The Bliss Compass

By Lim Thiam Beng

幸福指南針（選錄）

林添明居士 著

(Jen Chen Buddhism Centre :www.jenchen.org.sg)

                                                  Introduction

     This book is born of the inspiration of my teacher, the late Venerable Master Shen-Kai, who founded the World Jen Chen Buddhism. It is a testimony of my great fortune in encountering and learning Buddhism from him.
     Being a student of Jen Chen Buddhism (Humanity Vehicle Buddhism), I aspire to learn to blend the teachings of Buddhism into life and cultivate as I live it. Contrary to popular beliefs, Buddhism is neither synonymous to meditation nor funerals. It is much more than these and most important of all, it is about purifying the mind so that we know how to distance from sufferings and live a happy and blissful life. Because all humanity seeks bliss and happiness, therefore purifying the mind is a matter for everyone - regardless of race, nationality or status.
     My observation of people, including myself and my experiences, and life in general, seems to suggest that human beings set out in different directions to look for that same thing - bliss and happiness. But it is only those who lend themselves to be guided by the teachings of Buddhism that could hope to find the true bliss and happiness. I note, also, that there is little difference between a life without the guidance of Buddhism and one that knows about the teachings of Buddhism but not using them in life. The good news, as I had realized, is that there is an abundance of bliss and happiness in life, enough for everyone.
     As we journey through life, we are like ships sailing in the vast ocean or like travelers in an uncharted treacherous land, striving and hoping for the best. Any experienced voyager would advise that we be equipped with a compass. Here we need a compass of a different kind, one that would lead us to the true bliss and happiness. Venerable Shen-Kai is that compass. As his student, it is apt that this book is entitled The Bliss Compass.
     It is hoped that readers of this humble book would be inspired to embrace the guidance of The Bliss Compass. After all, bliss and happiness are very precious to us.
Be with Buddha.
Lim Thiam Beng

                                             Wisdom Upstream, Bliss Downstream

     As a boy I used to play in a small stream in the neighborhood. I knew what disturbing water upstream meant - people downstream had to contend with muddy, sometimes, polluted water. Of course, there were times when I was a victim of my own mischief. A child' s play it may be, but that is the way all things in life works- where there is a cause, there will be effects.
     An activity upstream produces an effect downstream. Those who are wise know it too well. Thus, it is said that "the wise fears the cause" while "the ignorant fears the consequences." Those who have wisdom know very well the kind of consequences or effects their actions can lead to, and they are therefore mindful of committing wrong deeds. Whereas, people who are ignorant, only begin to fear the consequences of their actions after they have committed them. They are afraid to face the punishments that stem from their own wrong doings. It will be too late.
     If life can be compared with water moving through a stream, then what is upstream soon becomes downstream. What is downstream today, becomes the upstream of the future. Therefore, exercise our wisdom upstream, so that we will always have bliss downstream.
     When Buddhism speaks of "cause and effect", it is not merely describing a natural phenomenon. It is also not simply to caution people not to disturb the water upstream. Most important of all, it is to guide people in their actions, in what they do everyday, in order to derive bliss and happiness in life. Thus, what we do, what we say and what goes on in our mind have a direct bearing on the quality of the life that we shall lead, if not today, then perhaps tomorrow, next year, the year after or even in the next life.
     The water will always flow downstream, bringing bliss or suffering as the case may be.we can either congratulate or blame ourselves for it.
     There is indeed boundless bliss and happiness in life. They are everywhere for the taking. Take a cue from the Buddha teachings, after all, the purpose of these teachings is to help sentient beings alienate from suffering and attain bliss. May you have an abundance of them.

                                                       The Bliss Compass

     All humanity seeks bliss and happiness. Yet, some times we search high and low for them even though they are right before our eyes. At other times we unwittingly bypass them and look for them in wrong places or take a wrong turn that causes us to be farther and farther from them. Much like a traveller needing a compass, a compass that can guide people to where bliss and happiness can be found would be useful. We call this the Bliss Compass. Venerable Master Shen-Kai personifies the Bliss Compass to a blissful life.

                                  Sowing Seeds Of Melon And Harvesting Beans?

