Give a little and gain a mountain?

A Buddhist disciple had called a master on the phone and complained,
"I have worked hard and still not achieved much, why?  I have chanted mantra and done good deeds, but my destiny has not changed."
一位佛友電話抱怨道：為什麼我努力了還是得不到？念經行善了，命運卻不變？

Master: "Let me give you $500, is this OK?"
法師：我給你寄五百塊錢，好不好？

Disciple:  "Master, I dare not take your money!"
佛友：師父，你的錢我不敢要呢！

Master:  "I want you to help me do one thing."
法師：我是要你幫我辦一件事。

Disciple: "Master, tell me what you want and I will absolutely do it perfectly for you!"
佛友：師父，你說辦什麼，我絕對幫你辦好！

Master:  "Please buy a car for me."

法師：幫我買一輛汽車。

Disciple (surprisingly):  "Master, you cannot buy a car with $500!"

佛友(驚呀地)：師父，五百塊怎麼能買到汽車呢？！

Master:  "You also know one cannot get a car for $500?"
法師：你知道五百塊買不到汽車？！


Revelation:
There are many people in this world trying to give a little to get a lot in return.  Obviously, this is not quite possible.
啟 示：
世上有太多的人都在絞盡腦汁，只想付出一點點，就得到很多。而這，顯然是不太可能的

Ken's comment:  This story is applicable to any religion or even events.  For example, someone admires the income of a medical doctor but does not have the patience or put in the effort needed to go through many years of medical school training.  I have some people pleading for spiritual help but are not willing to put in the time and effort to get them out of their predicament.  They want instant good luck with little effort or simply hearing good news.  The universe is fair (in the long run).  You get what you put in.
 

Ken Lai
© 2019 Ken Lai, all rights reserved.

Video Correspondence Courses: (click for details)   
“Advanced Visual Form Feng Shui” w/23 hr. HD video
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“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 1: Forecasting and Decision Support” w/32 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 2: Basic Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
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Zen and Self-Penalty

I get the following story from the web about a conversation between a venerable monk and a woman.  The original is in Chinese.  I translate it here: 

一位女士不停地述說自己的苦難，沒完沒了。

 A woman had been talking non-stop about her suffering and grievance. 

法師打斷她的話說：你的苦還真多呀！

The master had interrupted her, "You really have lots of suffering!"

女士：別人訴苦最多需要三天三夜，我訴苦需要三年！ 

 Woman:    Other people may at most take 3 days and nights, my grievance needs 3 years to spell out!

法師：那是什麼時候的苦？ 

Master:   When did your sufferings occur? 

女士：前幾年。

Woman:   Within the last few years.

法師：那不是過去了嗎？為什麼還緊抓不放呢？（停了一下）你拉出的糞便臭不臭？ 

 Master:   Were these sufferings already passed?  Why do you still hold on to these sufferings?  (Paused).  Do the feces of your bowel movement smell?  

女士：當然很臭啦！

Woman:  Of course, very smelly!

法師：現在糞便在哪裡呢？ 

 Master:  Where are your feces now?

女士：拉完就沖掉了。

Woman:  I had flushed them away after I was done.

法師：為什麼不把它包起來放在身上？見到人就拿出來告訴別人，說我被這東西臭過？ 

Master:   Why don't you wrap your feces up and carry with you?   Then show and tell anyone you meet that you were smoked by these feces.   

女士：那多惡心！

 Woman:   This is nauseating!

法師：對呀！苦難也是一樣，它已經過去了。回憶和訴苦就如同把糞便拿出來向人展示，既臭自己又臭別人！越訴苦越苦，越抱怨越怨。

 Master:   Exactly!  Sufferings and grievance are similar.  They had already passed.   Recollection and grieving about them are similar to showing your feces to people--  smelly to other people and yourself .  You suffer more when you recollect your past suffering.  You grieve more when you talk about your past grievance.

The story above illustrates the Bazi concept of "self-penalty"-- people's tendency to relive their grievance and suffering by talking and thinking about their unpleasant experience repeatedly.  People who listen to their grievance also suffer from this self-penalty like second-hand smoking.  We may call this "second hand penalty".

Psychologists and psychiatrists like self-penalty because they get paid US$200+ per hour here to listen to people's grievance.

Ken Lai
© 2019 Ken Lai, all rights reserved.

