Discover the Treasure Within with Most Venerable Hsin Ting

Most Venerable Hsin Ting, widely respected Buddhist Monk and meditation teacher, will again visit Manila, this time to hold a series of activities that can help people discover the treasure within them and tap a spring of happiness and wealth. 

Most Venerable Hsin Ting will hold a talk on Meditative Concentration: The Source of Developing One's Wisdom on October 25, 2012 at 7:30PM. It will be a perfect introduction to the practice of meditation, regardless of one's religion or background. Experienced meditators will also gain insights to further their practice by attending this talk.

On October 26, 2012 also at 7:30PM, the beloved spiritual teacher will talk on The Way to Happiness. The lecture will be a great opportunity for everyone to hear with clarity the 2,500-year-old teachings of the Buddha that will surely bring hope and happiness. Both events will be held at Mabuhay Temple located at 656 Pablo Ocampo St., Malate Manila right across Century Park Hotel.

All talks by Most Venerable Hsin Ting will be anchored on the Diamond Sutra, an essential Mahayana Buddhist scripture, often said to contain the key to authentic transformation. The sutra is regarded by many devotees as a source of wisdom and good fortune, thus, most of them read and recites it in a regular basis.

Most Venerable Hsin Ting will also personally preside over a Triple Gem and Five Precepts Ceremony on October 27, 2012 at Mabuhay Temple. Taking refuge in the Triple Gem simply means abiding and seeking support from the Buddha, his teachings and his community of followers. It is a very important step for anyone who is serious in studying and practicing Buddhism. In addition to taking refuge in the Triple Gem, an individual can also commit to observe the Five Precepts or guides that encourage good conduct, namely, to refrain from killing, stealing, committing sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants.

After taking part in the Triple Gem Refuge and Five Precepts Ceremony, an individual can still follow the practices of other religions and faiths as long as they promote goodness and guide them on the right track. It is not even required for an individual to become a vegetarian after agreeing to uphold the Five Precepts. 

Most Venerable Hsin Ting was the sixth abbot and director of Taiwan-based Fo Guang Shan monastery from 1997-2005. He renounced under Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan, in 1968 and is a forty-ninth lineage holder of the Linji Chan School. He graduated from the Eastern Buddhist College and the India Research Institute of the Chinese Cultural University. He further received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Fo Guang Shan-affiliated University of the West in Rosemead, California in 1998.

Expected to succeed Venerable Master Hsing Yun as the head teacher of Fo Guang Shan, Most Venerable Hsin Ting now travels around the world to share the joys of the Dharma through lectures, instruction in Ch'an (Zen) meditation, Buddhist ceremonies, chants, books, educational and humanitarian projects.

For more information, please go to www.mabuhaytemple.com/treasure-within or call 0917-8124424.

Sexy Nomad's Monastic Diaries (Entry # 2): Insanity is that you?

This is the continuation of Part I: 

Sexy Nomad's Monastic Diaries (Entry # 1): Hogwarts is that you?

To see the prologue or to have a better idea where my Monastic diary entries came from, please head to these links:

Spot the Filipino Harry Potter Look-Alike and Some Thoughts for the Coming Days

2012 International Youth Seminar on Life and Ch'an

*This meditation retreat is an option the participants at the youth seminar can take on the 2nd week. There were 1,500 participants during the one-week 2012 International Youth Seminar on Life and Ch'an in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Only 200 were admitted to the Meditation Retreat  the following week, including me.*

~~~oOo~~

Still July 28, 2012 Saturday | On my bunk bed | Fo Guang Shan Temple in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Only few things keep me going to try and finish this meditation program:

1. Refund of my $100 deposit

2. My husband Peter

For the first time in a  LONG WHILE, I am really missing my husband. I keep picturing him naked or that I am seducing him or making love with him. I've been feeling quite neutral about our marriage for a long while now. Maybe it's because of all those layers of protection/resentment/negative thoughts and feelings that I have barricaded between him and myself coz of our current circumstances --- he's always working long hours and I'm always left at home alone. But since I came here at Fo Guang Shan Temple and studied Buddhism and now learning about this rigorous type of meditation, those layers of resentment and self-preservation have been stripped down little by little and all I can now see and feel is that I love my husband, that I am in love with him still and that I really want to be with him. It's great to know that though I have contemplated about leaving him in the past, that it was just all part of the resentment I've built and when I let go of that, I know deep down that I still do love him. 

My only fear now is when I'm back to my old life and things happen again like I'm back to my regular routine, how do I make sure that I don't feel alone and lonely again every time Peter would tell me that he'll be coming home late? I guess I just have to remember to detach myself from these feelings and live my life one breath at a time. No attachments. Let go and let live. Sigh.

3. My best friend Hanz

Sexy Nomad's Monastic Diaries (Entry # 1): Hogwarts is that you?

To see the prologue or to have a better idea where my Monastic diary entries came from, please head to these links:

Spot the Filipino Harry Potter Look-Alike and Some Thoughts for the Coming Days

2012 International Youth Seminar on Life and Ch'an

*This meditation retreat is an option the participants at the youth seminar can take on the 2nd week. There were 1,500 participants during the one-week 2012 International Youth Seminar on Life and Ch'an in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Only 200 were admitted to the Meditation Retreat  the following week, including me.*

