My trip;

My trip;

Don't we all love going on holiday? Do we need a reason to go?
I go for a number of reasons.
In fact I really don't need a reason, as I will go at the drop of a hat.

This trip I am going to
re-do my vows and put my monks robes back on.
That's a really good reason.
In total I will be away for eight weeks and when I get back I will have a revived out look on life.

My friends Carlo and Salmiah are also in Thailand and we are staying at the same place for the first three weeks of of my holiday.

There is a chance my friend Bhante Nanadhaja Bhikkhu may also come to Ban Krut.
Bhante is presently in Kuala Lumpur attending private matters on a quick trip from Sri Lanka. I hope he does come to the beach as I would be honored to have him be my preceptor.

Last year in Wat SriBoonRuang in Fang,
in Northern Thailand,
Bhante helped me with my meditations and in this area he is an expert.

This morning I made enquiries at Wat Tang Sai if they would allow Bhante to stay awhile.

The Wat is nestled at the base of a small mountain on a bay, overlooking the ocean. It is paradise.
There is a major Temple of the same name, at the top of Mt Thongchai, overlooking the South China Sea looking towards Cambodia and Vietnam.

The head Monk, who speaks a little English, said Bhante would be welcome.


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My trip

My dear friend Han-Shan,

My dear friend Han-Shan,
or in English "cold mountain," lived during the Tang Dynasty. He lived around 720 to 830AD or so.
He lived a simple life,
in the mountains,
by a stream, eating wild fruits and vegetables.
Every now and again he would go to a local temple to make fun of the monks and write his poetry on the walls.
Some thirty years after his death his poetry was collected from various places and written down.
His poetry was found on walls in temples, houses, toilets, rocks, trees, in fact all manner of places where one could write.
We are blessed now to have many poems from this great man and even a film about his life.
As I am about to leave for my personal retreat into the hills, I share my favorite poem of
Han-Shan;

"Cold cliffs,
more beautiful the deeper you enter--
Yet no one travels this road.
White clouds idle about tall crags;
On the green peak a single monkey wails.
What other companions do I need?
I grow old doing as I please.
Though face and form alter with years,
I hold fast to the pearl of the mind."

When I am sitting in the forest, alone with my thoughts, I will remember that my mind is a pearl.
My breath, the string that ties the pearls together.
This body is the clasp that makes sure the string of pearls stays firm and even.
The earth, trees, shrubs and stream enable this body to function.
Ah, happiness you are the feeling of contentment, the joy I am sure Han-Shan felt when he sat,
as I do on this very same spot.

Thank you to the universe for providing such enlightenment.
Nathan


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My New Year Advice,

My New Year Advice,

With help from the Buddha and Osho;

A man went to the Dharma Master to ask advise.

"My life is miserable I have a very small house , one room and it's too crowded.
There's my wife ,
our eight children,
her old parents ,
my sick dad,
our deaf uncle
and our much loved crippled sister.
I cannot pay for a bigger house, what shall I do?"

The Master asked ,
Do you have any animals?

"Yes we have five goats , three cows , ten chickens, two cats, one horse and a dog."

The Master said,
"let them all into the house for two days."

The man was puzzled but he respected the Master, and did what he said.

Life became a nightmare, he had to sleep standing up and the room stank.

He ran to the Master after two days nearly crazy.

The Master was pleased with the mans progress and said,
"now go home and take the animals out, you will be suprised how much space there is now."

Deep inside every situation and every person, there is an empty space and that emptiness is divine.
That emptiness is reality.

The Buddha called it "Shunyata."

Sooner or later, we have to come to terms with our inner emptiness and reality.

The idea of emptiness,
as a lack, has little to do with what the Buddha said about emptiness.
His teachings on emptiness dealt directly with actions and their results, with issues of pleasure and pain and suffering.
To understand and experience emptiness in line with these teachings does not require philosophical sophistication,
but a personal willingness to admit the motivation behind our actions and the benefits and harm they cause.

So, once we find our emptiness, we become aware of all our actions that cause ourselves and others to suffer.

This year, let's make a resolution, to sit, at least once a week, and silently find our emptiness.

The place where the Divine lives.

