection, so that he could finally experience "enlightenment". Buddha was not particularly strong, characterized by meditation and asceticism, a simple victim. Thought the killer!
Although the robber ran after Buddha with speed and strength, he could not reach the slowly holy man. Exhausted and full of frustration, Aṅgulimāla called out to Buddha to stop.
Buddha turned around with no apparent emotion, and told Aṅgulimāla that he had been standing for a long time after all, and it was time for Aṅgulimāla to stop as well, to stop killing, to stop hurting other people because of his ego.
Something about the Buddha's person and his words must have touched Aṅgulimāla deeply, he threw away his weapons and followed the Buddha to a monastery where he became a monk, the "enlightenment" struck him like lightning.
The king wanted to arrest Aṅgulimāla and found him together with Buddha in a temple. He paid his respects to Buddha and asked his opinion. The Buddha answered the king: what you could not achieve with weapons, you could easily achieve with the right words!
Impressed, the king moved on with his army, leaving Aṅgulimāla to the Buddha's benevolence.
THE LESSON OF THE STORY?
Even extreme circumstances can be overcome, people can change, one can grow from the right example. Yesterday is not today, what will be tomorrow we do not know. In the moment lies the power, who we meet, which circumstances influence us, also our karma holds lots of surprises.
Have you met the Buddha yet?
HISTORY TEACHES PEOPLE THAT HISTORY TEACHES PEOPLE NOTHING
- MAHATMA GANDHI - INDIAN LAWYER - 1869 TO 1948
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
5 Minuten
The power of the moment
The eye looks, the moment passes instantly!
By a moment we understand a short moment, a small time interval.
A moment passes very quickly, it is irretrievable. It has power, every moment is different, none is comparable, if it passes unused, it remains lost forever.
The strength of each moment we can also sometimes feel, we feel the energy of the moment, positive and also negative. We think we can now "pull out trees", the "world belongs to us". Or we feel weak, depressed, moody or depressed. The power of the moment has many faces.
One moment follows the next, the power of the moment changes, depending on external circumstances, on the people we spend time with, on our thoughts, on our moods.
But wasted time remains wasted time, the clock cannot be turned back.
SO HOW DO WE DEAL WITH OUR TIME OF LIFE?
It's simple: enjoy the moment, its irrepressible power, for better or for worse!
Every moment is precious, every encounter is special, every feeling has its place in this moment.
Search for the power of the moment, because there is always a magic in each time. Make the effort and research, how does this thought, this feeling, this inclination come about; why am I going this way? Consciously absorb the magic of the moment, resting in yourself, waiting for things to arise from the moment.
Absorb the power of the moment, within you, inside you.
Enlightenment is also just a brief moment!
THE MOMENT TAKES WHAT YEARS GIVE
- JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE - GERMAN POET - 1749 TO 1832
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
The eye looks, the moment passes instantly!
By a moment we understand a short moment, a small time interval.
A moment passes very quickly, it is irretrievable. It has power, every moment is different, none is comparable, if it passes unused, it remains lost forever.
The strength of each moment we can also sometimes feel, we feel the energy of the moment, positive and also negative. We think we can now "pull out trees", the "world belongs to us". Or we feel weak, depressed, moody or depressed. The power of the moment has many faces.
One moment follows the next, the power of the moment changes, depending on external circumstances, on the people we spend time with, on our thoughts, on our moods.
But wasted time remains wasted time, the clock cannot be turned back.
SO HOW DO WE DEAL WITH OUR TIME OF LIFE?
It's simple: enjoy the moment, its irrepressible power, for better or for worse!
Every moment is precious, every encounter is special, every feeling has its place in this moment.
Search for the power of the moment, because there is always a magic in each time. Make the effort and research, how does this thought, this feeling, this inclination come about; why am I going this way? Consciously absorb the magic of the moment, resting in yourself, waiting for things to arise from the moment.
Absorb the power of the moment, within you, inside you.
Enlightenment is also just a brief moment!
THE MOMENT TAKES WHAT YEARS GIVE
- JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE - GERMAN POET - 1749 TO 1832
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
6 Minuten
When you meet the Buddha, what do you ask him?
People pray to God, to the prophets, and to Buddha. They ask for this, they wish for that, they ask for that!
In the course of time the wishes change.
Just quickly bought at Amazon the so longed-for new toy (which one had to have absolutely), and already one wishes for something else.
I wish for a beautiful wife, a nice man, a great job, health, happiness, success, whatever.
As soon as I have achieved something, I want or desire something new. Constantly we want something, always more, and always we become more dissatisfied when we don't get it again.
And even when I do get it, I want something else, we are never satisfied, and the dissatisfaction is "pre-programmed", so to speak.
What if I would get the chance to meet Buddha personally, to ask him something? What do I really want to know, what question is close to my heart? Or what wish?
If we ask a question again and again, deal with it intensively, illuminate it, weigh the pros and cons, perhaps ask the question itself a little differently, we then realize that the question already contains the answer.
It is the same with our desires. If we have a really big wish, imagine this wish again and again in our mind, question the wish itself again and again, then we will also find a way to get this wish fulfilled.
BUT WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION, WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT WISH?
What is important in our lives at all, do we know? Or do we just let ourselves be driven by momentary needs and whims? Are we capable of really important insights at all?
Let's play through this thought for a moment! You imagine a question that you would ask Buddha. Just for yourself, you don't have to tell anyone about it.
WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE? WHAT?
I know what I personally would ask Buddha. Every day I rethink the question, formulate it a little differently, imagine how I would deal with his answer, whether it would perhaps astonish or frighten me.
And anyway, a clear question ALWAYS already contains the answer.
And a clearly thought-out wish shows the way to fulfillment.
THE DESIRE TO APPEAR WISE AND CAPABLE OFTEN PREVENTS US FROM BECOMING SO.
- FRANÇOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD - POLITICALLY ACTIVE FRENCH NOBLEMAN - 1613 TO 1680
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
People pray to God, to the prophets, and to Buddha. They ask for this, they wish for that, they ask for that!