~~~oOo~~

July 28, 2012 Saturday | On my bunk bed | Fo Guang Shan Temple in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

I sometimes feel like I'm in Hogwarts (Kung Fu Panda version) with the long monastic robes all 200 of us are wearing, the huge expanse of land which houses various Buddha temples and contemplation sites, the sound of the birds chirping all day long, the ringing of the bells and gongs every hour or so signalling the time for prayers, chanting meditation and meals. It's Hogwarts alright but without the magic and mystical creatures.

However, unlike Hogwarts, this meditation retreat that I'm attending is boring in nature. There are no classes per se nor seminars unlike last week's international youth seminar. We are not even allowed to speak to each other or to anyone. The monks had us surrender our cellphones, laptops, iPods, iPads and other gadgets. In fact, according to the manual, we are also not allowed to write. Strictly speaking, any form of communication is not allowed during this 5-day retreat! My God! I'm going to die! So I'm hiding here in my bed writing these things down on my little pink notebook before I go crazy in this 5-day  meditation retreat with a vow of silence to boot plus vegetarian meals and manual chores in between which I deposited $100 for. It's going to be refunded back to me if I last the whole week. IF I LAST THE WHOLE WEEK!

Birthday Thoughts

It's my birthday today and it hit me... I'm old! And I hope wiser too. Since February came around, I've been thinking about OLD AGE--- A LOT! It will still be decades before I hit that mark but I feel like I have to be proactive about ensuring our happy and healthy survival. After all, my husband and I don't have kids and we only have each other to count on when that time comes.  I've also been feeling like I'm no longer the fun-crazed gal I was before. I now think about RETIREMENT too. No thanks to Suze Orman, who I love by the way, but man, her financial advices are really hitting me to the core. Now I just like to make money, save money, invest when possible, and stop myself from spending for unnecessary stuff (budget travels are excluded coz that's the only "luxury" I have left in life, hahaha. Hey, it's educational and enriching too!). After all, we've already accumulated a lot of stuff over the years, stuff that we don't even get to use as often as we want to (like our surfboard, our foosball, or 4 flat screen TVs [omg!4!], our drums, guitar & keyboard [huhu], our old Wii & PSP, my tons of brand new shoes and books.... stuff that just keep on accumulating dust inside our house. Tsk, tsk. Maybe Peter is right, I'm a hoarder and it's time I face that fact. But at least I'm not like those hoarders I see on TV, I can't live like that. I'm still a sensible and neat freak hoarder if I may say so. I think our house is a testament to that.

Maybe this is just a phase but I have a feeling that I am turning into somebody more sensible, more "kuripot", and more mature (I hope!). Sure, I still crave enjoyment but it has now taken a totally different form. And when I say different form, I mean sleep. At least, this is what's happening to me as of late. In my head, I still do make plans that seem to match the energy of a twenty year old but once I'm done for the day and I retire to our bedroom, I just simply fall into blissful slumber. Before I know it, the weekend has turned into one long dreamless sleep and it's Monday once again. There goes my list of fun activities down the drain! Or maybe because I was just feeling sick since last weekend. I didn't have the flu but I had some of its symptoms like aching joints, over-fatigued body, headache, runny nose... Thank God for Vita Plus and Bioflu it was no more than that and I am starting to feel a little better.The Valentine hoopla helped I guess. ;)

So anyway, what's for my birthday? I honestly don't know. I didn't make any plans. I'll let life take me to wherever it takes me. I've been making too many plans for far too long, I think it's time to let go of the lists in the meantime and just let life surprise me, for this weekend at least. Happy birthday, me! (^_^)

-----------------
Feb. 20, 2012
P.S. Because I let life take me wherever, I ended up having one of the most memorable birthdays ever: Manila Ocean Park, The Pergola, etc. - a Happy Birthday Weekend Celebration

The 30-day Challenge

Today is the Chinese new year. We're now entering the year of the Water Dragon and more than the prediction of the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar, we should focus on the great things that 2012 has to bring. In essence, the year of the Water Dragon will bring so much blessings to those who are generous and kind, to those who are embarking on new adventures and those who  make this world a better place to live in. All of us can do our part, even if it means just changing one bad habit. After all, habits are what make the success and failure patterns  of our life. It's those little things we do everyday on a consistent basis that will dictate the direction our life is taking. 