With Metta
Nathan


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The blessing

The blessing

Another year is upon us and a truly blessed event is about to take place.
We are blessed that we are alive and can change what ever we didn't like about last years blessings.

Maybe the choices we made were not so good.
We might have thought we were out of balance with the universe.
We felt let down.
Everyone against us.

Well all that is about to change.
The blessed event is here.
New year. New choices.
A new perspective on life and a clear method of how to enact this life saving change.

To change, we need to;
"let go of the old to make room for the new"
So easy, a new thinking.
Nothing changes,
but everything changes.

The new "us" is determined by our thoughts about ourselves.
Not our surrounds, money job, family, only our thinking.

Friends and family will say
"What has changed, you look different."
We know nothing has changed externally, but everything has changed on the inside.
A blessing.

Look forward to this event and plan for an exciting 2014.
It's tomorrow that we can make the plan that will guarantee a wonderful year filled with love and joy.
The very next day is the first day of a new year.

Let's make 2014 the best ever. Let's make it a blessed one.

With Metta
Nathan


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Talking about miracles:

Talking about miracles:

"A mother takes her daughter to the doctor and explains that she suffers cravings and is gaining weight and is sick in the morning."
After a quick examination the doctor tells her that her daughter is about four months pregnant.

"Not possible,
my daughter has never been with a man."
"Isn't that right Debbie?"
"Yes mum, I am a virgin."

The doctor goes over to the window and stares out.
Minutes go by and the woman asks the doctor if he is alright.
"Yes,"he said
"The last time this happened a star appeared and three wise
men came over the hill and I don't want to miss it."

Miracles do happen, but are we ready to allow a miracle to happen to us.

The problem as I see it is that we get involved in everything to stop good stuff happening.

"Why do we have to involve ourselves in everything around us.
Every argument, every decision, every deed and comment that we believe is our business, but actually is not."

We get that small voice that we hear from deep inside us.
"Don't go there, leave it alone, don't make waves."
Do we listen to the voice?
Not really, and if we do listen, that's all we do.
We just listen and rarely take an action that will keep us out of the karma that is caused by our actions.

Ajahn Chah said;

"Do not waste time on other people's issues, being preoccupied with this and that, the whole day, until we end up exhausted and depressed."

What a genius, in one sentence he captured the essence of our suffering.

Ven.Ajahn had an ability to advise us how to lead a life in a most pleasant manner, devoid of life's silliness, that most of us are involved in.

Do we want to create miracles in our life, or do we want to suffer?
Both are easy.
All we have to do is listen to the small voice inside us, or not.
Most times, fear stops us from taking an action, that will bring about a miracle.
Maybe we don't listen and miss out on that opportunity, or miracle.

Let's not fool ourselves into the false belief, that our suffering is caused by everything else, but our own doing.

Our future is determined by our actions today,
so let's start to create miracles in our lives.
Let's start now, to listen to the voice that knows all.
That miracle inside us.
The voice within.

Nathan


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My question;

My question;

I watched Danny Devito being interviewed the other night and he was hilarious as always.

He told the joke about the Buddha who said to the hot dog vender;
"Make me one with everything"

Danny was talking about his religious beliefs and how he didn't follow any organized faith.

He said that he finds something wonderful in everything he does and does not need any external entity in control.

He believes he is one with everything, just like the Buddha and the hot dog man, so, as he loves himself and his life, he also loves everything.

I believe we can spend our lives searching for our lost selves, not being in touch with anything,
or we can spend this moment finding happiness in everything,
just like Danny Devito.

There is a choice, to search, or to find.
The amazing thing is that there is no search necessary, we only have to look in the right place, and we find what we are looking for.

The Buddha was right,
"I am one,
with everything."
No search, no path,
no way, just remove doubt and all becomes clear.

My friend Jonathan told me that if I wanted enlightenment all I had to do was:

"Go straight past the Door of Doubt,
Along the Corridor of Confusion,
Turn down the Hallway of Hope and look for the Revelation Room.
When you enter you may need a while to adjust.
Don't be put off by the darkness.
It's common to feel that you see nothing just before you realize that you see everything."

This, I believe, is when you become "one with everything" and become enlightened.

So to my question;
Are you still at the Door of Doubt?

Do you want enlightenment?

Nathan




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