In the course of time the wishes change.
Just quickly bought at Amazon the so longed-for new toy (which one had to have absolutely), and already one wishes for something else.
I wish for a beautiful wife, a nice man, a great job, health, happiness, success, whatever.
As soon as I have achieved something, I want or desire something new. Constantly we want something, always more, and always we become more dissatisfied when we don't get it again.
And even when I do get it, I want something else, we are never satisfied, and the dissatisfaction is "pre-programmed", so to speak.
What if I would get the chance to meet Buddha personally, to ask him something? What do I really want to know, what question is close to my heart? Or what wish?
If we ask a question again and again, deal with it intensively, illuminate it, weigh the pros and cons, perhaps ask the question itself a little differently, we then realize that the question already contains the answer.
It is the same with our desires. If we have a really big wish, imagine this wish again and again in our mind, question the wish itself again and again, then we will also find a way to get this wish fulfilled.
BUT WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION, WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT WISH?
What is important in our lives at all, do we know? Or do we just let ourselves be driven by momentary needs and whims? Are we capable of really important insights at all?
Let's play through this thought for a moment! You imagine a question that you would ask Buddha. Just for yourself, you don't have to tell anyone about it.
WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE? WHAT?
I know what I personally would ask Buddha. Every day I rethink the question, formulate it a little differently, imagine how I would deal with his answer, whether it would perhaps astonish or frighten me.
And anyway, a clear question ALWAYS already contains the answer.
And a clearly thought-out wish shows the way to fulfillment.
THE DESIRE TO APPEAR WISE AND CAPABLE OFTEN PREVENTS US FROM BECOMING SO.
- FRANÇOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD - POLITICALLY ACTIVE FRENCH NOBLEMAN - 1613 TO 1680
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
6 Minuten
The devil and the angel on our shoulder....
........ we are, we are angels and devils in human form
Do the figures on your shoulders often talk to you?
And anyway, who are these figures that talk to us?
Well, the answer is very simple: we are ourselves, the characters do not exist, our ego designs the characters; it is our ego that "whispers" nonsense into our ears (by means of the characters), because the thoughts that the ego designs, it hides quite excellently.
There are two kinds of thoughts. First, we think when it is necessary. Like, "I have to make breakfast for my children now, then do the dishes, drive them to school, and then maybe I'll get to work on time." Then, however, the ego blithely chattering away further thoughts all day long UNMINDFULLY, sometimes useful things, but mostly complete nonsense.
In order to come to rest and perhaps begin the journey to "enlightenment" we must "discipline" the ego, "get a grip on it"; the ego is our servant, we are the master of our ego, not the other way around.
If you find this so for yourself, it is important to first of all "look" attentively at your own thoughts; to separate, between the "important" thoughts and the chatter of our ego. Follow your train of thought, don't let the ego get away with every "thought", ask yourself, where does this thought come from now, what does it bring me, does it perhaps come from my ego?
Are you able to distinguish and separate thoughts? What is chatter from the figures on our shoulder, what is important, useful and purposeful thinking? Don't let the ego get away with the chatter!
Do you want to live a life without "angels and devils"?
When you realize that thoughts can be considered separately, the figures on your shoulders will disappear!
The journey to "enlightenment" begins within us, not outside. No God will help us, no master will start the journey for us, we have to start the journey ourselves.
The decision to set out on this path is the first step.
Even a great journey begins with a small step.
WHOEVER LOOKS FOR AN ANGEL AND ONLY LOOKS AT THE WINGS COULD BRING HOME A GOOSE
- GEORG CHRISTOPH LICHTENBERG - FIRST GERMAN PROFESSOR OF EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS - 1742 TO 1799
EACH ONE OF US IS HIS OWN DEVIL, AND WE MAKE THIS WORLD A HELL FOR OURSELVES
- OSCAR WILDE - IRISH WRITER - 1854 TO 1900
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
........ we are, we are angels and devils in human form
Do the figures on your shoulders often talk to you?
And anyway, who are these figures that talk to us?
Well, the answer is very simple: we are ourselves, the characters do not exist, our ego designs the characters; it is our ego that "whispers" nonsense into our ears (by means of the characters), because the thoughts that the ego designs, it hides quite excellently.
There are two kinds of thoughts. First, we think when it is necessary. Like, "I have to make breakfast for my children now, then do the dishes, drive them to school, and then maybe I'll get to work on time." Then, however, the ego blithely chattering away further thoughts all day long UNMINDFULLY, sometimes useful things, but mostly complete nonsense.
In order to come to rest and perhaps begin the journey to "enlightenment" we must "discipline" the ego, "get a grip on it"; the ego is our servant, we are the master of our ego, not the other way around.
If you find this so for yourself, it is important to first of all "look" attentively at your own thoughts; to separate, between the "important" thoughts and the chatter of our ego. Follow your train of thought, don't let the ego get away with every "thought", ask yourself, where does this thought come from now, what does it bring me, does it perhaps come from my ego?
Are you able to distinguish and separate thoughts? What is chatter from the figures on our shoulder, what is important, useful and purposeful thinking? Don't let the ego get away with the chatter!
Do you want to live a life without "angels and devils"?
When you realize that thoughts can be considered separately, the figures on your shoulders will disappear!
The journey to "enlightenment" begins within us, not outside. No God will help us, no master will start the journey for us, we have to start the journey ourselves.
The decision to set out on this path is the first step.
Even a great journey begins with a small step.
WHOEVER LOOKS FOR AN ANGEL AND ONLY LOOKS AT THE WINGS COULD BRING HOME A GOOSE
- GEORG CHRISTOPH LICHTENBERG - FIRST GERMAN PROFESSOR OF EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS - 1742 TO 1799
EACH ONE OF US IS HIS OWN DEVIL, AND WE MAKE THIS WORLD A HELL FOR OURSELVES
- OSCAR WILDE - IRISH WRITER - 1854 TO 1900
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
5 Minuten
Questions about questions
Because we don't know what we are doing ......