Do you notice that there are people who always make their dreams come true while there are others who always seem to run out of luck? It's all about their habits. Success and failures are not actions. They are the results of the habits we do every single day. 

Perhaps, you have this small habit of watching TV for extended hours instead of exercising or doing something more productive. Maybe you're the type who is perpetually late for work. Maybe you have this habit of putting off urgent matters. Or maybe you smoke too much and would like to quit but just can't. These are just some of the things a lot of us wish we can change to make our lives a little better but somehow, we always fail at stopping them. I've been there before. I've smoked myself to sickness; I've bummed for a long period of time; I was always late for work; I used to procrastinate all the time. On several different occasions, I just decided to stop them and replace them with new and good habits and since then, my life has been better. If I can do it, so can you. 

Here's how: TAKE THE 30-DAY CHALLENGE

1. Choose ONE bad habit you have and replace it with something else. Maybe you start your day facebooking and before you know it, unproductive hours have passed and you're late for work.
2. Be specific with what you want to accomplish. For example, instead of saying "I will exercise everyday." make it "I will go to the gym and exercise from 6-8am, MWFSun and go biking around the village 6-8am TThSat."
3. Once you find a replacement for your bad habit,  do it for thirty days. According to psychologists, 21 days is actually enough to stop any bad habit. But we want to go beyond the passing grade so we're going for thirty. 
4. Do it consistently. If you stop, then it's back to zero and back to day 1.
5. Study the good habit you want to acquire. Perhaps, you want to start a small home business. So instead of watching telenovelas at night, you can spend an hour or two of research online about this business that you want to pursue.
6. Find support. Ask friends, families and colleagues who may be embarking on the same endeavor as you. Find a gym buddy, a business partner, or friends who will want to support you in your pursuit of better life. 

If you do this every month, by the end of 2012, you would have changed 12 bad habits and acquired 12 awesome ones! Think how better your life will be by then!

The Chinese New Year is another opportunity for us to start what we failed to achieve last year, or failed to do the start of this year. Happy Chinese New Year to all and may all our dreams come true!

Jan. 3 Gratitude Journal

When we have gratitude in our hearts, we attract more of the things we want.  So for today, let me take this time to thank God and the universe for these three things I consider my blessings:

1. That I am able to do what's on my list for the first 3 days of the year. (I hope to be consistent for the next 362 days of the year)
2. That I was able to book cheap flights to Siargao and Cebu this summer. (I hope I can find cheap accommodations too as I will be staying there for 17 days)
3. That I have work I like and hobbies that give me joy. (Since I have been allowing myself to spend more time making my herbal jelly soaps, I am happier and surprisingly excited to continue doing my VA jobs this year.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Peace and Inner Guidance

The past year, I have not listened to my inner guidance on several occasions because of other seemingly important and urgent matters. It made me resentful, unhappy and even depressed. I hope to change all that and start living in peace and harmony within myself. This new year serves as a very good platform for personal rebirth.

According to the Para-Gram PEACE by Paramahansa Yoganada:

Change yourself and you have done your part in changing the world. Every individual must change his own life if he wants to live in a peaceful world. The world  cannot become peaceful unless and until you yourself begin to work toward peace. It is only by removing hate from our hearts that we can live a Christlike life.

But how does one remove hate within himself? Since its source usually comes from the fact that we are always doing what is expected of us rather than what we really want to do, then it just means that when we change ourselves according to the dictates of our inner voice (that voice being of God's or from something greater than all of us), then we will start achieving peace and divinity within ourselves.

This also resonates with a quote I read by Shakti Gawain:

Every time you don't follow your inner guidance you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness.

This is why we easily get tired and lethargic when we do things we feel are not meant for us to do; This is why on occasions that we do listen to our inner voice and follow our own bliss, we feel much more alive, powerful and full of unconditional love. A balance can be attained if we don't want to risk everything just yet for that one thing we want to do. We can enjoy the process and continue learning from it while slowly changing the direction of our lives to our true calling.

I now include these quotes in my daily reading to bring me peace, and to guide me in my quest for creativity. You can also use them if you want to bring to the surface your creative spirit rather than remain as a shadow of your divine artist self the coming years.