Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks

My first book reading For the celebration of Chinese New Year, I was, together with my brother Taema Jun, in Shaolin Temple Europe, "asked" in advance by the abbot Shi Heng Zong to read from the book "Shaolin Rainer". I was aware of his desire to read from my book. However, I struggled with myself in advance about whether I should participate in the Chinese New Year at all. The idea of talking abo...

The coronavirus and thinking The coronavirus and thinking Right now China is facing a big challenge, our thoughts are with the people in the People's Republic. In videos, you can see countless people standing in front of hospitals, totally frightened and looking for help. In panic and with faces distorted by fear, am I sick, am I going to die? We will all die, the question is how we deal with it....

Many Buddhists live by precise rules Buddhism and rules Many Buddhists live by precise rules. Buddhists should not eat meat, should not have sex, should do this, should not do that, should pray this way or that way; rules upon rules. The study of sutras, the interpretation of words, and the precise meditation are at the heart of many Buddhist traditions. But where do most of these precepts come fr...

Are you a realist? A true Buddhist can only be a realist! There are the most different people with the most different views. One group sees the world as it should be in their imagination, the "dreamers". Another group sees everything quite black and gloomy, the "melancholics". Still, other people see the world in a kinky and weird way, the "perverts". There are also people who see everything throu...

Is a Buddhist allowed to have sex? Can a Buddhist have sex? Buddha had a son, Rahula. Before his "awakening," Siddhartha Gautama lived as the son of a noble family in northern India. His father wanted to raise him to be his successor, so he shielded him in the palace and kept him with him. For this purpose, he is said to have made his son's life "as pleasant as possible", and also to have supplied...

Change the words - or change yourself Change the words - or change yourself People have the habit of constantly complaining about others, I'm always right, others are wrong. But what if all people are right, not just me? If I change my thinking so that I also pay attention to the others and their feelings, maybe they are right. The dog barks, that's its job. Children cry, mothers always have somet...

Is a Buddhist allowed to eat meat or fish? Buddhism and diet Can a Buddhist eat meat or fish? Buddha explained that in order to protect all living beings, meatless foods are to be preferred. But Buddha did not know about modern meat factories. The so-called "modern diet" with "hamburgers" on every corner, "kebab" in every underpass, this was certainly not imaginable at the time of the historical B...

Buddhism and politics Buddhism and Politics More and more often I receive letters asking me to comment on this or that topic in politics. Especially I should "show the flag" when it comes to the controversial opinions on political topics around the People's Republic of China. Exactly that I will not do! Here applies "no politics"! This blog is about Buddhism, not politics. If readers think they wa...

Buddhism and the Gods Buddhism and the Gods Since earliest times, people have prayed to various gods. In the caves of our ancestors you can find idol statues, figurines and religious devotional objects. It was always a matter of speaking to a "god". Praying has always been talking to a "higher authority". In the course of the changeful history there were thousands of gods, often the deity even res...

The right acquisition of life The "right" acquisition of life is also the focus of life in Buddhism. But what is "right" life acquisition? I know people who have inherited a lot of money. Since then they have not worked and are bored beyond measure, occupying themselves with trivialities, going 'shopping', wasting their money on luxury, amusement, alcohol and drugs. They are usually in a bad mood,...

Enlightenment - The central point "Enlightenment" and Buddhism What is the central point in Buddhism? As in all religions, there are countless rules of conduct in Buddhism. Some go back to the historical Buddha, others were written later by monks or scholars. In my view, Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy. The central point in the philosophy of Buddha is the striving for "enlightenment",...

Buddhism and the hate Buddhists can also hate If you don't hate, you can't love. Hate and love are only two sides of the same coin. But where do these strong feelings come from, how can we control them, make them useful for us? Hate is a primal emotion. It arises mainly towards people. But we can also hate things; I hate "Christmas", I hate "red fruit jelly". Many people feel hatred toward dogs or...

Buddhism and the Ego What stands in the way of our "enlightenment" is our own ego. It is constantly chattering away, this and that are going through our mind, and the ego paints us in all kinds of situations. Basically, there are two kinds of thoughts, "good" and "bad" ones. Good thoughts pop into our heads when we have something to do, we have to make a plan, for how the sequence of our actions s...

