Jendhamuni - Buddhism and inspiring quotes

Hermit Sumedha, the Future Buddha

Comment April 21, 2016

Hermit Sumedha, the Future Buddha, had attained the six High Powers.

2. Hermit Sumedha, the Future Buddha, had attained the six High Powers.

While traveling by air he saw the townsfolk of Ramma clearing the pathway and came down to the ground, and asked to be permitted to clear a portion of the track on which the Buddha Dipankara was to travel. He was given a portion of it, and before he had cleared it, the Buddha Dipankara came along that way with a retinue of arahants. Sumedha spread himself out upon the mud with his face downwards, his body serving as a bridge so that the Buddha and the disciples following Him could tread on him.

At that moment a lady by the name of “Sumitta” arrived with eight bunches of lotus flowers. She handed over to the hermit five of those bunches to be offered to the Buddha. The Buddha, with minds eye of Buddha, saw what was in store for these two persons in future, and made this prophetic declaration: “This hermit will become Gotama Buddha, and this lady will become his help-mate to help him fulfill the Perfections (Paramitas)”.

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
by ASHIN JANAKA BHIVAMSA (Aggamahapandita)
Artist: U Ba Kyi | Link to this post
The true hero…

Comment April 21, 2016

The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred. ~Dalai Lama XIV

Vipassana Master Dejapanno Phorn Pheap, of Wat Kiryvongsa Bopharam, holding the Buddha Relics on Sunday the 11th Waxing Moon of Citta B.E.2559, April 17, A.D.2016 Year of the Monkey. Bhikkhu Dejapanno adhering strictly to the Tipitaka (Buddha’s Teachings). ព្រះភិក្ខុ តេជប្បញ្ញោ ផន ភាព ធម្មាចារ្យផ្នែកសមាធិ វិបស្សនាកម្មដ្ឋាន កំពុងកាន់ព្រះបរមសារី រិកធាតុនៃព្រះបរមសត្ថាទេវមនុស្សនំ នៅថ្ងៃអាទិត្យ ១១កើត ខែចេត្រ ឆ្នាំវក អដ្ឋស័ក ព.ស.២៥៥៩ ត្រូវនឹងថ្ងៃទី ១៧ ខែមេសា គ.ស.២០១៦។ ព្រះភិក្ខុ តេជប្បញ្ញោ ប្រកាន់ខ្ជាប់ខ្ជួនតាមគម្ពីរព្រះត្រៃបិដក។

Vipassana Master Dejapanno Phorn Pheap, of Wat Kiryvongsa Bopharam

Kali and the forest monk in western Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Machas Steung Sangke ម្ចាស់ស្ទឹងសង្កែ

Comment April 21, 2016

Dedicated to Mr. Kong Bun Chhoeun…
Khmer poem: Machas Steung Sangke ម្ចាស់ស្ទឹងសង្កែ
Written by Prum Kim Choeun | Read by Jendhamuni Sos
Khmer song: Dong Steung Songke ដងស្ទឹងសង្កែ
Written by Kong Bun Chhoeun និពន្ធដេាយ គង្គ ប៊ុនឈឿន
Sings by Sinn Sisamuth ច្រៀងដោយ៖ ស៊ិន ស៊ីសាមុត

Mr. Kong Bun Chhoeun
Developing compassion

Comment April 20, 2016

Compassion and the Individual

Tenzin Gyatso; The Fourteenth Dalai Lama

The purpose of life
One great question underlies our experience, whether we think about it consciously or not: What is the purpose of life? I have considered this question and would like to share my thoughts in the hope that they may be of direct, practical benefit to those who read them.

I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. I don’t know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.

How to achieve happiness
For a start, it is possible to divide every kind of happiness and suffering into two main categories: mental and physical. Of the two, it is the mind that exerts the greatest influence on most of us. Unless we are either gravely ill or deprived of basic necessities, our physical condition plays a secondary role in life. If the body is content, we virtually ignore it. The mind, however, registers every event, no matter how small. Hence we should devote our most serious efforts to bringing about mental peace.

From my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the ultimate source of success in life.
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Sumedha, a young millionaire

Comment April 20, 2016

Sumedha, a young millionaire, giving away his property in charity

1. Sumedha, a young millionaire, giving away his property in charity

The Future Buddha was once born as the son of a rich man and was known as “Sumedha” in the very existence in which he was to make a solemn wish that he should become the Enlightened Buddha. His parents died while he was still young, leaving him many treasure vaults of gold and silver. When he was sixteen years of age and had finished his education, the Lord of the Treasury made over to him all the property left by his parents.

Sumedha the young millionaire thought to himself thus: “My parents and grand-parents knew only how to amass wealth but did not know to take it away beyond death. I shall now give away my property in alms so that the merit of the deeds may follow me after death.” He made a public announcement: “Whoever cares to take away my property may open my treasuries and help himself to his heart’s content.” He then left for the Himalaya forests and became a hermit.

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
by ASHIN JANAKA BHIVAMSA (Aggamahapandita)
Artist: U Ba Kyi | Link to this post
The Story of a Person

Comment April 20, 2016

Lord Buddha with King Pasenadi Kosala, the King of Kosala, north of Magadha ruled by King Bimbisara.

Verse 60: Long is the night to one who is wakeful; long is (the journey of) one yojana to the traveller who is tired; long is samsara (round of rebirths) to the fool, who is ignorant of the true Dhamma (the Teaching of the Buddha).

1. Balavagga: Chapter on the Fool. Bala is the opposita of pandita; it means those who are ignorant, stupid and mentally dull. They cannot think or act right.

2. yojanam/yojana: a measure of length, about twelve miles.