I would like to share with you a circumstance that has been bothering me. Whenever I set my alarm clock, I wake up 5 (five) minutes before the alarm. I know from some friends and acquaintances that they feel the same way. If you don't feel the same way, you probably can't really relate to my thoughts.
This raises some questions for me: Do I have an internal clock? I am asleep, how can I wake myself up? Is there perhaps a subconscious that wakes me up? And if so, why does it know the time? And why do I need a clock during the day, if I seem to know the time?
QUESTIONS OVER QUESTIONS.
If you ask "enlightened people", the answer is clear and unanimous: You are not your body, your body is only your vehicle, your means of transportation.
Who or what am I then?
That, according to the answer, everyone must find for himself. If there would be a general answer for this question Buddha would have left us this surely, there is also no instruction manual for the "enlightenment".
So why do I always wake up exactly 5 minutes before the alarm clock?
Maybe you still know the movie with James Dean from 1955, ...... "for they know not what they do" .....? The movie is about a man who wanders through his life without any support and is searching for himself.
People have been searching for ages, who am I, what will the future bring, questions upon questions.
The journey to "enlightenment" can provide answers to these questions, "enlightenment" itself resolves everything.
Who or what awakens me, who am I? How do I get ahead here?
Have you ever asked yourself who you really are? I don't mean the role we all play every day that is second nature to us, but who we really are!
QUESTIONS ABOUT QUESTIONS.
THE GOOD QUESTIONER IS ALREADY HALF ANSWERED
- FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE - GERMAN PHILOSOPHER - 1844 TO 1900
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
Because we don't know what we are doing ......
I would like to share with you a circumstance that has been bothering me. Whenever I set my alarm clock, I wake up 5 (five) minutes before the alarm. I know from some friends and acquaintances that they feel the same way. If you don't feel the same way, you probably can't really relate to my thoughts.
This raises some questions for me: Do I have an internal clock? I am asleep, how can I wake myself up? Is there perhaps a subconscious that wakes me up? And if so, why does it know the time? And why do I need a clock during the day, if I seem to know the time?
QUESTIONS OVER QUESTIONS.
If you ask "enlightened people", the answer is clear and unanimous: You are not your body, your body is only your vehicle, your means of transportation.
Who or what am I then?
That, according to the answer, everyone must find for himself. If there would be a general answer for this question Buddha would have left us this surely, there is also no instruction manual for the "enlightenment".
So why do I always wake up exactly 5 minutes before the alarm clock?
Maybe you still know the movie with James Dean from 1955, ...... "for they know not what they do" .....? The movie is about a man who wanders through his life without any support and is searching for himself.
People have been searching for ages, who am I, what will the future bring, questions upon questions.
The journey to "enlightenment" can provide answers to these questions, "enlightenment" itself resolves everything.
Who or what awakens me, who am I? How do I get ahead here?
Have you ever asked yourself who you really are? I don't mean the role we all play every day that is second nature to us, but who we really are!
QUESTIONS ABOUT QUESTIONS.
THE GOOD QUESTIONER IS ALREADY HALF ANSWERED
- FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE - GERMAN PHILOSOPHER - 1844 TO 1900
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
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6 Minuten
The Prince and the Beggar Child
Buddhist reflections on life
Do you know Mark Twain? In 1881, the English author wrote a historical novel about two boys who looked incredibly alike, and were also born on the same day. One was a beggar child (Tom), the other the son of the King of England (Edward).
Tom's childhood was terrible, his father was poor, brutal and a criminal. He learned to read and write despite all the difficulties, dreaming of a life as a prince, inspired by some books.
Edward, on the other hand, grew up sheltered and without worries, living in his father's palace. The world was open to him, the kingdom was at his feet.
By chance, the two disparate children meet at the palace. On a whim, they exchange clothes. Now Prince Edward is mistaken for the beggar and even thrown out of the palace; the beggar boy Tom is prepared for the coronation after the king's death, while the prince learns the harsh reality of the streets of London.
Both of them keep affirming the confusion, but nobody believes them, they are considered crazy. Prince Edward even has to go to prison, where he feels the full force of the injustice of the time.
On the day of the planned coronation of the beggar child, the confusion is resolved, the real prince becomes king, Tom receives the favor of the new king. The experience as a beggar child made Edward a good king.
SO, WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE? PRINCE OR PAUPER?
Or do you want to realize WHO you really are?
If you were in this situation, what would be your choice, what would you do?
People have no idea who they really are!
Fate can put us in a completely new situation from one moment to the next, events can turn our lives completely upside down in a few moments.
The important thing is to take life as it comes.
Asking "why me?", "why is this happening to me?" is completely useless.
Have you ever imagined to exchange life with someone? How nice it would be if you were "a famous actor", or a "lottery winner".
Rich people dream of a life without responsibility, poor people dream of a life as a "prince".
"What if" brings us nothing, we have to live our life, the thinking of our ego leads to nothing, we have to "silence" the ego.
Have you ever thought about "enlightenment"?
ONLY PERSONALITIES MOVE THE WORLD, NEVER PRINCIPLES
- OSCAR WILDE - IRISH WRITER - 1854 TO 1900
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
Buddhist reflections on life
Do you know Mark Twain? In 1881, the English author wrote a historical novel about two boys who looked incredibly alike, and were also born on the same day. One was a beggar child (Tom), the other the son of the King of England (Edward).
Tom's childhood was terrible, his father was poor, brutal and a criminal. He learned to read and write despite all the difficulties, dreaming of a life as a prince, inspired by some books.
Edward, on the other hand, grew up sheltered and without worries, living in his father's palace. The world was open to him, the kingdom was at his feet.
By chance, the two disparate children meet at the palace. On a whim, they exchange clothes. Now Prince Edward is mistaken for the beggar and even thrown out of the palace; the beggar boy Tom is prepared for the coronation after the king's death, while the prince learns the harsh reality of the streets of London.
