New blog

Hi everyone, my blog's been dead for a long time but I now have a freshly new created one recently. Check it out and be inspired ;)

http://awakeningthepsyche.wordpress.com

Living in a temptable space.

When is the time for self-reflection?

Not after a storm comes rumbling in

Not only once in a lifetime

It is now and not after any other time.

It is when one bears in mind that

day by day, we are all dying,

as life can be so short and uncertain,

Dear worldlings,

To find goodness is first to find goodness within thyself

so that evil loses its power to destruct thyself and ultimately other selves.

TO DO GOOD IS AN UPHILL TASK

Easy to do things that are bad

and not beneficial to self

but very, very hard to do indeed

is that which is beneficial and good.

(Dh: 163)

COMPASSION MUST COME WITH WISDOM

The man of little learning (ignorant) grows like a bull:

his flesh grows, but not his wisdom.

Grow up, don't just grow old.

Dhammapada 152

As life is dear to all,

All tremble at the rod, feeling for others as for oneself,

All fear death: One should neither harm nor cause to harm.

Dh: 129

SELFISH LOVE IS THE CAUSE OF ALL OUR PROBLEMS

Sorrow and mourning in the world,

or suffering of every sort,

Happen because of one's selfish love,

but happen not because there is none,

Happy are they and sorrowless,

that have no selfish love in the world,

Who seeks the sorrowless dispassion,

Should have no selfish love in this world.

(Ud. 92)

IDLENESS RUINS LIFE

A young and strong person

Who does not strive

When he should strive

Who is given to idleness

Who is loose in his purpose and thoughts

And who is lazy

That idler never finds the way to wisdom.

(Dh. 155)

ANGER IS UGLY

How ugly is the angry man,

his sleep is without comfort;

Despite his wealth he is always poor,

Filled by anger as he is,

He wounds by acts of body and speech.

(A. IV. 96)

BE CALM IN PRAISE OR BLAME

As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind,

Even so the wise are not ruffled by praise or blame.

(Dh. 81)

With metta,

Michelle Tan :)

Time & Space

How do we really know when one's smile is genuine, accompanied by a feeling of content?

It comes from within the self, the mind. The true reason to joy does not come mainly from what we see, hear, taste and feel. What is life? Ever wondered what in the world am I doing on Earth? Most people think life is all about achieving goals, being successful, getting married, enjoyment, having assets and etc. So, is life just about growing old, being successful in career, getting married, being rich, enjoy retirement and then die? We would come across these things in life but is that enough? Are all these things going to fulfill our function as humans? Deep inside, we all want to make good use of life, this ever sublime gift, being alive itself is the best contentment one could ever gain. We're given an intelligent mind which is easily attainable but one whose life that is rightly & well-lived is the wise mind; the greatest treasure throughout life's journey. Wisdom is an everyday process.

"Learn as if you'll live forever and Live as if you're gonna die tomorrow" This indeed is the true purpose of life. Allowing life just to unfold by itself.

EVERYTHING COMES AND GOES AWAY

Time is kind enough to us. It gives us the Present Moment. It opens up chances for us to value it as much as we could. Most of us always ask in the mind "What if this happens? What if I lose this? What if ...Why must this happen to me? I don't deserve this...etc" All these are making us NOT living in the present moment. Although we are in the moment but the mind is not. Everything tends to shift towards the fear of the future or the remorse of the past. Well yeah these are inevitable but we can train our minds to learn and understand the impermanence of life. Welcome every single up and down agendas in life. Good or bad, right or wrong. Both are very fine values in life. Be like a monk who can even smile in darkness. This is a skill to be attained. Same goes to happiness.. It's a skill that your mind is capable of. Discover this sublime gift of life and if this is the only one thing we know of, life itself and being alive itself is more than enough, more than perfect. With gratitude & contentment alone, life can become fulfilling. First, ignorance must be less and awareness to the world must grow.

