#and mas wants khen out because khen can still go back

[pharawee]

I'm trying to help you, you know?

—THE HIDDEN MOON · เดือนพราง · Episode 02

[mygwenchan]

I think I'd be really confused about the plot of The Hidden Moon if I hadn't come across the spoiler for the ending a couple of weeks ago. But since I know what's going on, the series actually makes a lot of sense!

Gonna put the rest under a read more, because SPOILER FOR THE ENDING AHEAD

So the whole plot twist of the story is that Khen is a ghost, but Mas isn't. Mas is very much still alive back in the 50s (not sure about the exact time frame, but judging by the clothes and cars it has to be around the 40s-50s, I think). For some reason ghost Khen is able to travel back in time, maybe because he exists on a plane outside of our normal reality. Anyway, Mas is someone who can see ghosts, probably ever since he almost got killed. At first he doesn't like Khen's presence in the house, which is why he was kind of mean towards Khen and tried to get rid of him. But eventually Mas falls in love with this cute ghost boy and he decides he wants to spend as much time with him as he can. In episode 8 we're seeing the first signs that having a ghost boyfriend is affecting Mas in a negative way: He doesn't leave the house, barely cares about his family and he looks kind of sickly. I'm pretty sure that will become a major plot point during the next two episodes. In the end Mas will have to part ways with Khen or else he might actually die as well (I think in ep7 Mas even said something like "this kiss will kill us"?). But! It won't be an entirely sad ending, because Mas will meet a previous (past? idk about the technicalities in this case lol) reincarnation of Khen and they'll live happily ever after :)

As for the female ghost Khampuan: Where to start, the poor woman... She's an orphan who got taken in by a kind lady and grew up together with Sompho, her stepmom's daughter. Khampuan was a famous beauty and dancer at court. Then one day Aisaeng was offered a reward for his military achievements and he asked to be married to Khampuan. Aisaeng is a douche though and basically SA'd poor Khampuan all the time. Meanwhile Sompho comes to live with them, falls in love with Aisaeng and decides to mix a medicine into Khampuan's food to prevent her from getting pregnant. Khampuan finds out and confronts her stepsister, a fight ensues and the mother finds them in the kitchen and eventually kills Khampuan, thinking that Khampuan had gone crazy. So yeah... the poor woman got raped by her husband, poisoned by her stepsister and then murdered by her stepmother. Talk about a reason to become a vengeful ghost... And as we've learned from Mas, the stepmom and Sompho must've made up a story about Khampuan running away with another man. Meanwhile they buried her body in the gardens. A couple of years later, Mas' father buys the property and builds his new house on top of the old one, probably incorporating some of the old structure, like Khampuan's room. Which is why Khampuan is still haunting the premises. She tries to communicate with Khen, knowing that he in turn can talk to Mas, and tries to show him how she was wronged. Hopefully they will find her remains in the end and give her a proper burial, so she can move on to the afterlife.

[garywonghc]

Relying on a Master

by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche

We all need to find freedom from samsara and attain enlightenment, and the only way to do so is by relying on a spiritual master, receiving the master’s guidance, and practising what the master teaches. All the past, present, and future Buddhas rely on a teacher; there is not a single enlightened being who attains enlightenment without depending on a master. Nowadays, many people think that they can just do their own meditation without relying on a teacher, but that’s not very beneficial, and when meditation is not successful, it may cause rebirth in the animal realm.

If enlightenment could be attained without reliance on a master, the Buddhas and lineage masters of the past would have said so, but they all attained enlightenment by relying on their master and practising his or her instructions. One may be a great scholar and memorise as many texts as an elephant can carry on its back, but one still won’t attain enlightenment without the blessings of a master. It is through the blessings of one’s guru that one can recognise the nature of one’s mind. I’m not just making this up; that’s how all the masters explained things.

It is said that it’s important to have a connection with highly realised masters, whether it’s a connection through Dharma or mundane matters and whether such a connection is positive or negative. If we can’t have a positive connection with highly realised masters, then even with a negative connection, although we’ll have to experience the result by wandering for a time in samsara, ultimately we will receive benefit because of such a master’s power of bodhichitta. Even though there is no end to samsara for sentient beings in general, for those who have a connection with the Dharma, there will be an end. Thus, continuously pray to your master from the depths of your heart.

The Tibetan word for master is lama. La refers to unsurpassed, inconceivable wisdom and ma to the loving-kindness of a mother. So a master is someone endowed with inconceivable wisdom and boundless love for all beings.

When I mention the word master, maybe you think I’m talking about myself, but I’m just explaining the transmissions that the past masters taught and the related stories. Don’t create too many concepts about what I myself am saying here; develop trust and confidence in what the past masters and Buddhas taught, and generate faith and devotion in them. I personally don’t have any experiences or realisation at all and know nothing about what might happen tomorrow or next year or even what will happen tonight. I might not have any of the qualities or powers a master should have, but even so, without relying on a qualified master there is no way to attain enlightenment.

When Naropa was told by his teacher that his karmic root master was Tilopa, he set off to find him. He searched for a very long time, wandering far and wide, but couldn’t find him anywhere. Finally, he asked someone if they knew where a master named Tilopa lived and was told that someone by that name was staying in a small house with smoke coming out the roof. When Naropa arrived, he found Tilopa grilling fish in the fire. Naropa asked Tilopa to accept him as his student and requested teachings, but Tilopa replied, “What are you talking about? I’m just a beggar!” But Naropa wasn’t fooled and was certain that this was his master, so he followed him for twelve years, doing exactly what Tilopa told him to do.

One day they came to a high cliff and Tilopa said, “If you want to follow your master’s command, jump off this cliff !” So Naropa went up to the cliff ’s edge and jumped. He ended up half dead with all his bones broken. When Tilopa came to see him three days later and asked if he was sick, Naropa replied, “I’m not just sick, I’m dying!” So Tilopa cured him through his blessings. In that way, Naropa experienced eighteen hardships but didn’t receive any teachings. Then one day, while making tea, Tilopa sent Naropa to fetch some water. When Naropa returned with the water, Tilopa said, “No matter how much I tell you, you never understand!” Then he whacked Naropa very hard on the head with his sandal, knocking Naropa out. When Naropa regained consciousness, his realisation had become equal to Tilopa’s. This happened solely due to Naropa’s fervent devotion to Tilopa.

There are countless stories of past great masters going through a lot of hardship while staying with their teacher. Here is a more recent example: Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche said that Khenpo Ngakchung was an emanation of Vimalamitra. The previous Drubwang Rinpoche (Palchen Dupa) studied philosophy with him and received all the pith instructions. One day, Khenpo Ngakchung said they should go for a stroll, and they went to an isolated place where Khenpo Ngakchung wanted to sit, so Drubwang Rinpoche took off his shirt and let Khenpo Ngakchung sit on it. Sometime after that, they went for another walk, and Khenpo Ngakchung got extremely angry. He took off his shoe and beat Drubwang Rinpoche so badly that Drubwang Rinpoche fell unconscious, and when he regained consciousness, his realisation was equal to his master’s. If one follows one’s master with such strong and unwavering devotion, the result can really be quite extraordinary, but these days any master who did such things in the United States would likely be arrested and put in prison.

In fact, there are many practitioners who have realised the nature of mind and attained perfect enlightenment just by doing guru yoga. Being introduced to the nature of one’s mind can happen only through the master’s blessings, and without the blessings nothing will happen. This is not something that can be bought, and no matter how learned a scholar you may become, without a qualified master it’s not possible to recognise the true nature of our mind. As this is the root of the practice, without blessings there is no way to attain enlightenment, and the path to Buddhahood is blocked. There is no other way to discover the nature of your mind; you can’t buy it or find it anywhere other than through the blessings of a qualified master. That is why the single most important practice in Dharma is guru yoga.

We have now obtained this precious human body endowed with the eighteen favourable conditions, which is very hard to obtain and may never be acquired again. If we use this support to practice Dharma and enter the path of liberation, we will always receive the proper support to continue on the path, but if we don’t use it to integrate the Dharma into our being, there is very little chance of getting such an opportunity again. If we don’t use our precious human body for Dharma practice, we may accumulate a lot of wealth, power, fame, and so on, but it will have no real benefit and will just carry us farther away from the path of liberation, casting us into the lower realms. Thus, it is our responsibility to strive again and again to let our master’s blessings enter our stream of being. Now that we have obtained this precious human body, we should acknowledge, feel confident, and never forget that our sole object of refuge is the Three Jewels manifesting as our root master in the form of Guru Padmasambhava, who is the embodiment of all past, present, and future Buddhas.

Our physical form really is extraordinary, so we should use our body, speech, and mind for the sake of perfect enlightenment, physically doing prostrations, circumambulations, and sitting in meditation; verbally reciting mantras and Dharma texts as much as we can; and mentally giving rise to bodhichitta, vast or small. All this is possible only because of this exceptional human form that came about through the kindness of our parents — without parents we wouldn’t have a body, and without a human body we couldn’t engage in virtuous practice. It is said that this body has great potential, both positive and negative: If we use it properly, we can accumulate a great deal of merit, but if we use it in a negative way, we can cause a great deal of harm. We can accumulate such negative actions that we’ll never attain liberation, or we can engage in Dharma practice and attain perfect enlightenment in this very lifetime.

Please remember that beings in nonhuman forms such as gods, nagas, animals, gandharvas, and so forth don’t have the opportunity to attain liberation, so now that you have obtained this extraordinary support, which is so rare and precious, and have been so fortunate as to meet the Dharma, you shouldn’t waste such a rare opportunity; instead, devote yourself wholeheartedly not only to receiving teachings but to applying them as well.

[yogaadvise]

Ritual Inspiration: Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg's existence is gentle and also commanding, her rearing earnest as well as amusing, her writing personal and erudite. As an instructor as well as author, Salzberg consistently shows understanding and also acceptance of what it means to be human. She mentions her personal encounters with straightforward sensitivity, sharp intelligence and also a raw funny bone, generously revealing her pupils all over the world that it's feasible to integrate the concepts reflection right into day-to-day life, not just in the official sitting practice. When fulfilling Salzberg, you would have no concept that she is both a New York Times best-selling author and one of the most prominent instructors of Buddhism in the West, her temperament is loosened up as well as modest, also as she has an extraordinary deepness of understanding concerning both Vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (loving-kindness) methods, as well as has led meditation hideaways all over the world for even more compared to 30 years.

Born in New york city City, Salzberg experienced a wonderful offer of emotional discomfort during childhood years, which she commonly cites as the genesis of her eventual passion in meditation. Salzberg sped with senior high school in New York City, and discovered herself registering in university at the State College of New york city in Buffalo at age 16. After reading several of the Buddha's central trainings in an Oriental ideology program throughout her student year of university, Salzberg discovered herself thinking, 'Wow, I'm not alone. I do not have to feel weird. Everybody at some factor or one more reads through tough times.' Immediately, Salzberg determined to get an independent research task to find out meditation in India throughout her junior year. Her application was approved, and in January of 1971, Salzberg started her first experience with strenuous reflection instruction at Bodh Gaya. In the succeeding three years, Salzberg continued researching meditation under different Buddhist instructors, a lot of whom she frequently mentions in the meeting below. 'It never struck me momentarily that I would certainly be an educator,' Salzberg recounts with giggling. Yet in 1974, Salzberg returned to the USA to teach her initial reflection resort in Rock, Colorado. Within months, Salzberg co-founded the Understanding Reflection Society (IMS), a Vipassana hideaway facility, with fellow reflection educators Jack Kornfield and also Joseph Goldstein in Barre, Massachusetts.

In addition to co-running IMS and also leading reflection resorts around the globe, Salzberg is also a committed writer, and also has published nine books to this day. Writing is, probably, amongst Salzberg's essential routines, as all of her books combine the organic wisdom of self-inquiry with the rigor of scholarly examination. Right here, Salzberg shares emotional tales from her journey toward becoming a meditation teacher, all the while exploring what it implies to be a 'teacher' of a method that highlights the relevance of 'newbie's mind.'

