Aham avero homi
May I be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjho homi
May I be free from mental suffering
anigha homi
May I be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharami
May I take care of myself happily
Mama matapitu
May my parents
acariya ca natimitta ca
teacher relatives and friends
sabrahma - carino ca
fellow Dhamma farers
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Imasmim arame sabbe yogino
May all meditators in this compound
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily
Imasmim arame sabbe bhikkhu
May all monks in this compound
samanera ca
novice monks
upasaka - upasikaya ca
laymen and laywomen disciples
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily
Amhakam catupaccaya - dayaka
May our donors of the four supports: clothing, food, medicine and lodging
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily
Amhakam arakkha devata
May our guardian devas
Ismasmim vihare
in this monastery
Ismasmim avase
in this dwelling
Ismasmim arame
in this compound
arakkha devata
May the guardian devas
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Sabbe satta
May all beings
sabbe pana
all breathing things
sabbe bhutta
all creatures
sabbe puggala
all individuals (all beings)
sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)
sabbe itthoyo
may all females
sabbe purisa
all males
sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)
sabbe anariya
all worldlings (those yet to attain sainthood)
sabbe deva
all devas (deities)
sabbe manussa
all humans
sabbe vinipatika
all those in the four woeful planes
avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Dukkha muccantu
May all being be free from suffering
Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost
Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own Kamma
Purathimaya disaya
in the eastern direction
pacchimaya disaya
in the western direction
uttara disaya
in the northern direction
dakkhinaya disaya
in the southern direction
purathimaya anudisaya
in the southeast direction
pacchimaya anudisaya
in the northwest direction
uttara anudisaya
in the northeast direction
dakkhinaya anudisaya
in the southwest direction
hetthimaya disaya
in the direction below
uparimaya disaya
in the direction above
Sabbe satta
May all beings
sabbe pana
all breathing things
sabbe bhutta
all creatures
sabbe puggala
all individuals (all beings)
sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)
sabbe itthoyo
may all females
sabbe purisa
all males
sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)
sabbe anariya
(those yet to attain sainthood)
sabbe deva
all devas (deities)
sabbe manussa
all humans
sabbe vinipatika
all those in the 4 woeful planes
avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Dukkha muccantu
May all beings be free from suffering
Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost
Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own kamma
Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence
adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane
samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe
ye satta pathavicara
whatever beings that move on earth
abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity
nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger
Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence
adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane
samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe
ye satta udakecara
whatever beings that move on water
abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity
nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger
Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence
adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane
samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe
ye satta akasecara
whatever beings that move in air
abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity
nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Thaksin, where are you?
Published: 25/04/2010 at 04:27 AM
Online news: Opinion
I have visited the red shirts in Ratchaprasong more times than I have seen my mum this past two weeks - and every time I wonder: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
The most recent time was when I took an Australian TV crew for the Sunday Night show starring Ian ``Molly'' Meldrum. Walking around Ratchaprasong with a flamboyant Aussie pop icon clad in his trademark black outfit and a Stetson hat was one thing. Seeing a lady red shirt screaming ``Molly! Molly! I watched your show!'' was something else. But all that is beside the point.
On Feb 26, the court decided against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the asset seizure case. From Feb 27 on, there have been 28 deaths and about 1,000 people injured.
There have been no less than 45 bombings and a number of shootings. And I wonder: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
There have been billions of baht in economic damage - though we should be concerned less for the big businesses or fancy hotels, but more for the common everyday people who can't work and can't provide for their families.
And I wonder: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
At the beginning of the week, security forces were able to stop the red shirts from entering Silom Road.
Since then the government's plan was to stop food and water supplies from getting to the red shirts, get the women and children out of the rally site, prevent more red shirts from entering Ratchaprasong and identify where war weapons - such as M16s and grenade launchers - are stored (that is if we are to believe military sources that there are war weapons in Ratchaprasong).
But none of the above have been successful.
Fingers are being pointed at elements within the police and ``watermelon'' soldiers. For those who are not familiar with the term, watermelon soldiers are those who wear the green camouflage on the outside, but on the inside are red sympathisers.