Both of them keep affirming the confusion, but nobody believes them, they are considered crazy. Prince Edward even has to go to prison, where he feels the full force of the injustice of the time.
On the day of the planned coronation of the beggar child, the confusion is resolved, the real prince becomes king, Tom receives the favor of the new king. The experience as a beggar child made Edward a good king.
SO, WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE? PRINCE OR PAUPER?
Or do you want to realize WHO you really are?
If you were in this situation, what would be your choice, what would you do?
People have no idea who they really are!
Fate can put us in a completely new situation from one moment to the next, events can turn our lives completely upside down in a few moments.
The important thing is to take life as it comes.
Asking "why me?", "why is this happening to me?" is completely useless.
Have you ever imagined to exchange life with someone? How nice it would be if you were "a famous actor", or a "lottery winner".
Rich people dream of a life without responsibility, poor people dream of a life as a "prince".
"What if" brings us nothing, we have to live our life, the thinking of our ego leads to nothing, we have to "silence" the ego.
Have you ever thought about "enlightenment"?
ONLY PERSONALITIES MOVE THE WORLD, NEVER PRINCIPLES
- OSCAR WILDE - IRISH WRITER - 1854 TO 1900
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5 Minuten
About timing in our lives
Buddhism and timing
About timing in our lives
Imagine you are driving down a road in a car, a car in the opposite lane leaves the lane, rolls over and crashes head-on into your car. Do you see the overturning car coming towards you, can you imagine this situation?
Or you drive along the same road 2 minutes earlier, when then the other car overturns, you are already decisive meters away, nobody crashes into your car.
Buddhists say "karma", other people "luck or bad luck", maybe the word "fate" comes up.
Surely it is worth to think about it once, about the timing, about our "karma".
Here it is of no use to ask: "why me, why did he crash into my car?" "why didn't I turn at the corner before like I usually do?"
You are not unlucky (or lucky), but you arrived at this place according to your "karma", nothing could change your "karma", it came as it had to come.
The view on trifles like "timing" should make us more relaxed, let us recognize the nature of things, and be an impulse to reflect about important things.
2 minutes or 2 meters, small things can determine life and death, joy or unhappiness.
Nothing we can do, nothing remains, everything crumbles to dust, we, the car, even the road, everything will crumble.
If we think about it, it is much easier to determine the values in life correctly.
So what is really important? And what is important to you? What do you want to achieve?
Personally, I think that the only important thing is "enlightenment"!
Creating the conditions for the very big journey.
Are you interested?
BOREDOM, FELT AT THE RIGHT TIME, IS A SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE
- CLIFTON FADIMAN - US WRITER - 1904 TO 1999
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
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Buddhism and timing
About timing in our lives
Imagine you are driving down a road in a car, a car in the opposite lane leaves the lane, rolls over and crashes head-on into your car. Do you see the overturning car coming towards you, can you imagine this situation?
Or you drive along the same road 2 minutes earlier, when then the other car overturns, you are already decisive meters away, nobody crashes into your car.
Buddhists say "karma", other people "luck or bad luck", maybe the word "fate" comes up.
Surely it is worth to think about it once, about the timing, about our "karma".
Here it is of no use to ask: "why me, why did he crash into my car?" "why didn't I turn at the corner before like I usually do?"
You are not unlucky (or lucky), but you arrived at this place according to your "karma", nothing could change your "karma", it came as it had to come.
The view on trifles like "timing" should make us more relaxed, let us recognize the nature of things, and be an impulse to reflect about important things.
2 minutes or 2 meters, small things can determine life and death, joy or unhappiness.
Nothing we can do, nothing remains, everything crumbles to dust, we, the car, even the road, everything will crumble.
If we think about it, it is much easier to determine the values in life correctly.
So what is really important? And what is important to you? What do you want to achieve?
Personally, I think that the only important thing is "enlightenment"!
Creating the conditions for the very big journey.
Are you interested?
BOREDOM, FELT AT THE RIGHT TIME, IS A SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE
- CLIFTON FADIMAN - US WRITER - 1904 TO 1999
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
2 Minuten
The own ego is an illusion
Buddhism and the own perception
The own ego is an illusion, we all play a role in it.
According to Shakespeare, the world is only a stage.
Over time we have merged with the role we play, it has become "flesh and blood" to us. We think we are the person from the role, but have we ever been that person?
The task of a Chan (Zen) master is to peel off layer after layer of personality from other people, like an onion.
How do we perceive ourselves, how do we perceive the world around us? Who is responsible for the way we perceive ourselves and our surroundings? Do we perceive, that is, do we honestly see how we and our environment are?
I claim: NO
We perceive the world and ourselves from our role, so nothing is true, there is no truth in our perception, only how we want to see it, so we see it!
Our ego babbles before itself, so or so the perception has to be; our desires, hopes, expectations, needs and fears strike fully. We constantly develop our role, it grows together with our ego.
We are disappointed when desires, hopes, expectations and needs are not satisfied, our fears seem to come true.
Yes, this disappointment, what are we not always disappointed.
And who is responsible for all the disappointments in our lives?
WE SELF.
Our ego has developed desires, hopes, expectations and needs that seemingly cannot come true, we are inevitably disappointed because we do not accept life as it is, but constantly want events to happen as our ego parrots, according to the role.
So we have produced all disappointments in our life ourselves, all problems are home-made, self-produced.
It doesn't help to complain about problems, disappointments and failures to the gods.
Everything is produced by wrong perception, by the ego, which, according to our role, determines the thinking, the feeling, even the acting.
Cause and effect applies here. Which came first, the hen or the egg?
Our ego babbles, our role arises, wishes, hopes, expectations and needs are based on this.
AND THE WAY OUT?
RIGHT: ENLIGHTENMENT
NOTHING IS IN THE MIND THAT IS NOT FIRST IN THE PERCEPTION
- ARABIC PROVERB -
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
Buddhism and the own perception
The own ego is an illusion, we all play a role in it.
