“ Avoid Evil.
Do Good.
Purify the Mind
This is the teaching of all Buddhas.”
The Buddha (Dhammapada 183)
Commentary by Jerome:
Avoid Evil means abstain from greed, hatred and delusion. These 3 evils are omnipresent in our world and difficult to abstain from. These can manifest in our thought, speech and actions. For example, one may be angry at someone. The hateful thought in itself is bad, the hateful speech and acts that result are more obvious.
Do Good means the reverse of the 3 evils. Non-greed, non-hatred and wisdom. Generosity is different from non-greed. One can be generous but the intention may be wrong. For example, one donates because he wants to get fame and tax rebates. This is still greed! Not all generous people are not greedy. Hence, it is the intention while giving is very important.
Purify the mind means to meditate and clean the mind of defilements. We go beyond doing good but to also remove our defilements. The ten defilements are self-illusion, doubts, indulgence in wrongful rites and ceremonies, attachment to 5 senses, hatred, attachment to rupa jhanas, attachment to arupa jhanas, conceit, restlessness and ignorance.
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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment