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Deja vu? Sorry, your life sucks.

And what if life were nothing like that? 

Coming into contact with the concept of karma (Link: The theory of karma) has been a life changer for me – life is no longer a random game of chance. To accept the workings of karma means to accept ultimate responsibility for how one’s life turns out. In other words, if my life turns out well, then it’s a pat-on-the-back for me – well done, I get all the credit. 

It also means that if I mess up, it’s my fault – not my parents’, not my friends’, not strangers’, not the media’s, not my enemies’.  

In a way, that’s frightening. 

The possible face of karma.

If my life were marked with unhappy occurrences, it would mean that I had, through ignorance and foolishness, acted in ways that cast the seed for these occurrences. And I would now be tasting the fruit. 

Maybe it’s easier to be able to blame someone else. Maybe it’s easier not to have to take responsibility for one’s own thoughts, words and actions – or only take responsibility when the outcome is good. 

Maybe it’s easier if life were like a lottery? 

Because if you could have control over your own life, then *shudder*, it might entail a bit of hard work and individual responsibility for your actions past and present. 

Yet in a way, that’s liberating. 

Maybe it’s easier if life were like a lottery, but would it be better? Because if you always only reap what you sowed, then life is always fair – you always only get what you “deserve”. 

When you plant durian seeds, you deserve...

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/amani1306/ / CC BY 2.0

Now that makes life a game we actually have a chance of winning. So clear the weeds and plant the seeds for your happiness.

Life is all about Making Choices

I’m glad I chose my Passion in Film making and Buddhism

Copywrong (c) 2010 CGLabs

This is a CGLabs Copywrong work.  This means that you are free to copy and distribute this work as long as you don’t charge for it.

Ok, so it's not the Scrooge from Charles Dickens' tale, but I reckon Scrooge McDuck could have said the same thing. And if you disagree, well...bah! Humbug!

Nah, I’m not going to jump off a building. It’s just that after a few years of trying to understand more about happiness, I’ve realised there’s something not quite right with the sentence: I am happy. Now, compare this to the sentence: I am feeling happy…right now, anyway (I wasn’t feeling so happy last Sat night when Man U lost to Chelsea. #$!XXff!@!!)

See the difference? I think it’s important to be careful with our daily speech, so as to create frequent reminders to ourselves about the nature of feelings. Feelings are by design meant to be temporary and fleeting. They are not meant to last forever. Suffering comes when we try to cling to a particular episode of happiness, or cling to a particular situation that brought us a feeling of happiness -  it really is as futile as trying to catch a cloud.

The sky above Universal Studios Singapore - plenty of clouds to catch.

Now the feeling of happiness is an individual experience, so what makes us feel happy can differ a lot from person to person. I personally like to lift heavy things, but most people just think I’m mad.

[Here's one guy who likes to lift heavy things, heh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5groVHlMkRE]

If you haven’t felt happy in a long while though, it may be time to sit down and reassess your life goals and whether or not your current path will lead to those goals. Or maybe it’s time to support another football club other than Portsmouth or Burnley.

There are some situations, however, that are common in bringing happiness to the average person: A job promotion or pay rise, an overseas holiday, celebrating a birthday or winning the grand prize in a Toto draw.

But how often do these situations occur for most people?

Strike Toto – once in a lifetime (well, more likely once in several lifetimes…as a human, since  I don’t think there are Toto draws in the deva, animal or hell realms.)

Will I finally strike Toto this lifetime?

A job promotion or pay rise – a promotion once every 3 years, plus a small pay rise every year

An overseas holiday – once a year

Ahhh...once-a-year happiness. Ok, looking at this actually makes me feel a little sad, since I'm reminded that I'm not there.

images by photoeverywhere.co.uk

Celebrating a birthday – a few times a year (your birthday and the birthdays of those you care about)

So there’s a problem here, if you find that your happiness depends on these infrequent things. It means you’re only going to feel happy at most a few days a year, which does suck a big deal.

The challenge then is to find things in daily life that can help us feel happy. It would be great to have a little dose of happiness each day, don’t you think? Just to keep a smile on our face as we go about our daily life until one of those supposed bigger doses of happiness come along. It’s not easy – to do so requires you to open your eyes, to appreciate and be grateful, so you can prise these small joys from their hiding places in the nooks and crannies of the daily humdrum of our life.

Since I’m writing this post at home, I think that’s a great place to start looking, since it’s somewhere most of us have to return to at the end of each day.

Here’s what I can think of right now:

1. My own room, where I can do almost anything I want
2. Hot coffee (I don’t have to pay cafe prices)
3. I can wear the most run-down clothes I have, and no one will care
4. Hot shower
5. Mum’s cooking
6. Cable TV
7. I can take a nap anywhere
8. Internet access

Now, how about coming up with your own list?

佛法可以是一部经典；佛法也可以是一个微笑。

“··· 你对着我笑嘻嘻，我对着你笑哈哈，当我们同在一起，真快乐无比···”

还记得很小的时候常常听到一首儿歌——当我们同在一起。

不知不觉中，它也已成为了“老歌”（哈哈哈）。不变的是，每当听到这首曲子，心情就变得平静、快乐。

犹如佛法(Dharma)，横跨历史数千年，却依然屹立于现今时代；无时无刻都在为我们提供幸福人生的导航。

佛法可以是一部经典；佛法也可以是一个微笑。

不知道你们是否有过这样的经验：走进电梯，邻居目无表情地看着你，你也目无表情地看着对方？你想表达一些善意，却犹豫不决；这之后就是在电梯里的一片鸦雀无声···

这经验我多的是（哈哈哈）。后来觉得这样太别扭——大家同住在一座组屋里，难道就不能亲切点，微笑并打个招呼吗？

认识佛法之后，明白予人微笑也是布施的一种；现在每当进了电梯，一定微笑示意；就算邻居们不报以什么反应，我也认为没什么关系啦。

电梯的故事只是一小例子——这个概念是可以引申至生活中的大小事物，甚至是与我们擦肩而过的陌生人。

把微笑带在身边，随缘布施快乐吧！（注：不是施舍笑容啊~哈哈）幸福就无所不在。

当我们布施成自然时，也就是与佛法同在一起了。

与大家共勉。

听听“当我们同在一起”，天天都快乐无比。YEAH!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YUBGT-YW5Y

… We have human intelligence and the opportunity to encounter a spiritual path. This opportunity in itself is cause for great rejoicing.

Thus, for as long as we are alive, we can be happy about what is going right in our lives and at the opportunities we have for spiritual practice. Even when the time comes to die, we can rejoice at a life well-spent and dedicate all the goodness we created for the benefit of all sentient beings.

- Venerable Thubten Chodron

Extracted from The Path of the Buddha – Writings on Contemporary Buddhism

Find this quote very powerful =)

Do you have burning questions when you begin to practice Dharma in your daily life? In the upcoming weeks, you are invited here to

take a lively glimpse into the journey of  someone, like you… seeking for happiness!