With abundant food and supplies, women and children deeply entrenched and (supposedly) weapons of all kinds, plus red shirt sympathisers from across the battle lines, any attempt to assault the red-occupied territory of Ratchaprasong could result in a lot of blood shed.
Do the decision makers have the stomach for it? Even if they do, do the front-line security forces have the stomach for it? This is where we stand: Stalemate, procrastination, paralysis. And I still wonder: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
The question has come to this: In this supposed fight for democracy, are we simply ending up with anarchy?
I have visited the red shirts in Ratchaprasong more times than I have seen my mum in the past two weeks and one thing I can tell you is: We have another state in and of itself right in the middle of Bangkok's city centre.
This state has its own government, its own laws and its own police forces - living by a set of rules and conditions different from the rest of the country.
We might as well just call this new state ``The Red Republic under the Financial Benevolence of Thaksin the Generous''.
Citizens of Thailand passing through ``The Red Republic under the Financial Benevolence of Thaksin the Generous'' have to go through border checkpoints, pass through fortified barricades and tremble nervously under the stare of stern-looking dudes clad in black with red scarfs.
Not to mention, citizens of ``The Red Republic under the Financial Benevolence of Thaksin the Generous'' have already clashed with Bangkokians on a few occasions.
Grenades have exploded, killing one person on Silom.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am no fan of Thaksin Shinawatra or Abhisit Vejjajiva, and no matter which side you are on, at least I hope we can agree that the scenario above is unacceptable - the portrait of a nation torn apart, the picture of anarchy.
As prime minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, the burden is on the shoulders of Abhisit Vejjajiva to put an end to this.
Either take care of the situation (and dear readers, you may interpret "take care" however you like), or give in to the UDD's demands, or step down and let a coalition partner take over, see what it can do.
But that's not entirely fair for the prime minister - after all, not only I, but the entire nation still wonders where his opposite number is: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
The former prime minister needs to return to Thailand and lead ``The Red Republic under the Financial Benevolence of Thaksin the Generous'' in negotiations with the leader of the Kingdom of Thailand.
Somebody has to be accountable and responsible for all this. That somebody is the leaders.
That somebody is Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. That somebody is Thaksin Shinawatra.
For those who still insist that the red movement isn't about Thaksin, please get out of your air-conditioned room and go talk to the red shirts and read their banners.
PM Abhisit and Thaksin are the two who matter - "The Kingdom of the Mai-pen-rai Status Quo" and "The Red Republic Under the Financial Benevolent of Thaksin the Generous" need to work this out.
The problem is, I know where Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is, but I am still wondering where Thaksin Shinawatra is?
Thaksin Shinawatra, the people of Thailand - no matter what colour shirt we wear - need you here to help us through this.
Please stop hiding. Be a man and step up.
Online news: Opinion
I have visited the red shirts in Ratchaprasong more times than I have seen my mum this past two weeks - and every time I wonder: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
The most recent time was when I took an Australian TV crew for the Sunday Night show starring Ian ``Molly'' Meldrum. Walking around Ratchaprasong with a flamboyant Aussie pop icon clad in his trademark black outfit and a Stetson hat was one thing. Seeing a lady red shirt screaming ``Molly! Molly! I watched your show!'' was something else. But all that is beside the point.
On Feb 26, the court decided against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the asset seizure case. From Feb 27 on, there have been 28 deaths and about 1,000 people injured.
There have been no less than 45 bombings and a number of shootings. And I wonder: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
There have been billions of baht in economic damage - though we should be concerned less for the big businesses or fancy hotels, but more for the common everyday people who can't work and can't provide for their families.
And I wonder: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
At the beginning of the week, security forces were able to stop the red shirts from entering Silom Road.
Since then the government's plan was to stop food and water supplies from getting to the red shirts, get the women and children out of the rally site, prevent more red shirts from entering Ratchaprasong and identify where war weapons - such as M16s and grenade launchers - are stored (that is if we are to believe military sources that there are war weapons in Ratchaprasong).
But none of the above have been successful.
Fingers are being pointed at elements within the police and ``watermelon'' soldiers. For those who are not familiar with the term, watermelon soldiers are those who wear the green camouflage on the outside, but on the inside are red sympathisers.
