孔子之仁、义、礼、智、信 与观音法门的五戒 Wednesday, September 30, 2009
有两千年文化历史的儒家鼻祖孔子到底是不是一位修行人? 这是一个有趣的问题。很多人用世俗的眼光来理解圣人的等级，就会说孔子对＂道＂一窍不通，说什么孔子的学说是入世之道等等。根据清海无上师的开示，孔子与老子都是观音法门的修行人.如果孔子，老子都是修行人，那么我们能否在孔子的哲学概念里面看到观音法门的＂五戒＂踪影吗？答案自有分晓。
观音法门的＂五戒＂又是什么呢? 那就是不杀生、不偷盗、不妄语、不邪淫、不喝酒（包括不用毒品）.这五戒可以简称为 "杀、盗、淫、酒、妄" .
先看孔子的＂仁＂讲的是什么。仁者：仁爱，仁慈，仁义之师之仁。这个＂仁＂衍含着天下为公、大道无私的精神. 天下为大同,把天下的有情众生视为自己的亲身骨肉班地仁慈相待，那么古代的圣贤又怎么可能吃众生的肉，喝众生的血呢？这个包含慈悲，博爱的＂仁＂自然而然自然而然的就跟观音法门的第一戒 ＂戒杀＂不谋而合了。
孔子的＂义＂又是什么呢？义：义务，大义，义举之义。有义气的人，不会做出无耻的钩当。不是自己的东西不可以占为己有，这个＂义＂当然包含了＂路不拾遗＂的美德，这样正是附和观音法门的＂戒盗＂。盗窃的行为将为有义之士共耻。
＂礼＂是什么呢？礼者：礼貌，礼让，礼义之邦之礼。非礼勿视，非礼勿为，有礼的人是不会轻易犯了观音法门的＂戒淫＂,因为那是无礼的行为，不是光明正大的君子行为。
孔子的＂智＂是什么呢？智者：智慧，智力，睿智之智。有智慧的人不是迷迷糊糊的过日子，所以有智慧的人不会是＂瘾君子＂，更不可能染上对身心有害的恶习。不喝酒，不抽烟，不赌博。远离一切无明的、败坏身心的行为，才是头脑清醒的智者!这也是观音法门的＂戒酒＂用意.
孔子的＂信＂又是什么呢？信者：诚信，信誉，公信之信也。有信的人岂能言而无信？君子一言既出，四马难追！出尔反尔，绝非君子所为。观音法门的＂戒妄＂正是讲信义的人必须遵守的规则。
讲到这里我们已经发现，孔子的“五常”仁、义、礼、智、信 其实已经体现在观音法门的"杀、盗、淫、酒、妄"。五戒的内衍和精神和孔子的＂仁、义、礼、智、信＂是相埔相成的。说孔子是观音法门的修人是有根据的，可以成立的卓见！
孔子对＂仁＂特别的重视，仁在＂仁、义、礼、智、信＂里占有首席的地位，没有仁，其他的理念就不用谈了。可见孔子对慈悲的理念非常注重!
恰好根据清海无上师的开示，"戒杀"为＂五戒＂之首。"戒杀"的要求，不止不可以杀人，就连动物也要发慈悲心，吃全素，不吃众生肉。在目前地球面临危机的当下，更显得十分迫切!
清海无上师的开示说如果第一戒＂戒杀＂破了，一吃荤食，其他的四戒也会被破掉的。原因很简单，人一开始吃肉，就会学西方的饮食习惯，什么肉配什么酒等等。这样一来，＂戒酒＂就会在不知不觉中破了。酒喝多了就会酒后闹事，在不经意的情况下又轻易地犯了盗戒或淫戒。等清醒的时候，又要找借口掩饰自己的行为。说了第一次谎话，就什么戒也要破掉。因为有了第一个谎话，就必须有第二个谎话来圆第一个谎话的场。同样理由，有了第二个谎话就必须创造第三个谎话来掩饰。这样下去，什么戒都不用守了。
由此可见，明师是多么注重＂戒杀＂。吃素是非常重要的，无论在个人修行或拯救地球，吃素都是最关键的首要目标。
Labels: save the earth, stop eating meat
Lasm's story told @10:55 PM
Singapore SOS Global Warming Bus Schedule Tuesday, September 29, 2009
In case you are missing the Singapore SOS Bbus and want to catch it, here is the bus departure time schedules for 55 and 58.