According to Shakespeare, the world is only a stage.
Over time we have merged with the role we play, it has become "flesh and blood" to us. We think we are the person from the role, but have we ever been that person?
The task of a Chan (Zen) master is to peel off layer after layer of personality from other people, like an onion.
How do we perceive ourselves, how do we perceive the world around us? Who is responsible for the way we perceive ourselves and our surroundings? Do we perceive, that is, do we honestly see how we and our environment are?
I claim: NO
We perceive the world and ourselves from our role, so nothing is true, there is no truth in our perception, only how we want to see it, so we see it!
Our ego babbles before itself, so or so the perception has to be; our desires, hopes, expectations, needs and fears strike fully. We constantly develop our role, it grows together with our ego.
We are disappointed when desires, hopes, expectations and needs are not satisfied, our fears seem to come true.
Yes, this disappointment, what are we not always disappointed.
And who is responsible for all the disappointments in our lives?
WE SELF.
Our ego has developed desires, hopes, expectations and needs that seemingly cannot come true, we are inevitably disappointed because we do not accept life as it is, but constantly want events to happen as our ego parrots, according to the role.
So we have produced all disappointments in our life ourselves, all problems are home-made, self-produced.
It doesn't help to complain about problems, disappointments and failures to the gods.
Everything is produced by wrong perception, by the ego, which, according to our role, determines the thinking, the feeling, even the acting.
Cause and effect applies here. Which came first, the hen or the egg?
Our ego babbles, our role arises, wishes, hopes, expectations and needs are based on this.
AND THE WAY OUT?
RIGHT: ENLIGHTENMENT
NOTHING IS IN THE MIND THAT IS NOT FIRST IN THE PERCEPTION
- ARABIC PROVERB -
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
6 Minuten
The way is the goal!
The mountain outside my door
Once upon a time there was a man who lived secluded, right on the path between a beautiful mountain and the nearest town.
When the man went outside the door, he saw the mountain, looked at it long and closely, delighted in the grace, radiance and nobility of the silent giant far in the distance. The slopes shone in bright green, the middle layers appeared stony and brownish, the summit majestic and snow-covered.
He saw the path that stretched from his house to the foot of the mountain through the untouched nature. He saw isolated people walking there. The weather changed, sometimes it rained, sometimes the sun shone. Some days the peak may be hidden in fog, other days the snow shone brightly from the sun.
Can you see the mountain and the way to get there inside you? Close your eyes and let yourself be captivated by its elegance.
Every day the man thought to himself : "one day I will climb the mountain, I just have to do this and that".
Travelers passed by his house and stopped at his place, telling about the mountain, either on their way to the mountain, or coming back from it.
Some of them told him that they wanted to climb the mountain now, why they were going on the dangerous way, what they thought to expect. They told the man about the anticipations of the climb, they told him about their homeland, about their loved ones at home.
The others came back from the mountain, told about the arduous climb, the dangers on the way, about the indescribable joy of being on the summit, about the unbelievably beautiful view into the valley, how far the view can stretch, which travel companions they met, what the plans for the future are, what the mountain and the climb mean to them.
The man listened patiently to all the stories, entertained the travelers, some stayed longer, others lingered only briefly, some simply passed by his house.
Every evening the man planned tomorrow, yes tomorrow, he would also set out, climb the mountain, enjoy the view, linger at the summit.
When he woke up, he just wanted to do something quickly. After all, the mountain will still be there tomorrow.
THE WAY IS THE GOAL!
- CONFUCIUS - CHINESE PHILOSOPHER - 551 TO 479 B.C. CHR.
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
The mountain outside my door
Once upon a time there was a man who lived secluded, right on the path between a beautiful mountain and the nearest town.
When the man went outside the door, he saw the mountain, looked at it long and closely, delighted in the grace, radiance and nobility of the silent giant far in the distance. The slopes shone in bright green, the middle layers appeared stony and brownish, the summit majestic and snow-covered.
He saw the path that stretched from his house to the foot of the mountain through the untouched nature. He saw isolated people walking there. The weather changed, sometimes it rained, sometimes the sun shone. Some days the peak may be hidden in fog, other days the snow shone brightly from the sun.
Can you see the mountain and the way to get there inside you? Close your eyes and let yourself be captivated by its elegance.
Every day the man thought to himself : "one day I will climb the mountain, I just have to do this and that".
Travelers passed by his house and stopped at his place, telling about the mountain, either on their way to the mountain, or coming back from it.
Some of them told him that they wanted to climb the mountain now, why they were going on the dangerous way, what they thought to expect. They told the man about the anticipations of the climb, they told him about their homeland, about their loved ones at home.
The others came back from the mountain, told about the arduous climb, the dangers on the way, about the indescribable joy of being on the summit, about the unbelievably beautiful view into the valley, how far the view can stretch, which travel companions they met, what the plans for the future are, what the mountain and the climb mean to them.
The man listened patiently to all the stories, entertained the travelers, some stayed longer, others lingered only briefly, some simply passed by his house.
Every evening the man planned tomorrow, yes tomorrow, he would also set out, climb the mountain, enjoy the view, linger at the summit.
When he woke up, he just wanted to do something quickly. After all, the mountain will still be there tomorrow.
THE WAY IS THE GOAL!
- CONFUCIUS - CHINESE PHILOSOPHER - 551 TO 479 B.C. CHR.
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
6 Minuten
Reflections on the Ego
What's the point?
I recently had a conversation with a very nice man, we have known each other for some time but have never really spoken. I'll call him Charly here.
Charly has depression, therefore hardly comes out of the house, buries himself, has good and bad days.
Medicine, he said, can't really help him.
Charly has lost his job because of his illness, has few human contacts.
While we were talking, I thought about what I could do for him, how I could support him. I like Charly very much, he has a very pleasant manner, is a really good guy. His charisma is warm, his voice soft and pleasant.