With abundant food and supplies, women and children deeply entrenched and (supposedly) weapons of all kinds, plus red shirt sympathisers from across the battle lines, any attempt to assault the red-occupied territory of Ratchaprasong could result in a lot of blood shed.
Do the decision makers have the stomach for it? Even if they do, do the front-line security forces have the stomach for it? This is where we stand: Stalemate, procrastination, paralysis. And I still wonder: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
The question has come to this: In this supposed fight for democracy, are we simply ending up with anarchy?
I have visited the red shirts in Ratchaprasong more times than I have seen my mum in the past two weeks and one thing I can tell you is: We have another state in and of itself right in the middle of Bangkok's city centre.
This state has its own government, its own laws and its own police forces - living by a set of rules and conditions different from the rest of the country.
We might as well just call this new state ``The Red Republic under the Financial Benevolence of Thaksin the Generous''.
Citizens of Thailand passing through ``The Red Republic under the Financial Benevolence of Thaksin the Generous'' have to go through border checkpoints, pass through fortified barricades and tremble nervously under the stare of stern-looking dudes clad in black with red scarfs.
Not to mention, citizens of ``The Red Republic under the Financial Benevolence of Thaksin the Generous'' have already clashed with Bangkokians on a few occasions.
Grenades have exploded, killing one person on Silom.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am no fan of Thaksin Shinawatra or Abhisit Vejjajiva, and no matter which side you are on, at least I hope we can agree that the scenario above is unacceptable - the portrait of a nation torn apart, the picture of anarchy.
As prime minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, the burden is on the shoulders of Abhisit Vejjajiva to put an end to this.
Either take care of the situation (and dear readers, you may interpret "take care" however you like), or give in to the UDD's demands, or step down and let a coalition partner take over, see what it can do.
But that's not entirely fair for the prime minister - after all, not only I, but the entire nation still wonders where his opposite number is: Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?
The former prime minister needs to return to Thailand and lead ``The Red Republic under the Financial Benevolence of Thaksin the Generous'' in negotiations with the leader of the Kingdom of Thailand.
Somebody has to be accountable and responsible for all this. That somebody is the leaders.
That somebody is Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. That somebody is Thaksin Shinawatra.
For those who still insist that the red movement isn't about Thaksin, please get out of your air-conditioned room and go talk to the red shirts and read their banners.
PM Abhisit and Thaksin are the two who matter - "The Kingdom of the Mai-pen-rai Status Quo" and "The Red Republic Under the Financial Benevolent of Thaksin the Generous" need to work this out.
The problem is, I know where Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is, but I am still wondering where Thaksin Shinawatra is?
Thaksin Shinawatra, the people of Thailand - no matter what colour shirt we wear - need you here to help us through this.
Please stop hiding. Be a man and step up.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Questions and Answers
Questions and Answers by Thich Nhat Hanh
Going Back to Our Religious Roots
Q:Thay, what do you mean when you say to go back to our religious roots?How can we do that and continue to study and practice Buddhism, which is so practical and helpful?
A: I think we have to look into our religious roots, because sometimes we are not capable of identifying our spiritual roots. If you are a Buddhist, then you know that Buddha is a root, but you are aware that before the Buddha there was already something -- the Buddha was somebody who also had roots. So your roots did not begin with the Buddha. To inquire about the Buddha and the ancestors of the Buddha is important.
When you are a Christian,of course Jesus Christ is your spiritual root, but before Christianity there were other things. Therefore it is interesting and even exciting to inquire about our roots. Our roots can be very old, and our roots can also be new. We inherit things like democracy and freedom. The people who made democracy and freedom possible for us to enjoy are our roots also, so to go back and search for our roots is a very joyful,very important thing. Of course, we will encounter negative aspects and elements, but that does not prevent us going back to our own source.Our roots are also the roots of many people around us. If we can go back to our roots and try to discover the real values, the jewels contained in that tradition, we will be able to benefit many people who have come from these roots. This morning a young person asked me what should she do if she is in love with a young man who belongs to another religious tradition, since she doesn't want to betray her roots. She is a Buddhist, and the other family might require that she abandon her Buddhism to become a Catholic.
