Ordination

What does ordination into the Order of Interbeing mean.

Somehow it is insufficient for me to describe it as a religious ceremony. That seems to limit it to something mundane in this current day and age.

Perhaps it is like Death-Birth, a visible mark of change, so that ancient and precious Compassion and Wisdom may continue to manifest in this living body. And thereafter I may pass it on to benefit others through my thoughts, words, and deeds.

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit"

-- John 20:21-22

Contemplation on a Nation's Peace, Happiness, and Prosperity

We, the citizens of Singapore,

pledge ourselves as one united people,

regardless of race, language or religion,

to build a democratic society

based on justice and equality

so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and

progress for our nation.

 

"In December 1976, while attending a conference in Singapore of 300 religious leaders sponsored by the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP), Thay was informed by a group of Vietnamese women that there were thousands of Vietnamese in refugee camps in Thailand and Malaysia, with no hope of being accepted into a new country. In Singapore there were fewer refugees, because the government's policy there was to push all refugee boats back to sea, even when that meant leaving the refugees to die. If a Singapore fishing boat was caught helping a refugee boat, the fishing boat's owner had to post a $4,000 bond for each refugee saved. Only after the refugees were pushed back to sea could he get his money refunded."

-- Learning True Love by Sister Chân Không

You stay up late tonight, my brothers.

This I know,

because the boat people

on the high seas

never dare go to sleep.

I hear the cry of the winds

around me ---

total darkness.

Yesterday they threw the dead bodies

of their babies and children

into the water.

Their tears once again filled

the ocean of suffering.

In what direction are their boats drifting

at this moment?

You stay up very late tonight, brothers,

because the boat people

on the high seas

are not certain at all that mankind exists.

Their loneliness

is so immense.

The darkness has become one with the ocean --

and the ocean, an immense desert.

You stay up all night, brothers,

and the whole universe

clings to your being awake.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

Four Oceans

My pain is like a river of tears, so vast it fills the four oceans

-- from Please Call Me by My True Names, a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh

A contemplation for the day ...

Tears of anguish came forth as she spoke of her son being in jail. A young man who suffers from brain damage, slurred speech, and dependency on alcohol to drown his own hurts. A mother who faces the reality that husband and children can no longer accommodate their son and brother. A man filled with pain and anger, frustrated and disappointed in himself. Once a fine strong man who taught and led others in a noble profession upholding justice. Now he is named an abusive and violent person. She keeps his room untouched, knowing it brings sorrow if she stepped in. She is uncertain about his future and hers in turn.

Touching the Earth

In gratitude, I bow to all generations of ancestors in my spiritual family.

I see in myself my teachers, the ones who show me the way of love and understanding, the way to breathe, smile, forgive, and live deeply in the present moment.

I see through my teachers all teachers over many generations and traditions, going back to the ones who began my spiritual family thousands of years ago.

I see the Buddha or Christ or the patriarchs and matriarchs as my teachers, and also as my spiritual ancestors. I see that their energy and that of many generations of teachers has entered me and is creating peace, joy, understanding, and loving kindness in me. 

I know that the energy of these teachers has deeply transformed the world. Without the Buddha and all these spiritual ancestors, I would not know the way to practice to bring peace and happiness into my life and into the lives of my family and society. I open my heart and my body to receive the energy of understanding, loving kindness, and protection from the Awakened Ones, their teachings, and the community of practice over many generations.

I am their continuation. I ask these spiritual ancestors to transmit to me their infinite source of energy, peace, stability, understanding, and love. 

I vow to practice to transform the suffering in myself and the world, and to transmit their energy to future generations of practitioners. My spiritual ancestors may have had their own difficulties and not always been able to transmit the teachings, but I accept them as they are.

Mothers

When you grow up, you might believe that you and your mother are two different people. But it's not really so. We're extensions of our mother. We mistakenly believe that we're a different person than our mother. We are a continuation of our mother and father, and our ancestors as well.

Imagine a grain of corn we plant in the soil. Seven days later it sprouts and begins to take the form of a cornstalk. When the stalk has grown high, we won't see the kernel anymore. But the kernel hasn't died. It's still there. Looking deeply, we can still see the kernel in the stalk. The kernel and the stalk are not two different entities; one is the continuation of the other. The stalk is the continuation of the kernel in the direction of the future, and the kernel is the continuation of the stalk in the direction of the past. They are neither the same thing or two different things. You and your mother are not exactly the same person, but you are not exactly two different people either. This is a very important teaching. No one can be by himself or herself alone. We have to inter-be, connected with everyone and everything else.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

When we touch suffering, do we see a connection to happiness?