You typically refer back to your very first journey to India: you were 18, as well as deeply curious about meditation. Just how did you first discover yourself drew in to reflection? Existed something particularly you were wanting to 'get' from it?

I found out about the possibility of doing reflection method to be happier. That's when I decided to produce an independent research study job, and asked to visit India to examine reflection. I got accepted and off I went for my junior year.

I still consider meditation similarly, except currently I suppose I'm much more innovative. Looking back at myself at the age of 18, the word I would certainly use to explain myself after that is 'fragmented.' Now I have the expertise and also the language to recognize that reflection alleviates that feeling of fragmentation and also helps make us really feel whole again. That's the way that it works to make us happier.

How did the idea of a profession in meditation develop for you? Was there a particular event or turning point when it came to be clear?

It never ever occurred to me momentarily that I 'd be a teacher. In 1974, I remained in India getting ready ahead back to the United States wherefore I made certain was mosting likely to simply be a really brief time period. I had to come back quickly getting a Visa, however made sure that I was going to go back to India and live there for the rest of my life. Prior to leaving, I visited one of my educators, this woman called Dipa Ma, which is a label that suggests 'Dipa's mom.' I traveled to Calcutta where she lived to say goodbye and also get her blessing for my trip. My pal Joseph Goldstein, whom I 'd fulfilled in my first resort in January 1971, had simply returned to the States when I went to see Dipa Ma, she told me that I would certainly be teaching with Joseph when I went back to the United States I was surprised as well as stated, 'No I will not.' But after that she claimed two things that were truly amazing to me. She told me, 'You truly comprehend suffering, and also that's why you ought to show.' I had actually never truly thought of the discomfort in my earlier life as being sort of useful the larger sense. The second thing she stated was, 'You could do anything you wish to. Believing you can not is the only trait that's going stop you.' I left her house still questioning just what she had said.

But when I came back to the States, I ended up going to Stone where Joseph was educating at Naropa. Jack Kornfield existed too, and I wound up remaining on and also instructing the 2nd session there with Joseph and a number of other individuals. Then we obtained an invite to educate a monthlong resort with each other, and afterwards an additional one to teach a 10-day hideaway in Vancouver. We were circumnavigating, resting on individuals's living space couches and also waiting on our following invitation. After that one day, we were in The golden state when someone asked us, 'Why don't you begin a retreat center in this nation? I know just thoes who can do it. They're done in Massachusetts.' To make sure that's what we did. It was really old-fashioned: My teacher told me to show, and also I really did not assume I could.

The idea of beginning or being 'a beginner' is central to the technique of meditation. Exactly what does it imply to you to be a 'instructor,' as well as a cited 'professional' of reflection? How do you maintain novice's mind in your very own practice?

I definitely don't consider myself as a professional, however it holds true that I have 45 years encounter, which is extremely different compared to having 15 minutes of encounter. And also the world of training is a new globe. Now, great deals of individuals hand me their cards that state 'reflection instructor.' Yet 10 years earlier, even 5 years ago, my next concern would certainly be 'That's your teacher?' because that would tell me something. If you reacted, 'Thich Nhat Hanh,' I would certainly think, 'Oh you most likely are taken part in social advocacy somehow.' If you claimed, the name of some scholarly Burmese monk, that may tell me another thing about your orientation. As well as now I understand that it's possibly not even an appropriate concern any longer for most individuals. They could not even consider having a teacher.

I would never make use of the word 'competence,' yet there is absolutely body of understanding that I see in my teachers. As well as currently, also when I'm fretting over my encounter, I recognize as well as recognize the wide array of experiences I have actually had, which become part of my mentor. That's why I always tell people that also if they're having a tough time in reflection, it's never a waste. Having a difficult time educates you regarding compassion and helps you comprehend others as well.

