I guess it depends wether if there is a (A)invasion of whatever kind of insects or (B)Just some passer by. If it’s A then best call a pest control and after that accumulate merits like life release or pujas dedicated for the insects.
If it’s B then try the kindest way to let them out of your home.
Liberation is not really gaining something, but instead realising something: having a very strong sense of realisation that there is nothing to lose at all.
The reason why we orient or introduce the idea of liberation as if it is something to gain is because of our inhibitions around losing something. Therefore, we have this idea of having more and more – more enlightenment, more merit, more good karma and so on.
Deep down, we have to realise that this aiming for liberation, this yearning that we have, has to somehow flow in a way that we sort of let go, of whatever we can, one by one.
That’s why we’re taking refuge – refuge meaning that we basically let go. And the more we are able to let go, then the more a sense of peace, a sense of completion is there.
When we say someone has completely awoken, completely awakened, it means that individual has finally reached a stage where there is nothing to lose, that they have nothing to abandon any more.
The rising of the sun is very interesting to all of us, very inspiring, while the setting is often a somewhat melancholic thing. But actually, we are the ones (meaning our thoughts) that make a sunset melancholic, whereas the sun itself has no emotion at all about setting – and not because it is going to rise tomorrow, and for every day after that. There is no real emotion present like ours, let’s say. I don’t mean to say that we have to become completely emotionally dull and numb. But observing that kind of cycle helps us relate to change, impermanence and death. Then, if we slowly reflect on our own being, we can probably relate a little better to these subjects. The point is that by doing so, we will be able to relate better to what is so difficult to relate to: enlightenment.
It is my heartfelt wish to see peace in our world. As a Buddhist student and a teacher, I see peace as a state of consciousness – complete awareness.
As challenging as it may seem at times, peace is achievable in our time. Peace is possible. The question is how.
I believe that we can achieve peace by investing in our Inner Wealth, our innate values of wisdom and compassion. We all have these values, whether we are Buddhists or non-Buddhists, young or old – all of us have this limitless pool of quality, of Inner Wealth inside us.
So it is through education and literacy, supporting our young people, and promoting non-material values like non-violence that we can tap into this pool and bring this quality into our world. Of course, for the benefit of all sentient beings.
What we have to really be clear about, is that when we practice the Buddha dharma, the way of the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas, we are not trying to achieve something that does not exist. We are not trying to achieve something that is not there. It is just the opposite, in a way. We are trying to achieve something that is logical, that is possible.
Buddhist teachings are extremely difficult to preserve, mainly, as Buddha said, due to our emotions. Of course, the karma factor comes into play. Karma is a very strong force, a very powerful force that drives us to various limits. But by trying to understand the challenges of karma and the afflictive emotions that we face every day, we actually come to understand how beneficial this practice of compassion and wisdom is. Compassion and wisdom is the antidote to the karma and afflictive emotions we face.
We are all deeply connected. Every choice we make leaves an indelible mark on our world. And so let us choose the path of nonviolence. Let us choose the path of loving kindness. Let us choose the path of compassion, and let us be heroes in each other’s lives.
In the midst of turbulence, may we all find a place of stillness, clarity and peace. This place of stillness, this state of mind, lies within all of us. Our compassion and wisdom, our Inner Wealth, is unaffected by even the most extreme external conditions. No rain can dampen our inner peace. No wind can move our minds.
Compounded, conditioned phenomena can be explained on the basis of the five skandhas, a topic that is presented in detail in the Abhidharma. Compoundedness means that a phenomenon comes into being through causes and conditions; this forming, this arising in itself is change.
While seeming to remain for a while, it actually constantly changes even while remaining, and its un-forming or dissolving is change as well. This is what holds true for the five skandhas that make up and shape our experience, in other words our life, our samsaric existence: form, sensations, perceptions, formations, and the various aspects of consciousness.
Aspirations are very powerful, because they go to the depths of our consciousness. Though we all wish and aspire for many things, it is not common for us to do so with full awareness.
In fact, most of us are not really aware of the power of aspirations, or how we to utilise them effectively. If we are able to utilise this tool properly, we will be able to accomplish our daily needs and wishes, and contribute to peace and good conditions for ourselves and all other beings. More than that, aspirations will eventually help us to understand our own nature better, and to recognise our kind and loving nature.
We are all deeply connected. Every choice we make leaves an indelible mark on our world. And so let us choose the path of nonviolence. Let us choose the path of loving kindness. Let us choose the path of compassion, and let us be heroes in each other’s lives.
In the midst of turbulence, may we all find a place of stillness, clarity and peace. This place of stillness, this state of mind, lies within all of us. Our compassion and wisdom, our Inner Wealth, is unaffected by even the most extreme external conditions. No rain can dampen our inner peace. No wind can move our minds.
Compassion can be understood best as understanding.
Understanding in as much detail as possible what the other individual is going through; putting oneself in the other individual’s place; being in that place; and then having some kind of understanding of their experience. That’s compassion.
In Tibetan aspiration is known as ‘monlam’ and dedication is known as ‘sngo ba.’ These two go hand in hand. Aspiration is the one that initiates our accumulation, and dedication is the one that completes our accumulation of merit and wisdom.
Your true friend is none other than the Buddha dharma. There is no better friend than the Buddha dharma. If you lose the Buddha dharma, then that’s it, you have lost everything. So please, please, please don’t lose the Buddha dharma, because impermanence is just around the corner.
Please make a lot of pure aspirations, as much as possible, to be able to meet with great teachers – not just in one lifetime, but in lifetime after lifetime. With your effort, I am sure you will be able to do it. Make aspirations, like the king of the aspirations, Shantideva’s aspirations, or Maitreya’s aspirations, continuously – then all of your wishes will come true.
In general, when we practice, we do so basically to develop great experience. Experience not in terms of developing too many sensations, but experience in terms of understanding, in order to go through challenges. We practice to gain experience so that, should we come across similar or greater challenges, we have accumulated experience and know how to go about facing them. I think this is the main goal of practice.