He talked about his mother's depression, how he didn't understand her before, whether the illness was perhaps hereditary, or whether possibly sick parents raise sick children.
I was very touched by his inner resistance, his lack of self-worth, his brokenness. I was also touched by the way Charly opened up to me, trusted me.
I asked him if he was a believer, if he had "support. He said he was a Christian. I asked if he was also interested in Buddhism. Yes, he replied, meditation makes him feel good, but he often does not have the "drive" to do the exercises.
I asked if he had ever dealt with "awakening". Yes, he had, but he was afraid of it, the subject was too difficult for him.
Buddha would have said that "enlightenment" is in each of us, one must only "find" it in our depths. Yes, but he would have doubts whether he would be worth it.
I said that only his ego whispers such thoughts to him, comparable to a small monkey sitting on his shoulder, influencing him, that the ego must be his servant, and not his master, that he could silence the ego, he should at least try.
Charly told, yes, I would be right, he has even already given a name to the little creature on his shoulder.
My advice was, whenever the being on his shoulders makes itself known, he should focus on the subject of "enlightenment", he can always silence the being with the subject.
I also told him about my blog and hope he will read this post.
Shutting down the ego is the first step to create the right environment and conditions for "enlightenment".
EVEN A GREAT JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SMALL STEP
EVERYONE WOULD LIKE TO BE CARY GRANT. EVEN I WOULD LIKE TO BE CARY GRANT
- CARY GRANT - BRITISH-AMERICAN ACTOR - 1904 TO 1986
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
What's the point?
I recently had a conversation with a very nice man, we have known each other for some time but have never really spoken. I'll call him Charly here.
Charly has depression, therefore hardly comes out of the house, buries himself, has good and bad days.
Medicine, he said, can't really help him.
Charly has lost his job because of his illness, has few human contacts.
While we were talking, I thought about what I could do for him, how I could support him. I like Charly very much, he has a very pleasant manner, is a really good guy. His charisma is warm, his voice soft and pleasant.
He talked about his mother's depression, how he didn't understand her before, whether the illness was perhaps hereditary, or whether possibly sick parents raise sick children.
I was very touched by his inner resistance, his lack of self-worth, his brokenness. I was also touched by the way Charly opened up to me, trusted me.
I asked him if he was a believer, if he had "support. He said he was a Christian. I asked if he was also interested in Buddhism. Yes, he replied, meditation makes him feel good, but he often does not have the "drive" to do the exercises.
I asked if he had ever dealt with "awakening". Yes, he had, but he was afraid of it, the subject was too difficult for him.
Buddha would have said that "enlightenment" is in each of us, one must only "find" it in our depths. Yes, but he would have doubts whether he would be worth it.
I said that only his ego whispers such thoughts to him, comparable to a small monkey sitting on his shoulder, influencing him, that the ego must be his servant, and not his master, that he could silence the ego, he should at least try.
Charly told, yes, I would be right, he has even already given a name to the little creature on his shoulder.
My advice was, whenever the being on his shoulders makes itself known, he should focus on the subject of "enlightenment", he can always silence the being with the subject.
I also told him about my blog and hope he will read this post.
Shutting down the ego is the first step to create the right environment and conditions for "enlightenment".
EVEN A GREAT JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SMALL STEP
EVERYONE WOULD LIKE TO BE CARY GRANT. EVEN I WOULD LIKE TO BE CARY GRANT
- CARY GRANT - BRITISH-AMERICAN ACTOR - 1904 TO 1986
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
6 Minuten
Do I want enlightenment, do I want to awaken?
Buddhism and our desires
WE SELDOM THINK OF WHAT WE HAVE, BUT ALWAYS OF WHAT WE LACK. [ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER]
According to the historical Buddha, thinking is what hurts us, harms us.
As with Arthur Schopenhauer's quote, we think especially of the people and things we lack, what we have we take for granted.
We wish for so many things, a loving partner, money and success, health and happiness, big things and small things, all day long (and at night in dreams) our ego delivers a firework of thoughts, wishes, hopes, fears and dreams.
All wishes are based on such thoughts as "how nice it would be ....", "if if if", "would have had", very few thoughts are useful, the ego is constantly chattering away.
And exactly these thoughts harm us, cause us pain, because we worry, our wishes become a disadvantage for us via our ego.
My texts are mostly about "enlightenment", how to come to "awakening", how the journey could look like.
A very important step on the way to "awakening" is to get a grip on the ego, to get a grip on the monkey chattering away in our head. Because of the ego, various desires appear in our thoughts, the possible non-fulfillment of our needs makes us worry, we worry as usual, too often.
The ego should be our servant, not we the servant of the ego. We must achieve control over the ego, otherwise "enlightenment" is not tangible.
When new desires appear in our mind, we should question them, where does the thought come from right now, why does it appear at all?
Now you are rightly wondering how this is supposed to work, how to get a grip on the thoughts, how to find the necessary peace, how to prevail against your own ego?
By dealing with the subject of "enlightenment", seeing it as worth striving for, thinking about it is the first step.
But not on the level of the ego, but with the rational part of the thoughts, which are to be clearly separated from the thoughts of the ego.
Do I want "enlightenment," do I want to awaken?
If the answer is "yes," you are well on your way.
Instead of thinking about wants and needs, instead of letting the ego lead you, give focused thought to what preparations you can make for the journey to awakening.
Every journey begins with a small step. The journey to "enlightenment" too!
ONE TRAVELS NOT ONLY TO ARRIVE, BUT TO TRAVEL.
- JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE - GERMAN POET - 1749 TO 1832
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
Buddhism and our desires
WE SELDOM THINK OF WHAT WE HAVE, BUT ALWAYS OF WHAT WE LACK. [ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER]
According to the historical Buddha, thinking is what hurts us, harms us.
As with Arthur Schopenhauer's quote, we think especially of the people and things we lack, what we have we take for granted.