     The Chinese proverb "Plant seeds of melon to harvest melons, plant seeds of bean to harvest beans" aptly summarises the universal law that where there are causes, there will be effects. Not only will there be effects, but the kind of consequence is also predetermined. Although we may not be sowing seeds of melons or beans, we are constantly engaging in activities that are likened to sowing seeds, for example, through what we do, what we say and what goes on in our mind. By the universal law of cause and effect, all our activities have consequences. Some of these will bear results immediately, but others will take time. In the same way that seeds need favourable conditions such as air, water, sunlight, soil and the planter to sprout, so does the fruition of our actions. What is certain is that we reap what we sowed.
     I had a little experience about sowing seeds that I would like to share with you. I had sown seeds of the petunia flower and but gotten chilli plants instead. It sounds like sowing seeds of melon and but harvesting beans. However, it turned out that when I was tilling the soil to sow the petunia seeds, I had dug out the chilli seeds that were planted previously but had not sprouted. In so doing, I had unwittingly provided favourable conditions for the chilli seeds to sprout and grow. Although the act of sowing was committed long ago, the conditions were previously not favourable for sprouting. I ended up with a mixture of petunia and chilli plants. Of course, this was not my intention!
     This trivial experience exemplifies the saying that, "Virtuous deeds shall beget virtuous rewards, while evil deeds shall beget evil; if they are yet to materialize, then it is because the time is not ripe." We may wonder why many events in life unfolded the way they did. Perhaps this experience that I had tells us about the mechanism by which this works. I remembered sowing the chilli seeds and so I know how it happened. But, it is not that we always remember or have the ability to know what we, or other people, had done in the past. However, the fact that where there is cause, there will be effects, is infallible. The phenomenon transcends from the past to the present and the future, stretching through our past, present and future lives, just like seeds sown in a previous season may sprout only in this season or even later. It is, therefore, only a matter of time.
     All of us enjoy the freedom to sow whatever seeds we like. It would be quite unusual for people to deliberately plant seeds that they know will bear bitter or sour fruits. Similarly, it would be foolish of us to indulge in those activities that will cause us to suffer. The law of cause and effect is so real, so powerful and so wonderful at the same time. Knowing how it works gives us the wisdom to conduct ourselves in a way that we can derive peace, happiness and bliss in our life.  

     Because of this, the Buddha advises us to, "avoid committing all that are evil and perform all that are good, to purify the mind." It is an advice that serves to help us keep sufferings or distresses at bay. We will do well to heed it.
     Before we act, speak or begin to form an opinion, it would be wise for us to pause for a moment and think of what seeds we are about to sow and what fruits will we be harvesting. With this kind of awareness in our mind, life shall bear the kinds of fruits that we all like to have - sweet, juicy and fragrant.

                                                       「幸福指南針」自序

　　這本小書的出版，是由於我的師父──人乘佛教導師　聖開上人的啟發，顯示了我有幸能遇到像　師父上人這樣的一代大法師，並受教於他的大福報。
　　做為一個人乘佛教徒，我學習如何將佛法運用於實際日常生活當中，人們普遍有一種錯誤的印象，以為佛教即是打坐或為亡者誦經念佛，其實佛教更重要的是要淨化人心，遠離苦痛煩惱，而得到幸福與快樂的人生。因為所有的人類都在追求快樂與幸福，因此淨化人心是全人類的事──不論種族、國籍或身份。
　　藉由對於人們包括對我自己的觀察，以及從經驗得知，人們經由不同的方向在尋找相同的東西──快樂與幸福。但是，只有那些肯讓佛陀的教化引導他們的人們有希望尋得幸福與快樂；此外我也發現：那些知道卻並未於生活中奉行佛法的人與沒有學佛的人，並沒有太大的差異。所幸，據我所了解：生活中有無窮的幸福與快樂，每個人都有機會可以得到。
　　在我們人生的旅途中，我們就像是在茫茫大海中航行的船隻，或是荒野中的旅人，力求最佳的希望。任何有經驗的旅行家都會提醒我們要配帶一個指南針。在人生的旅途中，我們需要的是一種可以帶領我們找到幸福與快樂的指南針，聖開導師即是我們人生旅途的指南針。做為他的學生，這本書取名為「幸福指南針」是十分貼切適宜的。
　　希望閱讀這本小書的讀者們能從中獲得啟發而樂受幸福指南針的指引。畢竟，幸福快樂對我們而言，是十分難得而希有的。
　　與佛同在
　　　                                                                                                          林添明　