I would like to tell you a story.Thirty five years ago I had a student who fell in love with a young man who was Catholic, and the family of that young man required that the young lady abandon the practice of Buddhism in order to be baptized as a Catholic. That was the basic condition for the marriage, and she suffered very much. Her family was also opposed to that. She cried and cried, and one day she came to me. I said that Buddhism is not there to make you unhappy. Buddhism is not an obstacle, so I think in the name of the Buddha I can tell you that you can become a Catholic and marry him, but I would like to make a recommendation. You have received The Five Mindfulness Trainings; you should continue to look on them as the guidelines of your life. You don't have to be called a Buddhist; you only have to be a true Buddhist within yourself. Live accordingly and practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings, and that would make me happy enough. She was so joyful that she was allowed to marry the person she loved. But she did not sleep during that night, and the next morning she came very early, and she said, "Thay, a tradition that is so embracing, so tolerant, so open, if I abandon it and turn my back to it, I am not a person of value. A tradition that is so strict, that has no tolerance, that is not able to understand, how could I formally identify myself with it?" So she just refused to get married to that person. I thought that I would help her get married to that young man,but I caused the opposite to happen. Today, thirty five years later, she is here somewhere in this Sangha.
When I was in Korea a few years ago, I participated in the first dialogue between Buddhists and Christians, and I said that many young people have suffered due to being caught in that kind of situation. So I proposed that we should be able to allow Buddhists and Christians to marry each other, with the condition that the young man would learn and also practice the tradition of the young woman, and the young woman would also learn and practice the tradition of the young man. Instead of having one root,you have two roots. Why not? If you love mangoes, you are free to continue to eat mangoes, but no one forbids you to eat pineapples or oranges. Your favorite fruit is the mango, yes, but you don't betray your mango when you eat pineapple. I think it's too narrow-minded, even stupid, to enjoy only mango, when there are so many different fruits around in the world. Spiritual traditions are like spiritual fruits,and you have the right to enjoy them. It is possible to enjoy two traditions, to take the best of two traditions and live with that. If you like to eat Italian food, you can still enjoy French and Chinese cooking. You cannot say, "I have to be faithful to my Italian cooking", that's too funny.
This year I would like to publish another book,as a continuation of my book Living Buddha, Living Christ. I would like to publish the book with the title: Buddha and Jesus as Brothers. In fact, they could have taken each other's hands and practiced walking meditation, so why not the two of you, one as a Buddhist and one as a Christian? You are the continuation of the Buddha, and you are the continuation of Jesus Christ. That is only beautiful, if you can share your wisdom, your insights, and you can learn from each other and enrich yourselves. That is what I envision for the future, that we remove the barriers between different spiritual traditions, and we behave as people do in the circle of psychotherapists. They enjoy and learn from all other traditions, and I think that each tradition of psychotherapy has something to offer. It's too narrow if we only want to be faithful to one school of psychotherapy.
You are welcome to continue your practice of Buddhist meditation, because you find it practical and helpful, transforming and healing. But you can think of other people who have come from the same tradition as you, and who have not encountered the practice. You can do it by sharing your Buddhist practice, and also proposing to them that you go back to your spiritual roots, and you might discover things that you have not seen. You might begin anew, so that your tradition will become very refreshing,something that can provide true answers to the questions of the new generations, and that will benefit many people. When I say that you have to go back to your roots, that does not mean that you have to abandon the Buddhist practice that you enjoy now. But the Buddhist practice will help you to understand more deeply, so that your work of transformation and renewing of your tradition will be possible; and especially so that your heart will open to embrace the people who do not seem to be open and understanding enough when they try to transmit their tradition and values to the new generations of people.
Going Back to Our Religious Roots
Q:Thay, what do you mean when you say to go back to our religious roots?How can we do that and continue to study and practice Buddhism, which is so practical and helpful?
A: I think we have to look into our religious roots, because sometimes we are not capable of identifying our spiritual roots. If you are a Buddhist, then you know that Buddha is a root, but you are aware that before the Buddha there was already something -- the Buddha was somebody who also had roots. So your roots did not begin with the Buddha. To inquire about the Buddha and the ancestors of the Buddha is important.
