Overcoming Negative Emotions Talk by Ajahn Brahm (Mar'12)

Yesterday, I attended the talk by Ajahn Brahm on "Overcoming Negative Emotions". 

As usual the talk was packed with people and it was held in a new location. There was a complaint that the talk was disorganized and people had to sat on the floor (I sat on the floor despite arriving 15mins earlier).

Ajahn Brahm's was asked by Angie (the President of the Buddhist Fellowship) to respond to the complaint. Ajahn Brahm pointed out that there was a gap in expectation. People always assume that "we should have this or that" or "things should be like this or like that". However in life, you do not always get what you want. This is LIFE. 

Some key takeaways from the talk:

- Limits the expectation of Life to reduce negative emotions. (My interpretation: It would be a wrong interpretation to assume that we should not work hard. Instead, we should work hard and be at peace with whatever outcome. We tried our best, and that is good enough. Be at peace.)

- How to handle guilt? 

Feeling the guilt of the past does not solve the problem. Learn from it and do something good.

- I like Life as it is

- It is good enough

- Allow it (negative emotions/situations) to be. 

Learn to be at peace.

Things will change.

- How to handle difficult people (ie. Boss/Colleague/Parent)?

Call those difficult people Teachers, as they will teach you a lot of things about Life.

=)

First Quarter of 2012 & Appreciation of Dharma

Even though there is a lack of online entries on the first quarter of 2012, this quarter turned out to be full of different experiences. May be it is one of the most exciting quarter I ever been through. So many things had happened - South America Trip, Taiwan Trip, Change of Job, Vipassana Meditation Course, Father's Hospitalization and many other things. There were moments of pleasures, happiness, unhappiness, joy, sadness, disappointment, fear, peace, anger etc...

There are so many lessons to be learned and to be shared. The things that are really Important in Life is never clearer. And there is something that is always very consistent - Dharma (The Buddha's Teaching). All the things (positive and negative emotions/reactions) are clearly taught in the Dharma. 

Every time I read more about the Dharma, it brings more clarity to Life.

Written by Thich Nhat Hanh on Love without Limit:

"In the womb, your mother took care of you. She ate and drank for you. She breathed air for you, in and out... you were physically attached to your mother through the umbilical cord. Your mother channeled to you through that umbilical cord food and drink, oxygen, everything, including her love... You were there, you had not been born, and yet you were the object of love....

As an adult, you may fight very hard to convince yourself that you and your mother are two different people. But it is not really so. You are a continuation of both your parents. When I meditate, I can still see the cord connecting me to my mother. When I look deeply, I see there are umbilical cords linking me to phenomena as well. The sun rises every morning. And thanks to the sun, we have heat and light. Without these things, we can't survive...

If you continue meditating like this, you can see that you are linked to everything else that exists - on other living beings, but also on plants, minerals, air, water and earth... 

This is the Truth of Interdependence. 

No one can be one's self alone.

We have to be inter-be to be."