The Story of a Person

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (60) of this book, with reference to a certain young man and King Pasenadi of Kosala.

One day King Pasenadi, while going out in the city, happened to see a beautiful young woman standing at the window of her house and he instantly fell in love with her. So the king tried to find ways and means of getting her. Finding that she was a married woman, he sent for her husband and made him serve at the palace. Later, the husband was sent on an impossible errand by the king. The young man was to go to a place, a yojana (twelve miles) away from Savatthi, bring back some Kumuda lotus flowers and some red earth called ‘arunavati’ from the land of the dragons (nagas) and arrive back at Savatthi the same evening, in time for the king’s bath. The king’s intention was to kill the husband if he failed to arrive back in time, and to take the wife for himself.

Hurriedly taking a food packet from his wife, the young man set out on his errand. On the way, he shared his food with a traveller. He also threw some rice into the water and said loudly, “O guardian spirits and dragons inhabiting this river! King Pasenadi has commanded me to get some Kumuda lotus flowers and arunavati red earth for him. I have today shared my food with a traveller; I have also fed the fish in the river; I now share with you the benefits of the good deeds I have done today. Please get the Kumuda lotus and arunavati red earth for me.” The king of the dragons, hearing him, took the appearance of an old man and brought the lotus and the red earth.

On that evening, King Pasenadi, fearing that the young husband might arrive back in time, had the city-gates closed early. The young man, finding the city-gates closed, placed the red earth on the city-wall and stuck the flowers on the earth. Then he declared loudly, “O citizens! Be my witnesses! I have today accomplished my errand in time as instructed by the king. King Pasenadi, without any justification, plans to kill me.” After that, the young man left for the Jetavana monastery to take shelter and find solace in the peaceful atmosphere of the monastery.

Meanwhile, King Pasenadi, obsessed with sexual desire, could not sleep, and kept thinking out how he would get rid of the husband in the morning and take his wife. At about midnight, he heard some eerie sounds; actually, these were the doleful voices of four persons suffering in Lohakumbhi Niraya . Hearing those weird voices, the king was terrified. Early in the morning, he went to the Buddha, as advised by Queen Mallika. When the Buddha was told about the four voices the king heard in the night, he explained to the king that those were the voices of four beings, who were the sons of rich men during the time of Kassapa Buddha, and that now they were suffering in Lohakumbhi Niraya because they had committed sexual misconduct with other people’s wives. Then, the king came to realize the depravity of the deed and the severity of the punishment. So, he decided then and there that he would no longer covet another man’s wife. “After all, it was on account of my intense desire for another man’s wife that I was tormented and could not sleep the whole of last night,” he reflected. Then King Pasenadi said to the Buddha, “Venerable Sir, now I know how long the night is for one who cannot sleep.” The young man who was close at hand also said, “Venerable Sir, because I had travelled the full distance of a yojana yesterday, I, too, know how long the journey of a yojana is to one who is weary.”

Combining their two statements, the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

Verse 60: Long is the night to one who is wakeful; long is (the journey of) one yojana to the traveller who is tired; long is samsara (round of rebirths) to the fool, who is ignorant of the true Dhamma (the Teaching of the Buddha).
At the end of the discourse, the young man attained Sotapatti Fruition.

Dhammapada Verse 60
Annatarapurisa Vatthu

Digha jagarato ratti1
digham santassa yojanam2
digho balana samsaro
saddhammam avijanatam.

Source: Tipitaka
A smile to start your day

Comment April 20, 2016

A smile to start your day.
A prayer to bless your way.
A song to lighten your burden.
A message to wish you good day.
~sms
Power and Love

58 April 19, 2016

Power does not know
What it is doing
And
Why it is doing.
Love knows
What it is doing
And
Why it is doing.

~Sri Chinmoy
Loyalty, Trust and Love

36 April 19, 2016

We say that love demands a lot from you,
But reality suggests it is not at all true..
Two very simple things in love are a must,
One is devoted loyalty and a faithful trust..
Trust in your love make sure it is deep,
The returns you get is for you to keep..
The stronger the bond its harder to break,
Has to be so when there’s so much at stake..

When in a relation, its trust that you need,
True belief in your love demands your heed..
Once broken to pieces is hardly rebuilt,
At times you have to live with the guilt..

Here loyalty too plays an important role,
Offers a soothing cohort to a longing soul..
Staying with your love in joy and sorrow,
Smiles you give and the tears you borrow..

In a relation, loyalty brings you close,
The faith you show, when beside you pose..
Just one false step of treacherous mind,
Cracks apart relations of every kind..

Sometimes these emotions are put to test,
Puts two hearts in a conflicting unrest..
One reason all problems are easy to shun,
Is trusting the loyalty of your loved one..

A relation in itself is a bond so strong,
Together you face all the right and wrong..
These factors decide how long it stands,
Here loyalty and trust walk hand in hands..

Author: Abhijit Surve
Brothers and Sisters

54 April 19, 2016

Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister. No matter how new the face or how different the dress and behavior, there is no significant division between us and other people. It is foolish to dwell on external differences, because our basic natures are the same. ~Dalai Lama

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Shantidevas’ Bodhisattva vows

Should anyone wish to ridicule me and make me an object of jest and scorn why should I possibly care if I have dedicated myself to others?

Let them do as they wish with me so long as it does not harm them. May no one who encounters me ever have an insignificant contact.

Regardless whether those whom I meet respond towards me with anger or faith, may the mere fact of our meeting contribute to the fulfilment of their wishes.

May the slander, harm and all forms of abuse that anyone should direct towards me act as a cause of their enlightenment.