Video Correspondence Courses: (click for details)   
“Advanced Visual Form Feng Shui” w/23 hr. HD video
“Visual Form Feng Shui” w/13 hr. HD video
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“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 1: Forecasting and Decision Support” w/32 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 2: Basic Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 3 w/ Advanced Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Feng Shui Toolbox: Sha-qi, Health/Wealth and Career” w/ 7 hr. HD video
“Period 7/8 FS Toolkit w/ Advanced Flying Star techniques” w/ 6 hr. HD video
“Practical Date-Selection Methods (incl. XKDG) w/ 12 hr. video
“Practical Imperial Qi-Men-Dun-Jia 4G” w/ 12 hr. video
“Professional Imperial QMDJ 4G” w/ 21 hr. video
“EZ QMDJ series: Astrology, Date/Task Selection, Annual Luck/ FS” w/ 3 hr. HD
“EZ QMDJ Advanced Feng Shui” with 4 hr. HD video
“Daoist Talismans for Feng Shui/Blessing” w/ 24 hr video
“Practical Door Feng Shui for Wealth” w/ 3 hr. video
“4-Pillars Forecasting Bootcamp+ 2019 edition” with 18 hr. video

http://www.kenlaifengshui.com

Mountain and Water

Buddhists have 3 levels of perceptions of reality:

One sees a mountain. It is a mountain to him.  One sees water.  It is water to him.
看山是山，看水是水；

The mountain one sees is not a mountain and water is not water.
看山不是山，看水不是水；

This mountain is still a mountain no matter how one looks at it, so is the water.
看山還是山，看水還是水。

Our perception of reality revolves around these 3 levels.

What I want to see.
What the society has conditioned me to see.
What my inner self really sees.

Is reality real? 
Buddha says reality is a reflection of our heart (mind).

Ken Lai
© 2019 Ken Lai, all rights reserved.

Video Correspondence Courses: (click for details)   
“Advanced Visual Form Feng Shui” w/23 hr. HD video
“Visual Form Feng Shui” w/13 hr. HD video
“Applied Bazi: Sickness Forecasting and Management” w/33 hr. HD video 
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 1: Forecasting and Decision Support” w/32 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 2: Basic Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 3 w/ Advanced Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Feng Shui Toolbox: Sha-qi, Health/Wealth and Career” w/ 7 hr. HD video
“Period 7/8 FS Toolkit w/ Advanced Flying Star techniques” w/ 6 hr. HD video
“Practical Date-Selection Methods (incl. XKDG) w/ 12 hr. video
“Practical Imperial Qi-Men-Dun-Jia 4G” w/ 12 hr. video
“Professional Imperial QMDJ 4G” w/ 21 hr. video
“EZ QMDJ series: Astrology, Date/Task Selection, Annual Luck/ FS” w/ 3 hr. HD
“EZ QMDJ Advanced Feng Shui” with 4 hr. HD video
“Daoist Talismans for Feng Shui/Blessing” w/ 24 hr video
“Practical Door Feng Shui for Wealth” w/ 3 hr. video
“4-Pillars Forecasting Bootcamp+ 2019 edition” with 18 hr. video

http://www.kenlaifengshui.com
 

Zen chat

Ken says:
I wonder all these thought drives energy things-- how long will the effect last?

Guru says: 
Depends on the quality of the thought
I am more interested in the space beyond thought
There is a deeper energy in the emptiness
A few have hinted at it now, both eastern and western masters
I cannot claim to fully understand it

Ken says:
Emptiness is the tai-ji
Maybe the predecessor of tai-ji--- wu ji
Science calls it black hole
 (note:  tai-ji is the yin-yang symbol in Chinese cosmology. It evolves from wu-ji or void.)

Guru says:
 It is the predecessor
 But this is what they mean when they say the emptiness is not empty
 There is a kind of energy associated with it
 And this seems to generate thought
 At least this is my rough understanding at this point

Ken says:
Let you figure it out and tell me
hahaha

Guru says:
Working on it
It seems I have received the highest empowerment possible in Buddhism without even knowing it.

Ken says:
Can you fly yet?
hahaha

Guru says:
Not yet
I'll let you know

Ken says:
OK
I'll tell you if I fly first
Likely that will happen first
I will die before you

Guru says:
 LOL


Ken Lai

"Destiny & Luck Management with Bazi- Basic level" w/ 20 hr. video
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"Practical Imperial Qi-men-Dun-Jia" w/ 12 hr. video
"Daoist Talismans for Feng Shui & Blessing" v.2 w/ 24 hr video
"Practical Door Feng Shui for Wealth" w/ 3 hr. video
"4-Pillars Forecasting Bootcamp" with 12 hr. video

http://www.kenlaifengshui.com
http://kenlaifengshui.blogspot.com

An Unusal "Time 100" Heroine

61 years old Chen Shu-chu, is a Taiwan woman who has been selling vegetables for 47 years since she was 13.

Chen works 16 hours days and lives an extreme frugual life. She has donated NT$10M (about US$330k) of her hard-earned money to charities. TIME MAGAZINE has chosen her as one of the "Time 100" heroes.

Chen is an example of how ordinary people can do extraordinary things even under adverse conditions. The following links with video (in English) tell about her inspiring story:

http://alternativeformosa.blogspot.com/2010/05/time-hero-chen-shu-chu.html
http://amandastea.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/chen-shu-chu-the-2010-time-100/
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984949_1985237,00.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XhzEdtN0rM


Ken Lai
http://www.kenlaifengshui.com/