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.

The Fundamentals of Success #2: Be Clear Why You're Here

It's been a long while since I last posted on this blog. Did you miss me? I surely missed sharing my thoughts here. It's just that I took some time off practicing what I've been preaching. In my last post about Success Principle # 1, where I mentioned the equation Event + Response = Outcome, I did change some of my life responses in order to get the best results (deeper happiness, better health and more wealth). I learned to give up some jobs in order to give more focus to others that I truly am passionate about, I learned to value my health more by really taking action like attending health seminars, eating the right food, drinking my vegetable juice (that tastes like real fruit!), surrounding myself with happy, healthy and positive people, napping every chance I get when I don't have the time to really sleep due to heavy workload, pursuing my love for acting, investing my money rather than doing some mindless shopping, etc. And the results? I am indeed happier, I increased my net worth, I am more at peace with my life, I am sexier than ever (I lost a couple of pounds in just a week of drinking my veggie juice and I have maintained my desired weight since then), I look younger according to people I meet and I am feeling a lot more excited about life! It's really true... your fate is in your hands. If you want to change and recreate a better life for yourself, all you just have to do is change your responses... act in ways that produce more of what you want!

Now that I've graduated from Success Principle #1, it's time to practice Success Principle #2: BE CLEAR WHY YOU'RE HERE.

What is your purpose? I remember several years ago when I purchased this book "The Purpose Driven Life". I never really finished the book. I think I got lazy reading it and perhaps I just didn't have the right motivation then to really change my life. The book is still with me and I plan to finish reading it one of these days. But in Jack Canfield's book "The Success Principles", I immediately learned how to properly pinpoint what is it that I am really here for. What is really my purpose?

To be "on purpose" means you're doing what you love to do, doing what you're good at and accomplishing what's important to you. When you truly are on purpose, the people, resources, and opportunities you need gravitate toward you. The world benefits, too, because when you act in alignment with your true life purpose, all of your actions automatically serve others.

When I thought about it, I started listing things that I am deeply passionate about and am happy to do even if I don't get paid for it: Acting, VA job, being an advocate for the World Health Organization, my small entrepreneurial biz (Victoria's Secret lingerie, Nail Art) and blogging. It's no wonder that I keep getting more of these things in my life lately.

Brian Tracy, one of America's leading authorities on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness, once said: "Decide upon your major definite purpose in life and then organize all your activities around it." Everything I do should be an expression of my purpose. If an activity does not fit my formula, then I shouldn't work for it. Period. It's that easy. And you know what? Thinking about it, it really is true! Last month, an investment opportunity came to my lap. There was a proposal for me to join an events company. I love going to events but it does not mean that I'd love to organize major events too. I didn't feel good about it, it seemed like I was not aligned with it so I said no. Then very recently, I accepted a job offer for a new travel magazine. I was to become its managing editor. I do love to travel and I do love to write but that does not equate to my being good at being a managing editor. I didn't feel quite right about it and I kept failing to give it time because of my other commitments. So after much prayer and contemplation, I gave it up too. Now I feel lighter and more aligned with my real purpose.

So how do we know what is our purpose anyway? Why are we here?

YOUR INNER GUIDANCE SYSTEM IS YOUR JOY.

You will know your purpose because it is that which gives you real joy. So let your emotions guide you. Follow that which gives you bliss and abandon those that give you misery. That's what I did. And I've become more successful today than I was a month ago.

Here's what Jack Canfield taught me in knowing my purpose:

1. List two of your unique personal qualities.
Answers: My being optimistic and my being industrious or hardworking

2. List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others.
Answers: I express my optimism and industry by supporting and inspiring other people through my blogs, through my work, businesses and craft, when I talk to people, attend events, and share my experiences in my online and offline social networks.

3. Assume the world is perfect right now. What does this world look like? How is everyone interacting with everyone else? What does it feel like? Write your answer as a statement, in the present tense, describing the ultimate condition, the perfect world as you see it and feel it. Remember, a perfect world is a fun place to be.
Answer: Everybody is genuinely kind, nice, generous and supportive. Everybody is happy, successful, healthy and wealthy no matter what they do in their respective lives.

4. Combine the three prior subdivisions of this paragraph into a single statement.
Answer: My purpose is to use my optimism and industry to support and inspire others to become happy, successful, healthy and wealthy in their respective lives.

The fourth answer will be your purpose. Mine is: "My purpose is to use my optimism and industry to support and inspire others to become happy, successful, healthy and wealthy in their respective lives."

Once you have determined your purpose, you should read it everyday. Keep a copy of it and put it in your wallet so you can take a look at it every now and then. Make it your mantra. You may even want to create a vision board about it especially for those who are visually and artistically inclined. This (and your emotions) will be your guide so that you know if the things you do in your life are in alignment with your purpose. When you're aligned, things become easier for you. Life becomes a breeze. So sit back and relax and start discerning what your purpose is. 'Til my next post. Be well! ^_^

Who is Kicking Pinay?

Growing up, I have witnessed and experienced a lot of negativity around me. Although we were not very poor, there were a lot of times my siblings and I weren't able to eat right. We got by with the help of a few kind relatives and even strangers from beyond. But still, ghosts of my family's past kept on coming back to haunt us. My mom used to be a total nag, an emotional wreck and a big spender, my dad had the worst of vices, my brother attempted to kill himself several times, my sister grew up physically abused and I...well, I almost had a mental & emotional breakdown.

But all that is in the past. My mom is a lot happier these days, my dad is busy with a small home-based business he has, my brother is now a very responsible father and provider, my sister is a millionaire living independently while helping out our family and I am living the life I want: stress-free, with financial and time independence.

What matters now is the way I choose to live my life, hoping to encourage others like me to rise above their current situation and become stronger, better and happier. We have the power within us to change our lives the way we want it to be. It is here, inside of us, whether we believe it or not. It only takes a certain level of acknowledgment, acceptance, belief and hard work to make one's way to a life of greater possibilities.

This blog will talk about overcoming challenges, problems and difficulties from the most mundane to the most complex of cases. Eventually, it will feature other Pinays with a "kicking" attitude --- those who persevered and succeeded, those who did not easily give up, those who continue to live a full life. It will tackle subjects like success, good health, freedom from want, wealth and happiness to name a few. It will not focus on the negative but rather use it to find one's purpose in life... one's ultimate destiny... or at least try to. It's one of the simplest things I can do to show my gratitude to a transcendental power that continues to give life to us all. That and ultimately following my own advice, of course.