Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks

The Plague God Many years ago, an old wanderer was sitting under a tree, taking a rest. Then the god of plagues passed by his place, the man was frightened and fear overtook him. Nevertheless, he greeted the god and asked him what he was doing in this area, why he was here. The plague god answered him that he was on his way to the next town to kill 100 inhabitants there, that was his task, he had...

Possession in Buddhism In a secluded temple once lived a Buddhist monk full of wisdom and goodness, completely alone as a hermit. Long ago, the buildings had been erected, in the mountains, high above the city, many hours' walk from the nearest house. But life there was too arduous, the other monks moved away, only he remained, secluded, but in harmony with nature. The seasons dominated his life....

Karma is very individual How people treat us is their karma, how we react is ours! Karma is a term from Sanskrit and roughly translated means "effect". According to the concept of karma, there is causality between cause and effect, between thoughts, actions and consequences. According to Buddhist teachings, karma is a law, not dependent on a judge, and remains immutably linked to rebirth. Thus, ev...

What remains is only the tea In a beautiful monastery once lived an "enlightened" monk, he had followed the historical Buddha and also "awakened". His disciples loved him, his wisdom was comprehensive, his teaching inspiring, his personality was unique in his circle of earth. Among his followers was a young man of good looks, excellent education, from a good house, who also wanted to become a monk...

The content is more important than the container Just now I am in Shaolin Temple Europe in the office of the abbot. Here there is an extensive library of Buddhist books, many of which have Chan (Zen) as their theme, I looked at a few. I noticed that all the books are about sutras, precepts and history, but the essence of Buddha's teaching, "enlightenment", is not, or hardly, covered. Page by page,...

Is life just a dream? The text "Is life only a dream?" appeared on 3.4.2020 on my blog, here it goes to the original click. Especially to this text I have received many letters, also there are readers (virtual students), who always thematize this text, because it occupies them very much. Now a reader has revised this text and added his own remarks, which is why I publish his copy here (uncommented...

Buddhism and the cup of tea The teachings of Buddha explained in a different way There is a legend about a wise monk who was often visited and was much sought after as an advisor. One day a learned man came to learn from him. The monk asked him if he was exhausted from his journey and would like some tea, and the visitor gladly agreed. The two sat down at a tea table, the monk heated water, prepar...

Man in the mirror Stand in front of the mirror, preferably naked, alone, without spectators, in a quiet chamber. Do you "hear" what your reflection says to you? You do not have to stand before the judgment of your fellow human beings; neither do you have to ask for the opinion of your spouse, friend or children. Only the judgment of your own self is what counts, which person is looking at you from...

About the meaning of life The question about the meaning of life is as old as human thinking itself. Who am I, where do we come from, is there a God, what is it all about, where are we going! Buddhists see the meaning of life quite differently than followers of monotheistic religions. According to the teachings of the historical Buddha, enlightenment is the goal of all striving. And enlightenment...

Do we need to change? "Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself." Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy - Russian writer (1828-1910) In this regard, the first step towards a Buddhist lifestyle involves a willingness to work on oneself, to change, to develop a new outlook. However, for a variety of reasons, people have great fears of all coming changes; innovations present many with...

Buddhism as a powerful idea "Nothing in the world is so powerful as an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo - French writer (1802-1885) Ideas have often completely changed our world. Democracy, communism, humanism, human rights movements, revolutions, religions. Guiding principles came, some stayed, many passed away again. Depending on the spirit of the times, on different interests, on profit...

The fear of the future We are always worrying about the future, making "a head", rolling problems, seeing all kinds of things coming our way. We lie awake for nights on end, unable to sleep, "problems" circling through our minds over and over again. Do you know this kind of thoughts? Surely, all people have a similar pattern, it is controlled by our ego, the little devil on our shoulder whispers t...

Lonely together What strange times we have, horror has entered our homes, "the Walking Dead" has become reality. Just as "Rick Grimes" from the horror series wakes up in an apocalyptic world, we have arrived in a pandemic, overnight. Does anyone know the movie "Contagion"? Here the scenario of a worldwide threat by a virus is thematized, parts of the script show 1to1 today's situation. The disinte...