Bus 143 and 131.
143 is the double decker bus and 131 will bring you directly to Loving Hut @ Bukit Merah Central, block 161.
Labels: global warming, save the earth
Lasm's story told @8:32 AM
Directions to Loving Hut @ Bukit Merah Central Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Here's a simple direction to the latest Loving Hut outlet at Bukit Merah Central.Take bus no. 132 outside Redhill MRT to the bus interchange. It is a 5 minutes ride
Alternatively at Tiong Bahru MRT, you can take bus no. 5 or 851. Other buses that go to the bukit merah bus interchange can be found here.
If you are taking bus no. 131 from Shenton Way or CBD area, look out for the SOS Global warming buses !
Once the bus stop at bukit merah bus terminal, take the pedestrian overhead bridge to cross the road, and turn left to walk towards Block 161.
Loving Hut is located just besides the POSB, and in front of Bukit Merah community library.
Every day at Loving Hut BMC, there are specialty dishes. On Saturdays the house special is Teochew porridge, eat-as-much-as-you-can buffet at $4.80 whole day.
On Mondays they close early to rest at 3.00 p.m. otherwise you can hang out till the evenings up to 9.30 p.m.
The address ?
Loving Hut
Bukit Merah Central
Blk 161 #01-3725
Singapore 150161
Here you can see us sampling the vegan mee siam, a popular local Malay dish, yummy yum... look out for more food blogs to come.. from Loving Hut @ BMC !!
Labels: loving hut
Lasm's story told @4:21 AM
First Singapore SOS Bus 2009 Saturday, September 19, 2009
Maybe you are not sure.. it looks like a bird ?? It's a bus..Is that the SOS bus on Singapore roads ?
Great News for all those who are sick and tired of living in the shadows of the deadly swine flu. Great News for all who cared about the environment and the plight of our Earth now, the global warming SOS bus is running in Singapore !!
Catch bus no. 143, 141, 55 and 58...
Busk in heaven's glory and delight !!
Be reminded to do your part to save the world !!
It's so easy !! Just be vegan ^~^
Labels: global warming, save the earth
Lasm's story told @3:57 PM
Chinese Kungfu and Spirituality Monday, September 7, 2009
It is a bit strange to talk about chinese kung fu and spirituality as these are two quite opposite topics. One is rooted in violence and the other is based on compassion and love. However in this blog, we shall attempt to find some common ground for these two disjoint human endeavours.As we scan the vast and colorful landscape of Chinese kung fu, we wonder where shall we start, for the field is wide and the art is limitless. There is for instance, the very famous Shaolin martial arts which has the reputation of being the forefounder of every major martial art system in the world. Shaolin is the iconic representative of the external school of kung fu, whereas the leader of the internal school is none other than Tai Chi.
The word kung-fu is made popular in the English vocab by one expert proponent by the name of Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee's basic training is in the southern China style of fist fighting known as Wing chun, which originates from Hokkien province.
Wing Chun is a very curious name for a kung fu that is rooted in violence. In Chinese, it means "ode to spring", but of course as a kung fu system its purpose is to maime, cripple or disable the opponent, and there is nothing, on the surface of it, that is compassionate or life promoting as spring.
As an art form, Wing Chun is very effective, and is particularly suited for street fighting as it is a close range kung fu, and it's power is physically explosive.
It is an art form, and it's entire philosophy and practice is very, very scientific and logical, having evolved from the wisdom of its founders. The story goes that the system was taught by a nun to a lady who used it to ward off an unwanted courter.
Wing Chun's basic tenet is direct and effective. The shortest distance between
two points is a straight line, if you want to hit some one, move on to it, don't wave your arms wildly in the air in one big circle only to land your fist in front of you. The simplicity and directness of the system is perfectly demonstrated by Bruce Lee who used it to beat other martial arts proponents from famous systems such as Taekwando and Karate. There are no fanciful patterns that you have to work through which does not have any direct application in a street fight, and you do not progress from white color belt to black belt by passing an exam of memorized pattern.
Wing Chun is serious business. You want to create injury on another, then this is it.
If you want discipline and pompous show, then the patterns based martial arts may be more suitable for you. This is precisely one of the main reasons why kung fu is held in high regards by the Chinese for centuries and it is not easily transmitted from master to disciple, until the twentieth century when Bruce Lee popularise it and spread it amongst millions of martial arts fan.