Stillness reigned around the Cross. 
Jesus hung upon it alone; forsaken by all, 
— disciples, followers, friends, 
his Mother even was removed from his side; 
not one person of the thousands upon whom he had 
lavished benefits was near to offer him 
the slightest alleviation in his bitter agony, 

— his soul was overspread with an indescribable 

feeling of bitterness and grief,

— all within him was dark, gloomy, and wretched.

-- The Dolorous Passion

The Buddha told us to recognize the first noble truth, 

the truth of suffering, and to look deeply in order to discover 

the second noble truth, the cause of suffering.

That is the only way the fourth noble truth, 

the path to transform suffering into happiness, can reveal itself. 

So we have to emphasize the role of suffering. 

If we are so afraid of suffering, 

we have no chance.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindfulness as a Way of Living

I was asked to contribute an article on mindfulness and had hesitated for some time. There is already much material both in print and online about what mindfulness is all about, so I was thoughtful over whether to add on to the buzz and possible confusion. The key reason being that mindfulness is not something we can write about. For example, it is futile for me to share what a durian fruit tastes like unless one tries it.

Thus I start with sharing what is not mindfulness. One of the first notions I had about mindfulness is that it is some form of meditation done in a graceful sitting posture with folded legs, like what we usually imagine when Zen is mentioned. This is only partially correct because mindfulness is practiced not only while sitting but also while eating, walking, washing the dishes, and even while taking a dump in the toilet. Mindfulness is bringing awareness into what we do in daily life, and sitting still is usually an easy starting point to learn this.

Mindfulness has gone through a process of popularization similar to what yoga went through. It is now known as an effective tool for stress reduction, depression, anxiety, pain management, and even sporting excellence. I came to know of mindfulness through a different doorway. As a counsellor I was keen on exploring philosophy and theology as a means to understand psychology and counselling theories. As a person I was also keen to know how humanity made sense of the world we live in. Raised as a Catholic, the reading journey brought me through familiar territory and also new ones that stretched my views on spirituality. At the end I see mindfulness as an ethical way of living, beyond being a tool. Mindfulness can help us gently put down our troubles, not to run away from it, but be better able to examine it up close and thus understand it.

In counselling work, it is very important for me to listen to clients. If I am occupied by my own thoughts and feelings I will miss much of what the person is conveying. In being mindful, I turn my mind and body into a refined instrument as I stay aware of how I am being affected by client's stories and emotions. I can make more informed decision then on how to go further. There is much more to mindfulness in how it brings about empathic listening and thus compassion into counselling. If I could not even tune in to my own thoughts and feelings, it would be a greater challenge to embrace another person's problems.

So mindfulness is pretty deep stuff in that it can be practiced in my work, my relationships with loved ones, friends, colleagues, and even in how we relate to society and the ecology of our planet. Like any journey, the path of mindful living has its ups and downs that contribute to enriching it. I invite you to experience the possibilities of mindfulness for yourself.

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.  Breathing in, my breath grows deep. Breathing out, my breath goes slowly.  Breathing in, I feel calm. Breathing out, I feel ease.  Breathing in, I smile. Breathing out, I release.   Dwelling in the present moment. I know this is a wonderful moment.

In Out Deep Slow Calm Ease Smile Release Present Moment Wonderful Moment

Resolutions

It was my first time attending the Plum Village core sangha retreat and it was also my third retreat with the fourfold sangha.  Though I arrived prepared for the winter cold of Hong Kong, it still proved tough going for someone used to the habits of living in sunny Singapore.

The various bodily afflictions could be examined in detail while supported by the togetherness in mindful living.

Looking deeply into this body, I connect with the ailing bodies of my aged parents.

Knowing impermanence, fear disperses.

And this helped me set a resolution for 2014: I resolve to build up my body and mind so that I can better care for my parents.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me

-- Psalm 23:4

This verse came to mind as the community did a mindful walk late in the night of New Year's Eve. The community flowed as a river, a mighty river that was both calm and protective. This is a precious community, a precious body.

It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community—a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. This may be the most important thing we can do for the survival of the Earth.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

This affirms my other resolution: I aspire to be a member of the Order of Interbeing, to build up the sangha.