David and Goliath Who does not know the story of David, the conqueror Goliath. The little one beats the big one, anything is possible! In nature, David often beats Goliath, a small virus knocks down a big man; ants transport an elephant in small pieces, and a small seed becomes a huge tree. Buddha taught us not to judge, not to distinguish in "good" or "bad", "small" or "big", not to "stick" a lab...

Thank you Everybody is talking about thank you ..... ..... but thank you does not make full Everywhere I read just how grateful one is to the nurses, the truck drivers, the sales clerks etc.. All politicians praise the occupational groups, which stand in front at the "Corona front". We all know how poorly these professions are paid, how much some people are exploited in the process, and now sudden...

Happy New Year I would like to start with a quote from the Meta Sutra (goodness teaching): MAY ALL BEINGS BE FREE FROM SUFFERING, MAY WHATEVER THEY HAVE GAINED NOT BE LOST, NOT BE DIMINISHED, NOT BE DESTROYED. ALL BEINGS ARE THE INHERITORS OF THEIR OWN KARMA. But does it really feel like a new year? Or is it simply a new day? When I bought the non-alcoholic champagne for our New Year's celebration...

Buddhism and the Keys Many people search for Buddha, in temples, in books, in meditation and in prayer. They search and search and search, some spend their whole life with it. But the answer is so simple, we already have the keys to the "gateless gate", the answer lies within ourselves. LET GO, THAT IS THE KEY TO HAPPINESS (BUDDHA) Easier said than done. Life rages around us, people come and go, a...

Why do I think I am right? Look at the past. You were sure, things were clear! If you could evaluate the same facts again, would your decision still be the same? OFTEN PROBABLY NOT! Every day we have to decide one way or the other, left or right, up or down. And we always think that we are doing the right thing. Of course, otherwise our decision would be different. Many a right decision was only m...

The truth about elephants What is as big as an elephant, looks like an elephant, but weighs nothing? That's right, its shadow! Our thoughts are like shadows. Our ego paints us pictures, makes us believe things, shows us movies. These can seem (at first sight) like real, but they are NOT. We see these films and pictures, we are flooded with thoughts, but these are without content, they are illusion...

The Chan (Zen) Master is Like an Alarm Clock What makes a good Chan teacher? He must be like an alarm clock, like the alarm that rings us out of bed in the morning. He should help us "wake up", pointing with his outstretched finger to a certain point. It is completely irrelevant whether the Chan master himself goes the way he points. It doesn't matter if he himself is "enlightened", it doesn't mat...

What is enlightenment? The German word "Erleuchtung" comes from the Sanskrit term "Bodhi" and means translated "awakening". With light, or an experience with light, "Bodhi" has little to do, rather it is about the awakening from the dreamlike world experience of everyone, from leaving a wrong view of reality. Wrong is the view of all being before awakening, because people perceive their self as se...

Brave New World - Reflections on Humanity by Aldous Huxley Huxley is often called one of the brightest minds of the last century, and I gladly agree. His probably best known book is "Brave New World" about society in the year 2540. In the future peace and freedom have finally become reality (or does it only seem so?). The painful experiences of a long war have produced a particular form of communi...

Buddha and the Mustard Seeds Reflections on death Near the monastery of the historical Buddha once lived a poor woman named "Kisa", she was pretty and always cheerful, people liked her. Despite her lowly background, the son of the local merchant fell in love with her, the parents were finally convinced by the love of the two, the marriage was agreed, the celebrations were lavish, the marriage very...

Christmas The holiday season is a wonderful time! Even if not all family members can celebrate together, I hope you will still have a reflective time. Maybe you have grandma's delicious cookies under the tree, maybe you can talk to your relatives on the phone; either way, stay in touch with your loved ones, celebrate a feast of love virtually. This years, Christmas is a more simple feast, but it n...

I love the stupidity of my fellow men In times of crisis the character of a person, the population, shows! If yesterday we were good and noble, today everyone is the next to himself. Fights over toilet paper, the mother of a friend was stolen noodles FROM THE SHOPPING TROLLEY, all of a sudden, all the countries cut themselves off, yesterday still cosmopolitan and tolerant, today closed and aggress...