We have a lot conditioning around attempting too tough and also being tough on ourselves as well as people think, as an example, that if they get a stranglehold on the breath their minds won't stray and they'll 'be successful' at reflection. Part of the body of knowledge I'm describing is actually learning how to begin once more. That itself is a very efficient way of making 'progress' and permitting your reflection method to bring you advantages. Because if you're not focusing on the method of beginning once more, you're most likely concentrating on another thing, and that something is likely self-judgment.

For many people, reflection is a common aspect of the journey of psychological healing and self-discovery. Without specific comparisons to other techniques, what would certainly you claim are the special therapeutic advantages of meditation?

Just to be able to rest and also be with difficult sensations is tremendously healing. Particularly because we are possibly doing that rather of doing the compulsive thing we usually do when we really feel distress or sorrow or temper. Rather than acting out, we're discovering the skills of being with ourselves, and also understanding that absolutely nothing lasts. In discovering how to be kinder to yourself while in that state, we create space around hard sensations, which's an enormous thing.

Who have your essential teachers been, meditation or otherwise?

Dipa Ma for certain because she was a fantastic model to me of someone who could go through so much bad things as well as be so loving. She was so regular, in an extremely maternal method, constantly asking if individuals were comfy or needed more tea. She was likewise very, really solid, as well as was an incredible design to me. Naturally, Dipa Ma was likewise the individual that obtained me to show, so she actually helped me forge the entire rest of my life.

What are one of the most salient kernels of advice you've ever before gotten?

I was functioning with a Tibetan teacher Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche who was likewise extremely, really crucial to me. I was extremely dismayed at the time about exactly what I assumed somebody else was assuming, as well as he stated to me, 'You understand the ideas emerging in his mind are as vacant as the ideas developing in yours,' suggesting that ideas come as well as go and typically aren't solid, as well as don't have an inherent reality.

Love Your Enemies, the book you just recently co-wrote with Robert Thurman, worries the prickly subject of temper. What recommendations could you give regarding just how reflection can instruct us to associate with anger and other challenging emotions?

The first trait is attempting to see just what we could be including on, such as ideas like 'I'm such a mad person and I always will be,' or 'I shouldn't really feel mad any longer,' or obtaining totally shed in it and snapping. The next thing is being able to into the heart of the temper, due to the fact that when you in fact look at rage, it's an intricate feeling. There are moments of sadness, minutes of anxiety, minutes of helplessness. You see it's kind of this permeable mosaic of various things. Sure, rage frequently feels solid and also relentless when it initially turns up, however when we actually consider it, it's an active system with a great deal of adjustment associated with it. That gives us a various point of view if when we decide to do something about it: We could act from a location of comprehending all those feelings.

What does your meditation technique presently look like?

My official sitting technique is a daily awareness method. I essentially begin by settling my interest on my breath, which is the technique I obtained started with 45 years back! And various other times, it's even more open awareness-just sitting and observing whatever comes up. I do enjoy loving-kingness method, which is its very own technique, calmly saying phrases like 'May you be satisfied, relaxed, cope with convenience.' I do a lot of it walking the streets of New York, or in a taxi or on an aircraft, taking a walk in Massachusetts, or just waiting - on line at Whole Foods or in a physician's waiting room. If there's a hold-up while I'm at the airport, for instance, instead of flipping out or obtaining upset and even reading, I'll simply aim to expand loving-kindness, so it's type of an enjoyable means to be at the airport.

Has your technique changed considerably over the years?

To some degree, I've discovered brand-new methods, new methods, as well as new refinements of those approaches. One of the points that intrigues me concerning the entire path is that it exposes a lot more regarding our conditioning. We're inclined to think, 'I did the 101-course currently, now all I need is the truly secret wonderful guideline or the graduate meditation course.' And also I assume it's the very same direction, simply you're so different. I was speaking to some individuals the other night concerning maybe educating a sophisticated meditation class. Which obtained me thinking, 'Well what does innovative instruction also mean? Just what would be the distinction?' Probably the concerns would be various since individuals may have a lot more confidence in some areas. They could be questioning traits like, 'Exactly how I do I manage sleepiness in longer sittings?' But maybe not, or even if they were, the guideline would not be different.