智慧因得幸福果　　

　　　
　　當我還是個小男孩時，我常在家附近的小河中玩耍。我知道在上游把水攪混，代表下游的人會有混濁不淨的水，當然，有時我本身就是自己淘氣的受害者，這也許只是個小孩的遊戲，但生命中有許多事情也是這樣的－－只要有因，必然有果。
　　在上游做的一切行為，在下游就會收到結果，有智慧的人很清楚這個道理，因此，有一句話說：「菩薩畏因，眾生畏果」，有智慧的人清楚自己的行為將導致何種結果，因此，他們會注意不要作惡；然而愚癡的人，在造惡後才知害怕遭受果報，他們害怕面對自己因做惡所帶來的苦報，但後悔往往已太遲了！
　　如果生命像小河中的流水，在上游的水很快就會流到下游，現在在下游的水就是將來上游的水。因此，在上游若有智慧，在下游就會有幸福。
　　佛教說「因果」，並不是只描述一種自然現象，也不是要束縛人們，最重要的，它是要引導人們的行為，運用在日常生活中，以達到幸福快樂的人生。因此我們所做、所說、所想都會直接影響我們未來的生活品質，若不是今天，那也許是明天、明年、後年，甚至來生。
　　水會一直往下流，隨著個人的造作，帶來幸福或苦難。
生命中有無限的幸福快樂，隨處可取，從佛法中去尋找答案，佛陀教法的目的就是要引導眾生離苦得樂，願你能從中獲得豐收。與佛同在！

                                                              幸福指南針

　　所有的人類都在追尋幸福快樂，但有時我們遍尋不著，卻不知它就在眼前；有時我們不知不覺地與它擦肩而過，卻走入錯誤的方向或轉錯彎，使我們離幸福快樂越來越遠。
　　就像一個旅人需要一個指南針，我們也需要一個能夠帶領人們找到幸福快樂的指南針，我們稱之為幸福指南針，聖開上人就是指引幸福人生的指南針。

                                                種瓜竟得豆？

　　中國有一句諺語：「種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆」，簡單扼要的闡釋了宇宙的因果法則。不只說會有果報而已，甚至會有什麼樣的果報都是一定的。雖然我們不一定種瓜或種豆，但我們時時都在「播種」，例如：我們所造作的行為、我們所說的話及內心的念頭等都是，在宇宙的因果律中，所有我們的行為活動都有果報，有些果報很快就顯現，有些則要等一段時間。種子需要如：空氣、水份、陽光、泥土和種植者等，條件具足才能發芽。我們所做的事也是一樣，要因緣具足果報才會顯現。能夠確定的是，我們種什麼因，就得什麼果。
　我有一個小小的播種經驗想和大家分享，我曾種過一種牽牛花的種子，但收成的卻是辣椒。這聽起來就像是種瓜而得豆一樣。事實是，當我在翻土種牽牛花時，在不知不覺中翻動了原來埋在泥土裡的辣椒種子，那是之前種下卻未發芽的種子，我無意中提供了適當的因緣，讓辣椒的種子發芽、成長。雖然那些種子是很久以前種下的，但那時的因緣可能不適合發芽。最後，我同時收穫牽牛花及辣椒。當然，這並不在我的期望之中。
　這個小小的經驗證實了佛教所說：「善有善報，惡有惡報；若是不報，時候未到。」我們常疑惑，在生命中很多事情為什麼會這樣？也許我前述的經驗，可以告訴我們因果律是如何運作的。我還記得曾種下辣椒的種子，所以我知道為什麼會有那樣的結果；但我們通常並不記得或有能力知道自己或別人在過去曾做過什麼事。然而，有因必有果，是絕對正確的，因果通三世，過去、現在、未來，就像前一季播下的種子，可能在這一季或更久以後發芽，只是時間早遲的差別而已。
　　所有的人都享有自由去播自己喜歡的種子。通常人們不會想故意要播種酸或苦果的種子，同樣的，如果我們放任自己去做將來有苦報的事，那就太傻了。因果法則是如此實際、有力又微妙，明白因果讓我們有智慧謹言慎行，以使將來能得到安詳、快樂和有福的人生。因此，佛陀告誡我們要「諸惡莫作，眾善奉行，自淨其意」，這個忠告可以幫助我們遠離痛苦煩惱，我們應當謹記在心。
　　在我們要做事、說話或下論斷之前，有智慧的人應先停下來片刻，想想：我們即將種下什麼種子，將來會有什麼果報。時時保持覺，覺觀自心，生命將結出我們所企求的甜美、豐汁又芳香的果實。