We wish for so many things, a loving partner, money and success, health and happiness, big things and small things, all day long (and at night in dreams) our ego delivers a firework of thoughts, wishes, hopes, fears and dreams.
All wishes are based on such thoughts as "how nice it would be ....", "if if if", "would have had", very few thoughts are useful, the ego is constantly chattering away.
And exactly these thoughts harm us, cause us pain, because we worry, our wishes become a disadvantage for us via our ego.
My texts are mostly about "enlightenment", how to come to "awakening", how the journey could look like.
A very important step on the way to "awakening" is to get a grip on the ego, to get a grip on the monkey chattering away in our head. Because of the ego, various desires appear in our thoughts, the possible non-fulfillment of our needs makes us worry, we worry as usual, too often.
The ego should be our servant, not we the servant of the ego. We must achieve control over the ego, otherwise "enlightenment" is not tangible.
When new desires appear in our mind, we should question them, where does the thought come from right now, why does it appear at all?
Now you are rightly wondering how this is supposed to work, how to get a grip on the thoughts, how to find the necessary peace, how to prevail against your own ego?
By dealing with the subject of "enlightenment", seeing it as worth striving for, thinking about it is the first step.
But not on the level of the ego, but with the rational part of the thoughts, which are to be clearly separated from the thoughts of the ego.
Do I want "enlightenment," do I want to awaken?
If the answer is "yes," you are well on your way.
Instead of thinking about wants and needs, instead of letting the ego lead you, give focused thought to what preparations you can make for the journey to awakening.
Every journey begins with a small step. The journey to "enlightenment" too!
ONE TRAVELS NOT ONLY TO ARRIVE, BUT TO TRAVEL.
- JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE - GERMAN POET - 1749 TO 1832
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
5 Minuten
The question is how we deal with the "waiting"!
We are constantly waiting for this and that. For the doctor's appointment, for the end of work, for our partner, for the children to come home, for a vacation, for the pain to subside, for us to get well, we are always waiting for something.
And waiting is one of the most difficult things of all.
Remember that moment when the mother said:
"BE PATIENT, SLOW DOWN"!
Especially when it comes to important issues, waiting can "drive us out of our minds", make us "crazy"; by the way, waiting and hope are also siblings, are closely related.
How do we deal with waiting? How do we wait?
What about waiting according to the Buddha's teaching?
According to Buddha, one is happy when one has no desires. However, this requires a certain amount of equanimity and insight, since we all have needs. If we do not desire anything and are not needy, then we consequently wait for nothing, take everything as it comes, with serenity and resting in ourselves.
How do you get to a state where you have no desires?
By finding "enlightenment", by awakening.
Easier said than done. Do you engage in "enlightenment" at all?
"Enlightenment" comes to those who earnestly seek it, you can't really seek it, it comes to us, not we "find" it.
Awakened people have no more desires, they are "wishfully happy". Perhaps they are happy because they are desireless.
Everything is connected, the journey to "enlightenment" is a very individual one, there is no "instruction manual" for it.
No one can teach "enlightenment", not even Buddha.
But we can make ourselves ready for "enlightenment", create the conditions for its realization.
Do you want that?
MANY PEOPLE MISS THE SMALL HAPPINESS WHILE THEY WAIT IN VAIN FOR THE BIG ONE
- PEARL S. BUCK - US WRITER - 1892 TO 1973
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
We are constantly waiting for this and that. For the doctor's appointment, for the end of work, for our partner, for the children to come home, for a vacation, for the pain to subside, for us to get well, we are always waiting for something.
And waiting is one of the most difficult things of all.
Remember that moment when the mother said:
"BE PATIENT, SLOW DOWN"!
Especially when it comes to important issues, waiting can "drive us out of our minds", make us "crazy"; by the way, waiting and hope are also siblings, are closely related.
How do we deal with waiting? How do we wait?
What about waiting according to the Buddha's teaching?
According to Buddha, one is happy when one has no desires. However, this requires a certain amount of equanimity and insight, since we all have needs. If we do not desire anything and are not needy, then we consequently wait for nothing, take everything as it comes, with serenity and resting in ourselves.
How do you get to a state where you have no desires?
By finding "enlightenment", by awakening.
Easier said than done. Do you engage in "enlightenment" at all?
"Enlightenment" comes to those who earnestly seek it, you can't really seek it, it comes to us, not we "find" it.
Awakened people have no more desires, they are "wishfully happy". Perhaps they are happy because they are desireless.
Everything is connected, the journey to "enlightenment" is a very individual one, there is no "instruction manual" for it.
No one can teach "enlightenment", not even Buddha.
But we can make ourselves ready for "enlightenment", create the conditions for its realization.
Do you want that?
MANY PEOPLE MISS THE SMALL HAPPINESS WHILE THEY WAIT IN VAIN FOR THE BIG ONE
- PEARL S. BUCK - US WRITER - 1892 TO 1973
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
6 Minuten
You can't get into the same river twice.
Buddhism and the river
What is life like, what constitutes our existence?
The best way to compare life is with a river.
THE GREEK PHILOSOPHER HERACLITUS IS CREDITED WITH THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE:
"YOU CANNOT GET INTO THE SAME RIVER TWICE."
It is our body that gets into the river, yesterday and today, but it is not the same water, it is an entirely different water.
The water of yesterday is already many kilometers away, perhaps someone is bathing in the water that refreshed me yesterday.
The ideas of the historical Buddha and those of Heraclitus show amazing similarities. The Greek philosopher's thoughts revolve around the unity of things and around the whole and the not-whole, around things that come together and things that diverge. In the Buddhist philosophy the statement is found in the Diamond Sutra: "Form is emptiness and emptiness is form".
One can think about that!
The river of life starts tentatively, in the womb of the mother, widens at birth, flows together with other rivers (other people), the water swells, ebbs away, the water evaporates, falls back to earth.
Just as you can't get into the same river twice, you can't do anything else twice, time is over, it's not like it was, it's new, the situation doesn't come back like that.