You travel the world to educate reflection. You write publications as well as routine posts. You run a meditation retreat center in Massachusetts. Just how do you stay 'focused'?

I constantly are reluctant with a word like 'stay,' it's even more like 'return.' I do definitely seem like I have to exercise on a daily basis. It can't end up being academic. I simply met somebody who was undergoing a difficult time. His feedback was to sit for 4 hrs a day in total. He 'd begin in the early morning by resting for HALF AN HOUR and afterwards would just add 15 mins here and there throughout totally free windows throughout the day till he collected four hours. He did it for six months, and didn't make it some sort of guarantee to himself forever. It's unbelievable as well as influenced me to attempt the same thing, but for just 2 hours. I don't count or arrange however just a few days ago, I discovered that I had 15 mins to spare, as well as located myself assuming 'OK, just what need to I obtain done?!' But then I assumed, just rest. Along with the formal sitting I do in the morning, I'll do this throughout the day when I have five minutes here and also there. And also I'm not obtaining much less done, interestingly enough.

There's a social misconception that reflection is a near-automatic way to 'remove your mind.' For lots of people initial showing up to meditation, this usual perception can cause wonderful dissatisfaction, as the practice is usually tough. What do you tell students who are shocked by just how 'tough' meditation is?

I believe it's crucial from the start to attempt and also dispel some of those misconceptions, because many people have concepts regarding what reflection need to be like: 'I must have the ability to quit my thinking,' 'I should block all my thoughts, 'I must be able to empty my mind,' 'I ought to have just stunning thoughts.' Every one of those thoughts are incorrect, as well as lead us to a great deal of trouble. We generally condemn ourselves or give up because of this. So I believe that's a vital understanding-realizing that we're not attempting to eliminate thoughts, we're simply altering our connection to those thoughts. Judgment is not mosting likely to aid you boost. Ironically just what aids you improve is a self- concern. You're sitting, and perhaps your mind wanders for the billionth time. But going into a 45 min tirade against yourself is exhausting and also is mosting likely to take up a great deal of time as well as power. We're always attempting to start again. Laying this context is truly crucial. Otherwise, at any time somebody's mind wandered, they would certainly think it was the end of their reflection career!

You educate loving-kindness reflection. How would you explain the relationship in between concern and also mindfulness in your method of meditation?

Let's claim you're sitting and after that your attempting to feel your breath, after that your mind wanders and after that you need to release and also return. We would certainly state that because letting go and also coming back there inevitably is some kind of self-compassion or else you can't do it. Even if you do not understand it because method, with those words, that's what it is. It's much less complicated for many people to start evaluating themselves and also seeming like a failure than it is to let go as well as start again, as well as bring focus back today. In a sneaky sort of method, that mindfulness method, which is one of the most foundational technique, is truly concerning planting greater self -compassion. Which results in greater empathy for others.

The key advantage of mindfulness classically is insight, it's understanding. Today, it's mostly discussed these days is one more fantastic benefit but it's more regarding populating your life, really tasting the tea when you consume it, instead compared to understanding. Take just what I stated concerning rage, for instance: if you can prevent obtaining lost in the 'include ons,' you could actually see the rage, as well as that it's constantly altering. That's incredible insight. After that insight will result in greater compassion because one of the things we see, along with impermanence, is inter-connectedness. We see that our lives have something to do with each other. When you see that, concern will certainly arise.

If somebody just has five minutes a day to commit to a method, exactly what would recommend?

Start with supporting focus on the breath, sitting easily in a means where you feel at convenience. You could close your eyes or otherwise. In this system, simply take a breath a regular, natural breath. You are not attempting to make it deep or different-just rest your focus on the breath. When your mind has wandered-because it will-see if you could delicately release and also bring your attention back to the breath. That's your five minutes, and afterwards the method ends up being nearly a type of muscular tissue memory of allowing go and also starting once more. You're developing sufficient stamina so that you could after that practice mindfulness in a much wider sense.