When you are a Christian,of course Jesus Christ is your spiritual root, but before Christianity there were other things. Therefore it is interesting and even exciting to inquire about our roots. Our roots can be very old, and our roots can also be new. We inherit things like democracy and freedom. The people who made democracy and freedom possible for us to enjoy are our roots also, so to go back and search for our roots is a very joyful,very important thing. Of course, we will encounter negative aspects and elements, but that does not prevent us going back to our own source.Our roots are also the roots of many people around us. If we can go back to our roots and try to discover the real values, the jewels contained in that tradition, we will be able to benefit many people who have come from these roots. This morning a young person asked me what should she do if she is in love with a young man who belongs to another religious tradition, since she doesn't want to betray her roots. She is a Buddhist, and the other family might require that she abandon her Buddhism to become a Catholic.
I would like to tell you a story.Thirty five years ago I had a student who fell in love with a young man who was Catholic, and the family of that young man required that the young lady abandon the practice of Buddhism in order to be baptized as a Catholic. That was the basic condition for the marriage, and she suffered very much. Her family was also opposed to that. She cried and cried, and one day she came to me. I said that Buddhism is not there to make you unhappy. Buddhism is not an obstacle, so I think in the name of the Buddha I can tell you that you can become a Catholic and marry him, but I would like to make a recommendation. You have received The Five Mindfulness Trainings; you should continue to look on them as the guidelines of your life. You don't have to be called a Buddhist; you only have to be a true Buddhist within yourself. Live accordingly and practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings, and that would make me happy enough. She was so joyful that she was allowed to marry the person she loved. But she did not sleep during that night, and the next morning she came very early, and she said, "Thay, a tradition that is so embracing, so tolerant, so open, if I abandon it and turn my back to it, I am not a person of value. A tradition that is so strict, that has no tolerance, that is not able to understand, how could I formally identify myself with it?" So she just refused to get married to that person. I thought that I would help her get married to that young man,but I caused the opposite to happen. Today, thirty five years later, she is here somewhere in this Sangha.
When I was in Korea a few years ago, I participated in the first dialogue between Buddhists and Christians, and I said that many young people have suffered due to being caught in that kind of situation. So I proposed that we should be able to allow Buddhists and Christians to marry each other, with the condition that the young man would learn and also practice the tradition of the young woman, and the young woman would also learn and practice the tradition of the young man. Instead of having one root,you have two roots. Why not? If you love mangoes, you are free to continue to eat mangoes, but no one forbids you to eat pineapples or oranges. Your favorite fruit is the mango, yes, but you don't betray your mango when you eat pineapple. I think it's too narrow-minded, even stupid, to enjoy only mango, when there are so many different fruits around in the world. Spiritual traditions are like spiritual fruits,and you have the right to enjoy them. It is possible to enjoy two traditions, to take the best of two traditions and live with that. If you like to eat Italian food, you can still enjoy French and Chinese cooking. You cannot say, "I have to be faithful to my Italian cooking", that's too funny.
This year I would like to publish another book,as a continuation of my book Living Buddha, Living Christ. I would like to publish the book with the title: Buddha and Jesus as Brothers. In fact, they could have taken each other's hands and practiced walking meditation, so why not the two of you, one as a Buddhist and one as a Christian? You are the continuation of the Buddha, and you are the continuation of Jesus Christ. That is only beautiful, if you can share your wisdom, your insights, and you can learn from each other and enrich yourselves. That is what I envision for the future, that we remove the barriers between different spiritual traditions, and we behave as people do in the circle of psychotherapists. They enjoy and learn from all other traditions, and I think that each tradition of psychotherapy has something to offer. It's too narrow if we only want to be faithful to one school of psychotherapy.
You are welcome to continue your practice of Buddhist meditation, because you find it practical and helpful, transforming and healing. But you can think of other people who have come from the same tradition as you, and who have not encountered the practice. You can do it by sharing your Buddhist practice, and also proposing to them that you go back to your spiritual roots, and you might discover things that you have not seen. You might begin anew, so that your tradition will become very refreshing,something that can provide true answers to the questions of the new generations, and that will benefit many people. When I say that you have to go back to your roots, that does not mean that you have to abandon the Buddhist practice that you enjoy now. But the Buddhist practice will help you to understand more deeply, so that your work of transformation and renewing of your tradition will be possible; and especially so that your heart will open to embrace the people who do not seem to be open and understanding enough when they try to transmit their tradition and values to the new generations of people.
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