The reason for secrecy is because systems such as Wing Chun is too powerful. It can cause so much physical damage to the body, if not death, to the opponent if it's application is not controlled. Therefore the character of the disciple is an important criteria to consider when a master decides to impart his skill.
So in this regard, the master sifu of Wing Chun system or other lethal forms of kung fu develops his compassion and restraint. In this way, the master approaches the same goal as spiritual cultivation. The master never strikes unless his own life is in danger, because he knows the system is too powerful, therefore he exercises utmost restraint.
When you do the sticky hand exercises of Wing Chun or other kung fu systems with a master, you will immediatedly sense the power and skill of the master. There is a Chinese saying that when an expert lays out his hand, only then you will know his level. Action speaks louder than words !!
In the graphic sticky hands demonstration you see the master repeatedly touch the head of the opponent gently, as he breaks through the arms lock and counter block prelude. Sometimes the master stroke the head gently, and sometimes it is a light knife hand chop to the neck or a restraint feast to the chest.
Each of these gentle and controlled touches is a hit. It would have earn points in a system like Judo. In actual fighting of course, these gentle strokes will be replaced by powerful, physically damaging blows.
So the master of Wing Chun demonstrates his prowess by laying out his hands.
In a similar manner, you will meet a spiritual master, and if the master is fully enlightened, you will obtain immediate "proof" when you are in the physical presence of the Master.
Wing Chun does not have patterns, but it has forms. There are five forms, and the most basic and well known form is called "Little Idea". The forms are standard physical routines to be practised over and over again until it becomes second nature to the martial artist.
The novice disciple will be forgiven to think that the forms is meant to be applied to street fighting. It is not !! For there is nothing logical in street fighting !! Violence by definition, is the absence of logic. The idea for the "Little Idea" is to practise the forms to perfection only to forget about it !!
In the words of Bruce Lee, the artist must become like water, which is formless.
This philosophy of the highest kung fu masters is not easy for the layman to understand, but it makes perfect sense to the spiritual practitioner. The spiritual practitioner approaches formlessness from form through deep mediation in ahimsa, whereas of course in kung fu, every thing is rooted in violence.
One of the major quest of top kung fu masters is the hunger for power.
As a close range fighting sytem like Wing Chun the quest for power is not coming from
the torgue of the twisting fist, which came from the waist in systems like Taekwando and Karate, neither is the source of power coming from the torgue of the whole body which is used in systems like the Palm of eight trigrams, Judo etc.
The source of power in Wing Chun is from the whole body. The convincing demonstration
of this power is in the famous half inch punch or three inch punch which delivers breaking
power at close quarters.
The quest for power for a spiritual practitioner on the other hand, is for liberation, which brings one above the Three Worlds, beyond the clutch of karma, cause and effect, and far superior to physical powers which the kung fu masters ever dream of.
Kung fu masters sought power and control. In their highest accomplishments, they attain some level of compassion. Most of them also attained healing powers due to compassion. Simple manuvers such as setting of bones is an easy medical task for them.
To control that power, there must be wisdom. But wisdom is beyond the doors of kung fu. Kung fu does not teach wisdom, or the attainment of it, or the means to the attainment.
Therefore lacking wisdom, there cannot be perfect control.
The spiritual practitioner has both. He has the highest power through Divine Love.
The softest thing in the world can actually overcome the hardest thing. And he has
developed wisdom through his meditation through which wisdom the Love flows.
Do not ask what is the Noble Quality (NQ) of famous top kung fu proponents such as
Bruce Lee, Ip Man et al. We may never know... We can only end in speculation..
Did the kung fu masters have the NQ of the normal human, or likely that of the single
digit disappointment ?
Ip Chun, son of the legendary Ip Man, master of Bruce Lee, at the ripe old age of 80 plus made a very, very interesting comment.
He commented that the days when Wing Chun is the kungfu system to beat up 9 or 10 simultaneous attackers is gone. He foresee that the age of violence as a means to settlement is long gone, and the world has progressed to a more peaceful, civilised golden era.
The only saving grace and raison d'être for Wing Chun is as a form of health and exercise.
Such wise words from a true kung fu master !!
Labels: kungfu, spirituality
Lasm's story told @1:02 PM