Even the things I know well, for example my "way home", it is always a little different, it is never exactly the same, the raindrops are not identical, nothing is ever like it was before.
Follow the river of life, enjoy the cool water, the refreshment, the people and incidents that pass by on the shore.
Every day is today, even if you do the same things you did yesterday. Even if you read the words of the Buddha today, and tomorrow again, sitting in the same chair, other thoughts will arise, other paths will open up.
Every moment is continuity. The now is always different, we know NOTHING, everything changes, the river flows.
HUMAN NATURE IS LIKE A WHIRLPOOL OF WATER. IF YOU OPEN A WAY TO THE EAST, THE WATER FLOWS EASTWARD; IF YOU OPEN A WAY TO THE WEST, THE WATER FLOWS WESTWARD.
- MENGZI - MOST IMPORTANT SUCCESSOR OF CONFUCIUS - 370 TO 290 B.C. CHR.
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Buddhism and the river
What is life like, what constitutes our existence?
The best way to compare life is with a river.
THE GREEK PHILOSOPHER HERACLITUS IS CREDITED WITH THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE:
"YOU CANNOT GET INTO THE SAME RIVER TWICE."
It is our body that gets into the river, yesterday and today, but it is not the same water, it is an entirely different water.
The water of yesterday is already many kilometers away, perhaps someone is bathing in the water that refreshed me yesterday.
The ideas of the historical Buddha and those of Heraclitus show amazing similarities. The Greek philosopher's thoughts revolve around the unity of things and around the whole and the not-whole, around things that come together and things that diverge. In the Buddhist philosophy the statement is found in the Diamond Sutra: "Form is emptiness and emptiness is form".
One can think about that!
The river of life starts tentatively, in the womb of the mother, widens at birth, flows together with other rivers (other people), the water swells, ebbs away, the water evaporates, falls back to earth.
Just as you can't get into the same river twice, you can't do anything else twice, time is over, it's not like it was, it's new, the situation doesn't come back like that.
Even the things I know well, for example my "way home", it is always a little different, it is never exactly the same, the raindrops are not identical, nothing is ever like it was before.
Follow the river of life, enjoy the cool water, the refreshment, the people and incidents that pass by on the shore.
Every day is today, even if you do the same things you did yesterday. Even if you read the words of the Buddha today, and tomorrow again, sitting in the same chair, other thoughts will arise, other paths will open up.
Every moment is continuity. The now is always different, we know NOTHING, everything changes, the river flows.
HUMAN NATURE IS LIKE A WHIRLPOOL OF WATER. IF YOU OPEN A WAY TO THE EAST, THE WATER FLOWS EASTWARD; IF YOU OPEN A WAY TO THE WEST, THE WATER FLOWS WESTWARD.
- MENGZI - MOST IMPORTANT SUCCESSOR OF CONFUCIUS - 370 TO 290 B.C. CHR.
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
5 Minuten
Our fathers
The different fathers
Some time ago I was sitting in a coffee house in Stuttgart at the Schlossplatz in the midday sun.
An elderly lady asked if the second chair was still free, I said yes, she sat down, we got into conversation.
She said she was a Christian, I said I was a Buddhist.
"Oh, those are the egoists, always looking out for themselves" she said, I was puzzled.
"Where did they get that idea" I asked.
"Yes, Buddhism is about "enlightenment", so its Buddhists egoists".
I got grumpy, an argument developed in which (as in most arguments) there was no winner, everyone had their opinion, we parted politely but did not become friends.
The essence of a religion is not to argue, but they should create harmony.
Was the lady trying to tell me that her religion was better than mine? What were her motives?
And why didn't she know that Buddha was not a god at all? And why did she attack me in the first place for my statement of being a Buddhist?
And anyway, I consider Buddha to be my ancestor, my father. Just as she probably sees Jesus Christ as her father.
So, why don't the children of the different "fathers" respect each other more, why is there no peace between religions? Is my father better than yours?
While we are on the subject of fathers, what if my biological father was a beggar on the street? Still, he is my father, so to speak negatively about him would not be helpful either, and certainly hurtful.
If Jesus Christ, Allah and Buddha were sitting at the same table, right now, what could they talk about? Would they argue? Make fun of each other's children?
MY FATHER USED TO SAY: DON'T SPEAK LOUDER, ARGUE WISER
- DESMOND MPILO TUTU - SOUTH AFRICAN CLERGYMAN - B. 1931
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
The different fathers
Some time ago I was sitting in a coffee house in Stuttgart at the Schlossplatz in the midday sun.
An elderly lady asked if the second chair was still free, I said yes, she sat down, we got into conversation.
She said she was a Christian, I said I was a Buddhist.
"Oh, those are the egoists, always looking out for themselves" she said, I was puzzled.
"Where did they get that idea" I asked.
"Yes, Buddhism is about "enlightenment", so its Buddhists egoists".
I got grumpy, an argument developed in which (as in most arguments) there was no winner, everyone had their opinion, we parted politely but did not become friends.
The essence of a religion is not to argue, but they should create harmony.
Was the lady trying to tell me that her religion was better than mine? What were her motives?
And why didn't she know that Buddha was not a god at all? And why did she attack me in the first place for my statement of being a Buddhist?
And anyway, I consider Buddha to be my ancestor, my father. Just as she probably sees Jesus Christ as her father.
So, why don't the children of the different "fathers" respect each other more, why is there no peace between religions? Is my father better than yours?
While we are on the subject of fathers, what if my biological father was a beggar on the street? Still, he is my father, so to speak negatively about him would not be helpful either, and certainly hurtful.
If Jesus Christ, Allah and Buddha were sitting at the same table, right now, what could they talk about? Would they argue? Make fun of each other's children?
MY FATHER USED TO SAY: DON'T SPEAK LOUDER, ARGUE WISER
- DESMOND MPILO TUTU - SOUTH AFRICAN CLERGYMAN - B. 1931
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show
