The Fish and the Turtle

Once upon a time there was a fish. And just because it was a fish, it had lived all its life in the water and knew nothing whatever about anything else but water. And one day as it swam about in the lake where all its days had been spent, it happened to meet a turtle of its acquaintance who had just come back from a little excursion on the land.

"Good day, Mr. Turtle!" said the fish. "I have not seen you for a long time. Where have you been?"

"Oh", said the turtle, "I have just been for a trip on dry land."

"On dry land!" exclaimed the fish. "What do you mean by on dry land? There is no dry land. I had never seen such a thing. Dry land is nothing."

"Well," said the turtle good-naturedly. "If you want to think so, of course you may; there is no one who can hinder you. But that's where I've been, all the same."

"Oh, come," said the fish. "Try to talk sense. Just tell me now what is this land of yours like? Is it all wet?"

"No, it is not wet," said the turtle.

"Is it nice and fresh and cool?" asked the fish.

"No, it is not nice and fresh and cool," the trutle replied.

"Is it clear so that light can come through it?"

"No, it is not clear. Light cannot come through it."

"Is it soft and yielding, so that I can move my fins about in it and push my nose through it?"

"No, it is not soft and yielding. You could not swim in it."

"Does it move or flow in streams?"

"No, it neither moves nor flows in streams."

"Does it ever rise up into waves then, with white foams in them?" asked the fish, impatient at this string of Noes.

"No!" replied the turtle, truthfully. "It never rises up into waves that I have seen."

"There now," exclaimed the fish triumphantly. "Didn't I tell you that this land of yours was just nothing? I have just asked, and you have answered me that it is neither wet nor cool, not clear nor soft and that it does not flow in streams nor rise up into waves. And if it isn't a single one of these things what else is it but nothing? Don't tell me."

"Well, well", said the turtle, "If you are determined to think that dry land is nothing, I suppose you must just go on thinking so. But any one who knows what is water and what is land would say you were just a silly fish, for you think that anything you have never known is nothing just because you have never known it."

And with that the turtle turned away and, leaving the fish behind in its little pond of water, set out on another excursion over the dry land that was nothing.

~ The Buddha and His Teachings, by Maha thera Narada

Smiling for Peace

As someone who writes a blog, I'm always looking for inspiration for entry ideas. Occasionally, I find something that so perfectly expresses what I feel that I'm delighted to share it with you. I was reading Pondering the Myriad Things a few days ago and found this entry. Thank you Theresa!

It's amazing how the simple act of smiling can change everything in an instant. Smiling and mouthing "sorry!" when you accidentally cut someone off in traffic can diffuse an potentially ugly road-rage situation. Smiling and waving at your neighbor increases 'community' sentiment, even if you don't say a word. When we were talking about this, I thought about the phrase "guerrilla gardening" - the practice where people go ahead and plant flowers and edible plants on vacant lots, boulevards, or wherever a bit of dirt is available... It occurred to me that we could all be practicing "guerrilla smiling" as well!

Lately I've been waving and smiling at oncoming drivers on the country roads I take on my way into work every morning. When we first moved here, almost everyone waved at everyone else this way, but it has sort of dropped off over the past couple of years, as more people moved into the new acreages that were being built. I've decided to start doing it again, because it's nice and I like it.

So, this morning I just raised my two fingers in a peace-sign looking greeting and the lady in the car coming towards me broke into a big grin! I have no idea who she is, but I know that both she and I felt better in that moment than we did the moment before!

As Theresa concluded, "Smiling for peace - that's something we all can do!"'

Picture courtesy this flickr site.

Practical Practice

Sayings of

Zen Master Kyong Ho
(1849-1912)

1. Don't wish for perfect health. In perfect health there is greed and wanting. So an ancient said, "Make good medicine from the suffering of sickness."
2. Don't hope for a life without problems. An easy life results in a judgmental and lazy mind. So an ancient once said, "Accept the anxieties and difficulties of this life."
3. Don't expect your practice to be always clear of obstacles. Without hindrances the mind that seeks enlightenment may be burnt out. So an ancient once said, "Attain deliverance in disturbances."
4. Don't expect to practice hard and not experience the weird. Hard practice that evades the unknown makes for a weak commitment. So an ancient once said, "Help hard practice by befriending every demon."
5. Don't expect to finish doing something easily. If you happen to acquire something easily the will is made weaker. So an ancient once said, "Try again and again to complete what you are doing."
6. Make friends but don't expect any benefit for yourself. Friendship only for oneself harms trust. So an ancient once said, "Have an enduring friendship with purity in heart."'
7. Don't expect others to follow your direction. When it happens that others go along with you, it results in pride. So an ancient once said, "Use your will to bring peace between people."
8. Expect no reward for an act of charity. Expecting something in return leads to a scheming mind. So an ancient once said, "Throw false spirituality away like a pair of old shoes."
9. Don't seek profit over and above what your work is worth. Acquiring false profit makes a fool (of oneself). So an ancient once said, "Be rich in honesty."
10. Don't try to make clarity of mind with severe practice. Every mind comes to hate severity, and where is clarity in mortification? So an ancient once said, "Clear a passageway through severe practice."

The Health Effects of Losing One's Temper

When I speak to people about Buddhism and mention the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, it is that mention of anger that gets people's heads nodding in agreement. Ideally, we want to control our own tempers for the sake of all beings. An angry person cannot help others.

But what if we're not at that point? What if we have enough trouble just trying to do what is right for ourselves? If the only person we can think of helping at this moment is ourselves, we still need to realize the harm becoming angry does.

Losing one’s temper hurts both oneself and others. It is particularly harmful to one’s physical health. When one loses one’s temper, even for only a minute, it takes three days for all the cells in the body to return to normal. Imagine how much worse it is to lose one’s temper every day. Clearly, losing one’s temper is the same as gradually committing suicide.

Now that we know this, we should not lose our temper no matter what provocation we encounter. Why? Because we must protect our bodies and minds from being affected by the external environment. We should gradually reduce emotional afflictions for they are harmful to our bodies and minds. This way, we will be able to maintain mental and physical well-being. With the reduction of afflictions our wisdom will naturally increase. We should know that the true way of maintaining good health is nurturing a loving heart. We should never dislike anyone or anything. Doing this is the fulfillment of the paramita of patience. We will be living in gratitude and enjoying a life of the utmost happiness.

~ Ven. Master Chin Kung

Infinite Life Sutra Excerpt

Wherever the Buddha’s teachings flourish,

either in cities or countrysides,

people will gain inconceivable benefits.

The land and people will be enveloped in peace.

The sun and moon will shine clear and bright.

Wind and rain will appear accordingly

and there will be no disasters.

Nations will be prosperous

and there will be no need for soldiers or weapons.

People will abide by morality and accord with laws.

They will be courteous and humble,

and everyone will be content without injustices.

There will be no thefts or violence.

The strong will not dominate the weak

and everyone will get their fair share.