Yes we age but that's not it. "GROW UP, NOT JUST GROW OLD"

If you put hand prints on the sand, it will fade away by the wind. If you have every material thing in the world, they surely wouldn't last for long. When we have access to a comfortable life, we should always be more than grateful. If we are rich but still complain for more or dissatisfied with the things we have, what is the point anyway? So, rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, old or young, just take them in. Embrace them. Appreciate all we have regardless of good or bad. If one can do that, life itself becomes a challenge not a problem. The richest man in this world does not mean that he is the happiest man in the world though. Plus, the richest man is the most generous one while the poorest man is the most stingy one. Give more than we receive. If life is all about giving with unconditional positive regard, worries become less as we do not hold on to expectations. When we love, we love unconditionally.. for the people around us, the world.. so by giving our love outside, it is the way we loves ourselves. Most people become upset with their lives because they always expect to receive but never likely to give. Then, life for them becomes unstable, overwhelmed by drastic emotions. Why? because life's not perfect. We don't always get what we want and of course in logical sense, expecting others to please us makes life very worrisome. Some people may please us but when they don't tend to please us anymore, we would be overwhelmed by negative emotions. Again, life becomes unstable. Stability in life comes from being independent of the mind itself, the ultimate and the only mirror to life. Become the Niccolo Machiavelli of your lives. You paint your own view of life. Everything is so abstract and that is why discovering life's beauty is literary. It's not fun but it gives joy and serenity.

Embracing Change.

Life events are definitely unstable but the mind's stability can make one perceive change as welcoming and fulfilling. Why? Because lessons are learnt. Lessons are most learnt from change. Through this, it is the process of attaining wisdom. As Socrates mentioned, wisdom or the perfection of the soul is unattainable but it doesn't mean that trying to attain it is meaningless. Instead, it is the best thing a man can do in his life. Yes, I totally agree to that. Until we die, or at the brink of death, when we would ponder how great our life was, we wouldn't take it as greatness but as something more than grateful. Death is not something to fear of when one has lived his life with meaning and gratitude. :)

Life is like the movies. One moment passes by and another one comes.. Life is an illusion, a dream. Not literally but well, metaphorically. Why do people have to open their eyes so widely at all the things in life when we know that death will haunt them one day? In simple terms, it means that we tend to get so overwhelmed with the material things and enjoyment in this world but when we die, we have to leave them behind. Cravings for things in life lead to pointlessness and sufferings at the end of the day. Time is precious as we know so when we crave hard for something, a period of time in our lives is just thrown into the sea. Time never stops and we cannot get time back, no extra time. Most people lead their lives like they are not going to die one day so life for them becomes, one that is blind. We do not know when we will die. Hence again, "Learn as if you'll live forever and Live as if you're gonna die tomorrow".

If we are going through goodness in life now, it's something more than one could get. Appreciate what has come to our lives at the moment because we know it will be gone soon. It becomes a blessing. When we are experiencing difficulties, we know that it's not the end. During the process, it's a blessing too. It's one blessing in disguise. What we ought to do is to see through the darkness in search for light, that is hope. ;) Each day, we learn, we have a chance to be mentally stronger, we take chances, we become wiser, we move forward, we take the past as goodness for the present and future, we live basically a simple life. Simplicity is contentment. Contentment then comes to happiness. Life is the game of the body, mind and soul. Nothing is specific and certain. But everything is best done through the middle way. Mediation is when the wise mind works.

All the best in life.

Remember to stand up when you fall.

When you fall, you choose to stand or continue falling.

It may be hard to stand right away but there is no rush.

At least you know you have to and want to stand up is worth it.

But always keep up with it, turning back halfway because you may find it hard is not a good reason.

Keep holding on, keep up with the optimism.

With metta,

Michelle Tan :)

Gratitude shapes contentment

We're born into this world, given one lifetime.

We decide our lives, lead them and face the music.

Until death we often ponder the meaning behind this lifetime.

Why are we here?

What are we to do on Earth?

It all depends on every individual to think about their lives' purposes.

It's time to look within, the pure heart and mind are the book of life.

Life is not meant for us to just enjoy.

The world provides us to feel true happiness & peace because enjoyment is pleasure.

Pleasure is impermanent and fluctuating.

Happiness is permanent, silent and abstract.

It is not caught by sight.

