Are your feelings trustworthy?

"Troubles come, troubles goes

Happiness come, happiness goes

Anger come, anger goes

Lust arise, lust goes

As though wind blowing through my hand,

Bubbles on a pile of foam,

Impermanent are feelings and thoughts.

But man attach to their own thoughts,

Their own feelings, their own perception, their own view

Creating a mass of like and dislike to worldly events

Like a cow tied to a yoke

Suffering ever ends."

 - Jerome 6/12/17

Commentary by Jerome:

How impermanent are your feelings? One day, you are happy. Another day, you are upset. Just as wind blows through one’s hands, one’s emotions undergo ups and downs. Hence, suffering follows you like a shadow. If one is not affected by external events/circumstances and not create aversion and attachment to them, one will truly liberated. One’s happiness is independent of external events. In this way, one’s feelings are not trustworthy.

Author:Jerome is a Buddhist practitioner that has learnt from Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan traditions and is still learning! He first learnt meditation and Dharma from Theravadan monks and practitioners in the lineage of the Arahant Venerable Amatha Gavesi Maha Thero from Sri Lankaramaya Buddhist temple in Singapore. Then, he completed a Diploma in Buddhism from the Buddhist and Pali College in 2016. He also learnt from Zen Master Wu Jue Miao Tian (85th Zen Patriach) from the LingJi lineage in Taiwan in 2014 - 2015.  Subsequently, he learnt from Garchen Rinpoche from the Drigar Thubten Dargye Ling tradition (Tibetan) and attended annual Om Mani Padme Hum and Om Ami Dewa Hrih retreats from 2015 till date. Currently, he is a disciple of Master Jin Bodhi (Mahayana) from Bodhi Meditation in Singapore and is an active volunteer there. Master Jin Bodhi is his main Dharma teacher. Jerome feels that Buddhism is not a religion but is a practical way to reduce our life's problems. The essence of Buddhism is not in the books or sutras but in the way we apply it into our lives. Having understood some aspects of Buddha's teaching, he wants to give back to the society and hopes to share his insights with everyone who has the affinity with him.