Buddhism and the addictions Buddhism and the addictions We know how much drugs (cigarettes, alcohol, intoxicants) harm our bodies, hurt them, even often make us look ridiculous. When we try to limit, or stop these addictions, we often fail because our body (and/or mind) is addicted, kind of like the devil's advocate, we know about the harmfulness of drugs, but still we have to consume them. So mos...

Buddhism and the Pope Right now the web is full of opinions about the Pope. A believer called him to her, the pope slapped her on the hand. Now, however, the question arises as to why there is so much excitement. What must he be like, the Pope? Is he not allowed to show human reactions? Must he conform to the ideas we have of a pope, of a "Vicar of God"? And why must he not react indignantly? Afte...

Woulda, woulda, woulda, please no bike chain Would have, would have, please no bicycle chain What if my wife hadn't left me, if I hadn't quit my job, if I hadn't drunk so much beer yesterday! "Would have, would have, would have!" From a Buddhist point of view, such thoughts are simply nonsense. It always comes as it must come, fate is predetermined, "what if thoughts" lead to no result. Should I h...

Nirvana is for All Buddhism with Heaven and Hell - Nirvana is for Everyone In Western culture, we think in terms of "heaven" and "hell." Food was heavenly; living with my wife is pure hell, or heaven on earth. We know exactly what "heaven" and "hell" mean. But what do "heaven" and "hell" mean to a Buddhist? From the Buddhist point of view, there is neither "heaven" nor "hell", because this already...

The switch is within us! What does Buddhism bring to people in the West? In many households in the West there is a Buddha, a statue, a painting. Even at the well-known furniture discounter from Sweden you can find an image of the Indian prince in almost every ensemble. When I ask people what they associate with the image of Buddha, the answer usually comes: peace, tranquility, balance. Deeper know...

Happiness and Buddhism AS LONG AS YOU ARE CHASING HAPPINESS, YOU ARE NOT READY TO BE HAPPY, AND WOULD EVERYTHING DEAREST TO YOU. - HERMANN HESSE - The search for happiness is a natural pursuit of every human being. But everyone has a different idea of happiness, his own desires. Those who study Buddhism usually already have a completely different idea of happiness than many other people. But what...

108 Prostrations and Buddhism 108 Prostrations - Another Form of Yoga and Meditation Prostrations" is a sequence of movements that begins with standing in an upright position, then the practitioner slowly goes down on his knees, rests them (on a cushion), stretches his hands forward, the back makes a "cat hump", the palms of the hands turn upward, the head now rests on the floor. Accompanying this...

The desire Who doesn't know it, the desire? Imagine you really want something. I have an acquaintance who always wants the latest iPhone. As soon as it's presented to him, he's hooked, and as soon as he can, he orders it home. His desire is satisfied for the time being. By the time the phone arrives at his house, he's no longer asking for it, now he's looking forward to it. After all, he knows he...

Buddhism and Problems IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, TRY TO SOLVE IT. IF YOU CAN'T SOLVE IT, DON'T MAKE IT A PROBLEM. - BUDDHA - We all have problems, we think about the problems, our lives are full of problems. What we are looking for are answers and solutions to our problems. But most of the time we don't find answers because the next "problem" is already occupying our brain. So what we have to learn is...

Is it okay to do yoga if you are a Buddhist? THE CARPENTER WORKS THE WOOD THE ARCHER BENDS THE BOW THE WISE MAN SHAPES HIMSELF - BUDDHA - Again and again I hear questions such as, "as a Buddhist, is it allowed to do this or that?" My answer is always: as a Buddhist you are allowed to do everything! If you believe in karma, everything is already written anyway. It is written whether I cause an acci...

Buddhism and the climate wave Do what you want, but not because you have to - Buddha - A new wave is sweeping over the world, the climate wave. Driven by missionary zeal, new thought prohibitions are coming into fashion. Masterminds of this movement are the so-called "green" parties, with the infallible Gretel as a bandwagon. More and more extremist views of persons, who are unrestrictedly convinc...

What makes Chan Buddhism? Chan was founded by the Indian monk Bodhidharma (short: Damo) about 500 AD in the Song Shan Shaolin Temple. Chan became known in the West under the Japanese term Zen. The meditating Buddha as a statue or effigy is today often equated with Chan. Damo's philosophy was based on the teachings of Buddha. Damo also rejected the worship of statues and images established after th...