You eat an ice-cream, you feel pleasure, not happiness

It does not come and go like waves.

It stays in heart & mind, within each one of us, felt not sighted by oneself.

Life itself is not complex. It's just people who complicate it.

When bad times come, they are just bad moments we choose to come in.

What do we do then?

Life is not merely waiting for the storm to pass.

It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Never avoid or fear misfortunes, face them gladly.

Later, we'll realise that the value of every misfortune will appear to be priceless.

What we get is experience when we don't get something we would honourably accept

Let us rise up and be thankful,

For if we didn't learn a lot today,

At least we learned a little,

And if we didn't learn a little,

At least we didn't get sick,

And if we got sick,

At least we didn't die,

So let us all be thankful.

-Buddha-

Life is like a road.

Do we just walk it through until the end?

Walking with no meaning is indeed meaningless.

Why just walk straight blindly until the end destination?

Keep in mind,

Life is a journey, not a destination.

Open up the heart & mind when walking the road of life.

The rocks of danger provide a chance for wisdom.

Living a life without knowing where your feet are taking you creates uncertainty

Expecting the others to handle your feet,

Hate/blame the surroundings when things go wrong,

We should all stand on our feet, create our own world for the good of others and ourselves.

Peace requires a simple life.

Simple as in free from worries.

Worry worry worry...

It makes the present moment non-existent and wasteful.

The future never comes when one never stop worrying.

The material world can drown us into a lot of delusions, addiction, uncertainty, fear and depression mostly. All are linked.

The unreal world has become reality now.

Understanding that gain in material or status is not most important after all.

They are impermanent.

Craving and prioritizing them in life will increase our sense of self (selfishness)

Everything revolves around I, I, I, me, me, me, mine, mine, mine..

Diminish the sense of self, prevent from being self-centered in every way.

Geared up for an awakening life?

Yes, leave unreality and explore the world's beautiful mystery.

Alive here on earth is more than enough than anything you'd want.

Gratitude for being alive.

Gratitude for everything in this world,

Gratitude for whatever that comes,

Gratitude to have learned so much in this realm.

Thank you

Much love for everyone and everything in this world <3

Life's beautifully wondrous.

Exploring the invisible and admiring at how all abstracts work have been a great world.

With metta :)

Time slows down

Here are a few beautiful pictures of nature taken in New South Wales.

The water flow reminds me of time.

Time does not fade, freeze, stop and replay.

As it flows down, its motion is forever continuous

And if you were to put a leaf on the surface,

It follows the flow without knowing where it's heading to,

Thinking that there's no end?

Time is endless but life is short,

Some presume that they have all the time in the world;

Thus, 'Neglecting the appreciation of life's beauty'

Every moment just fades away till death?

Find meaning in every tic

It's for us to find out.

Find the purpose of life.

Don't wait till you reach the 50s while proclaiming life is with less meaning.

Is life about looking and experiencing beautiful things?

Partially but NO because ... what about the least favourable ones? i.e. Not good/unhealthy/disturbing

This world is originally created with beauty

It's just that people make it complicated hence finding it difficult to be at peace

Feel that every move you take makes a difference, change and mostly allows you to feel thankful

Be glad to experience all sorts of unusually intriguing thoughts;

Wisdom, the key to success

Nature versus man-made

It feels amazing to get in touch with nature

Always find light and you will shine

Life can sometimes be difficult but you can make it easy

Look around and within yourself

Know who you are

Get on and pursue it

Every human being has the capacity for evil but

Each of us are born innocent, naturally good

It's the environment that affects us

That's why being STRONG and WISE give great importance to everyone

It's all the mental job that counts

Train your mind in every way

You find life a mess because your mind is a mess

Black or white, good or bad, up or down,

It's safe when you have a peace of mind

Can you imagine those colours of the sky?

Ah, beautiful isn't it?

This world is meant for us to explore

It's beauty is just more than words

Feel lucky to be born into this world

Appreciate this lifetime

We're grateful enough to be alive ;)

Being the painter of life

We see a blossomed flower as beautiful

But it doesn't last long for it wilts with passing days

Beauty is gone

Is that the end?

