Poh Tiong Ho's Blog – August 2014 Archive (14)

In a Buddhist Temple, the image on the right side of the Buddha is Sariputa.  Moggallana  is on the left side. These two arahants were selected as the chief disciples because aeons ago, when Buddha Anomaddassin was preaching these two youths made the wish that they would in future become chief disciples of the Buddha.

Sariputa was a Brahman leader from a village in Rajagaha. His former teacher was Sanjaya. Mogallana came from a village called Kolita.  Both of them were not satisfied…

The human body is called the manussakaya.  In this physical body are the refined counterpart, the celestial form, the Brahma form, the Anupa-Brahma form. The parami (perfect self) may take many lifetimes to evolve.  Only the Buddhas and the Arahants possess this perfect self. That was the reason the Buddha taught there was no self.

Meditation is one of the techniques needed to modify the habit patterns of the mind. The heart receives and knows the various supporters of perceptions,…

Buddhism is free from compulsion and coercion and does not demand blind faith. The Buddhists don’t believe the universe was created by an almighty God. This so-called almighty god cannot be uncaused and similarly cannot be eternal.  Buddha said volition gives rise to consciousness, and consciousness in turn gives rise to mind and body. The mind is not the self. The body is not the self. Where is the self? With a serene and contended mind, you will be tranquil and healthy.

The body can…

In a corpse the vital heat is extinguished, breathing, speech and mind also ceased. The faculties of senses are broken.  For one who has entered into nirodha (cessation of craving and suffering) during meditation, the heat exists, the faculties are clear, except respiration, speech, feeling and perception which are stilled and inactive.

By the 1^st century BC, Han Dynasty spread its power to Central Asia. The Chinese learnt about Buddhism as a result of trade and cultural…

Sakyamuni did not take any belongings with him. He left the palace empty-handed. The god Indra presented him with kasavapastra clothes at the bank of the Anoma River. So you see, the gods come to help you if you deserve it.

Life is full of chaos which can hardly be untangled. Make merits, forsake evil deeds, and refrain from paths of ruin. You are either progressing or regressing. The bees search for sweet-smelling nectar but fly  only likes bad-smelling things.  Which one are you?…

Johnny and Basil were in the same class and graduated from the same university abroad.  One day Johnny called up and said he was on his way to report duty in Australia and would like to drop in to have a cup of tea with Basil. Basil invited him to stay with the family because he had an extra room.  Johnny thought it was a great idea. He dropped in and met Basil in the office, and later came to stay with the family for one night. The next morning, it was also his time to leave.

The…

Because of ago, each person sticks with his or her ideas and refuses to listen to the others. Grasped at or clung to their dogmatic ideas, they  suffer state of depression, anxiety, distress and upset. Almost every religion claims it is the only true religion, with an almighty God. Which one should you follow?

Buddhist teachings can be summarized into:

Don’t…

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In some parts of the world corrupt, evil and aggressive politicians can simply raise any claims for territory which historically was unknown to them. Isn’t this why most of the wars were fought?  People simply walked into your territory, forcing the natives inland or killing them. Then after some years, they claimed the territory belonged to them and they…

 Apart from our own universe there are other countless universes. It is common to have deities from these other universes visiting us. Physical beings from there cannot reach us because of the distance and time factor.

Chakkavala is a Pali word which means solar system, with one sun. There are about one trillion solar systems around us and that means there are about one trillion suns if you can see them. We call this solar system the Milky Way. What about the huge space beyond the…

Evil spirits and demons are capable of creating towns and villages as splendidly as those of devas, and assumed themselves the forms of male and female devas.

The earth-bound deities (Bhummadeva ) are the earth-gods that live in proximity to the earth, in remote regions like forests, mountains and shrines. Some deities cultivate their merits through human mediums. There is nothing wrong in this unless the mediums become greedy and begin to swindle people. The gods or the deities do…

Grasped at or clung to their dogmatic ideas, and because of ego, each person sticks with his/ her ideas and refuses to listen to the others. The real problems people from all over the world are facing are in the deep-down ache of the heart, which do not go anywhere. They are always with us. These ups and downs of life remain, regardless of whatever religion you may profess,  whatever fame or wealth you may own.

People pray to almighty gods in times of fear for protection, not knowing…

Before you publish your book

There is a difference between publishing your own book and having it published. Have your book published means you authorize a mainstream publisher to publish your book, either as an e book or hard copy. This publisher will pay you a certain amount of fee for a start and will certainly pay you again if…

By the 1^st century BC, Han Dynasty spread its power to Central Asia. The Chinese learnt about Buddhism as a result of trade and cultural ties with the peoples of these regions.

Kumarajiva arrived from India to translate the Buddhist texts into Chinese.  Another well  known translator was Anshigao  from Central Asia during the middle of the 2^nd century, and  he was also to become the  first Chinese Buddhist monk.

Xuan-zang studied at Nalanda…

Hindu sages had vague ideas about kamma and rebirth. The Buddha expounded them in details, fully and accurately. The Buddhists don’t believe an almighty god, but the Hindus do. In Buddhism every human is equal but the Hindus teach the caste system. Buddhists don’t believe in ritual purification, but for the Hindus, ritual purification is crucial.

Buddhism is a science because it stands up to verification. There are three main types of Buddhism today: Theravada, Mahayana &…