Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below are the audio links to our last night’s 5.4.2018 Thursday class recording for sharing by all. Please do listen to the rather good sharing attentively. The following important dharmas were discussed:
Outline of Bro Teoh’s Talk on 5/4/2018 (Thursday) held at Sister Padmasuri’s house
The Main theme of this talk is “The Four Noble Truths (Essence of the Buddha’s teaching)”.
- During meditation reporting Mr Looi, a newcomer (Christina’s friend) shared that he had many thoughts arising during meditation. Bro Teoh guided him to relax and shared with him the following important meditation pointers: –
- Brother Teoh approached this topic via explaining to him how his heedless thinking or wandering thoughts arise due to habitual tendencies and problems arising while living the daily life without mindfulness and understanding.
- Brother Teoh also share with him the importance of keeping the 5th precept – via undertaking the training rule to refrain from taking alcohol and other intoxicants like drugs, liquor, etc. that can make their consciousness dull, drunk and low thereby losing their ability to be mindful and sober.
- The importance of staying “Sober,” as well as the need to plan to improve one’s life through understanding the Buddha Dharma.
- What happen to our mind when a problem arises?
- The importance of being heedful to keep the mind calm, aware and silent within to understand and deal with life.
- The importance of training the mind through meditation to be heedful to develop the wisdom to end all suffering.
- The First (1st) Noble Truth of Dukkha – the 8 realities of life and existence:
- According to the Buddha, Dukkha here means unsatisfactory conditions or suffering. Bro Teoh calls it the “Problems or suffering or realities of Life.”
- Prevalence of suffering. Suffering is everywhere when one confronts them without proper understanding of the Buddha dharma.
- The 8 realities of life and existence that relate to the “Problems of Life” are:
Birth is dukkha; Aging is dukkha; Sickness and disease is dukkha; Death is dukkha; Association with people that one does not like is dukkha; Separation from ones loved ones and prized possessions and things that one holds on dearly is dukkha; not getting what one desires or wants is dukkha; In short the 5 grasping aggregates of form and mind (or Uppadanakhanda) are dukkha as they are impermanent.
- How are these realities being handled in life by most people without the dharma and its consequences? Please refer to the diagram below:
(Problems of Life and Its Implication when there is no Dharma)
| Problems of Life or “Sufferings” that arise from any of these 8 Realities of life and existence. ↓
Without the Dharma or the Right View, one may view or perceive the problems negativity with fear, worry, anxiety, envy and jealousy, anger, hatred, and self-delusion, etc. ↓ Lead to Sorrow, lamentation and grief leading to Negative Energy field and emotions. ↓ Leading to Depression & Insomnia |
| Wrong Thoughts lead to (or condition) Mental Sufferings ↓
Lead to low Immunity – leads to → ↓ Disease & Physical Suffering. |
To cease these suffering; one needs to train one’s mind to be calm, peaceful and aware so that there is clarity and calmness to develop an overall right understanding leading to well being through positive and healthy energy Through a clear and calm mind, one may inquire via asking the following:
- Why am I reacting in this way to arise the fear, worries and anxiety etc. (all these are wrong thoughts) to condition your own miseries and mental sufferings?
- Why can’t I see that no amount of such unnecessary, fear, worries and anxiety, hatred, envy and jealousy, sorrow and lamentation is going to help me solve my so called problem?
- If this is a reality of life or ‘What IS!’ then one must learn to accept it via wisdom and understanding.
- Then one must inquire what my options are? How can I resolve all these amicably via the Noble 8-Fold Path cultivation as taught by the Buddha so that I can gain back my life and move on with my life?
- With this above Right View and dharma understanding one can plan one’s life well via further understanding of the following 3 phases of one’s life:
- The 1st 25 years – grew up as a kid and goes through our education pursue
- The 2nd 25 years – set out into the career field to earn money & have a family
- The 3rd 25 years – retire to do what one likes to do if one can have the means.
But the irony of life is : “When one is young, one has all the (time + energy), but usually not much money. In the Middle age most of us have (money + energy), but no time. At old age one has (time + money), but lack energy.” Brother Teoh elaborated on how he was able to overcome such irony via wisdom using real life example of his and his son’s life journey.
- 2nd Noble Truth – the cause of suffering is craving (or tanha) borne of self-delusion.
- Bro Teoh shared how to have the 4 types of happiness which are possible for lay people who cultivate Right Living following Noble 8-Fold Path :-
- Happiness of possession after knowing that one has earned them righteously via right living.
- Able to use one’s possession for the happiness of all (you, your loved ones and others).
- Happiness of being Freedom of debts.
- Able to live a blameless life where the wise one will not blame them.
- Meaning of craving or desire as opposed to virtues like passionate and ambition.
- Not Sober – please don’t drive.
Sadhu sadhu sadhu!
(Above draft was prepared by Sister Tan Keat Hoon)
Bye! and with metta always,
Teoh