Is there anymore hope when it dies off?

There isn't only one flower in this world

One dies, another different one grows

Life events come and go like see waves

If our mind is like the wide ocean;

despite strong waves,

its depth underneath still undisturbed

Regardless of the mad world we live in

We see the world as a

beautiful and pleasant place to live in

because we don't let the world revolve around us,

we control our mind to shape the world we live in

In the picture above, it could be a flower or a butterfly.

Yet, it looks the same.

"Open your arms to change but don't give up your values"

Change always occurs in life

Change is by renewing thoughts

Having to produce so many thoughts that are ever-changing,

We let them go

But sometimes we hold onto some of them

Those in the end, shape our character

Those that become strong in our mind

CHANGE

In the end, it is the values you will get

"When you realise you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it"

The World you want is in your hands.

That's the truth.

No matter how awful you fall one day,

you'll learn how to get up

The end is always a new beginning

The World everyone wants;

Peace, love and happiness

To get there, we somehow have to find light in the darkness we're in

and to avoid going into the dark hole when we embrace light

COMPASSION

Love everything you see, feel and encounter

Welcome your problems

Deal with them with love

Love them and they'll be easy for you

Meaning, not getting negatively overwhelmed by them will ensure a stable flow.

Love the people who relate to your problems because

They are the ones who make you stronger

Be thankful instead

Through all sorts of ordeal, there's an open door

It's your will to "see the shine behind every dark cloud"

Again,

COMPASSION FOR YOURSELF & OTHERS

It's all within you. Find it and you will know it.

Buddha quotes

"There is only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth;

not going all the way and not starting"

Self-consciousness

Thoughts can be vicious because they cloud your mind and then leaving you to let that unaware mind control your life.

Worrisome, uncertainty, fear and insecurity all come from mere thoughts.

Thoughts are just thoughts.

The twist is that they have to ability to be attached to your vulnerable mind and later, becomes you; your "identity". Truth is, that's not who you really are but only what you are.

What you think, you become. Your life's a reflection on everything on your mind; thoughts.

So you can't change your life if you don't change your mind. You are the start of all changes.

Can't stop thinking so much? It's alright to have thoughts but make sure they pass away after a while; not holding onto the mind anymore because thoughts might cause you to dwell into unnecessary emotions. Negative ones are like pollutants to your true being.

Sometimes, you don't know when your mind is out of control (unconscious) until it's finally in peace (conscious). Remorse for instance, is a type of unconscious to conscious thinking. Want to live life without regrets? You can live a happy and peaceful one if you first understand that by 'reorganizing' your thoughts, then 'purifying' your mind and finally 'strengthening' your inner-being. Free from clinging onto negative thoughts & emotions and welcoming positive ones. The more negative something is, the tougher it is to attain positivity. The more positivity someone has, the tougher it is to be drowned into negativity.

Thoughts are inevitable. Pretty sure we all have numerous thoughts on people, our own life, ourselves and the world today. Just take an example that someone out there is now feeling dissatisfied on how people are or how they affect him. Thus, leaving a conclusion that life's not treating him well and is always unfair. His thoughts are causing a whole bunch of unnecessary negative emotions. He's greatly attached to the worldly surroundings; people and things. If he were to change his thoughts, the body, mind and soul would be unshaken by all the unexpected worldly surroundings, not easily affected.

Like the days, they come and go. Everything is impermanent.

Thoughts come and go too but some of you might have been holding on to some thoughts relating to your past life events. Knowing that you still have to let them go and move on having new thoughts like how days work, your mind doesn't dwell in the past.

Patience is always worth the effort because time is never too late as long as you're still alive.

However, NOW is the time to clarify and some adjustments in your current life

if you just want to feel peace & happiness, nothing else.

Feel gratitude as your place on Earth is an ultimate gift.

Won't you feel extreme gladness when every step you take in life is worth doing?

Think of anyone in hot soup. Do what you can for his/her good.

If you're the one's in hot soup, do something for yourself. Help yourself. Pick yourself up.

Anything positive is worth doing. :)

Reshape your thoughts like clay.

Have a nice day peeps!

With metta, :) :)