Main Menu
Home  About Us  Committee Members  Daily Activities  Map to PBHP  Questions and Answers Youth Section

Dhamma Menu
Food for Thought - Part 1   Part 2   Part 3
Reflection Series: 
1999 issues - Jul   Aug  Nov/Dec
2000 issues - Jan  Oct
Others: - Ullambana

Dhamma Reflection for January 2000

How Am I Doing ?"

The other day, in my Chemistry Guidance Class, I was telling the students how very small we are compared to the vast awesome cosmos we are in. The nearest star to Earth, Alpha Centauri, is about 4 ½  light years away and this works out to a distance of 4.5 x 365 x 24 x 60 x 60 x 186,000 miles !  And there are billions of stars and galaxies out there. It’s mind-boggling. We are really small … perhaps smaller than a grain of sand in the vast seashore. But yet the human being is unique ….he has a Mind capable of “more things on Heaven and Earth than can be dreamt of in your Philosophy.” The human mind can be so full of greed, hatred, cruelty, delusion and a host of other terrible dark forces that unleash so much pain and suffering on others. Reflect on the following incidents that you read about in books or the newspaper :

And the list goes on and on ……… How terrible can the human mind become !

Do not despair ! On the other hand, the  human mind can also be enriched with so many positive qualities …. love, compassion, kindness, gentleness and selflessness. We have heard of Bodhisattvas and Saints who have rendered untold services to the needy out of selfless love and compassion. When we reflect on this, we come to the realization that  the human mind can spiritually evolve higher and higher until Enlightenment . We would have lived well and meaningfully if we continually grow in Compassion and Wisdom. This would be our true Wealth and Treasure that our mind takes with it from life to life until we “return to our Real Home.”  Such Wealth and Treasure cannot be acquired without continuously striving on in the Dhamma. We need to practice with patience, determination and perseverance  DANA, SILA and BHAVANA.

Many of us think we are doing “Okay” ‘cause we think we are observing our 5 Precepts very well.But we have to be aware of subtle MARA forces that ‘invade’ us from time to time and weaken, pollute and defile our mind. It is good and beneficial if we constantly watch our mind ( “Look out for the ‘Devils’ !” ) and do retrospection, contemplation and reflection. In this way we can work positively towards developing and purifying the mind. The following Reflections done constantly with patience, sincerity, understanding, mindfulness and aspirations can help in our Dhamma growth . In this way, we can conquer the “Devils” of Greed, Hatred and Delusion and fill our minds with Generosity, Loving-Kindness and Wisdom.

Do I intentionally destroy living beings? 
Am I careless and unmindful thereby causing a life force to end prematurely ? 
Am I cultivating loving-kindness and compassion towards all beings?

Do I intentionally take another’s property and causing unhappiness ? 
Do I cheat and have I been dishonest in my dealings with others ? 
Do I borrow and fail to return another’s belongings ? 
Do I have a yearning to take and take and not to give ? 
Have I made any progress in the practice of DANA ?

Do I commit rape, adultery, sexual molestation and harassment of innocent parties ? 
Do my actions threaten the stability and happiness of a marriage or family ? 
Am I excessive in my pursuit of sensual pleasures to the extent that I have little time for cultivation ?
To what extent am I practising Contentment ?

Do I lie causing others hurt, pain and sorrow?
Am I hypocritical in my interaction with others? 
Am I in the habit of saying things which may not be true? 
Do I deceive? Do I spread rumors?