No 1354 of Living Life Series 1
Why do we live? We live to be better not just in body but also in spirit. Can we do this? To say we can is not right but to say otherwise too is not correct as well. We can only do what we can and be happy and at peace come what may.
To neglect what we have or can have is a waste. To indulge in what we have and to have much more is to go for more and more - a bottomless pit. We don't seem to have enough. We always be in want.
We must know what are needs and what are wants. We must know the must-have and the good-to-have. There is this need for balance as depicted in the image of Bo Tien 武天 with feet atop and on the elements.
We tend to be lopsided and we are usually in pain due to our wants. There is the need to counter this. We need to focus on what we take for granted - the blessings of life that we have everyday. This is easier said than done.
We need to inject ourselves with happiness and meet others who are happy. But all tend to flow downstream with the current of emptiness. There is always something bad that needs to be worked on. Bo Tien 武天 says we need to go upstream against this current.
This is not easy and the sages of old China knew this. They know we don't like to do so. So what they did over the centuries is to inject reasons to be happy not just for ourselves but also for all others as well.
They introduced the festivals like Chinese New Year, Dumpling festival, Autumn and Spring festivals and even the Hungry Ghost Month when people gather and enjoy street shows, have feast not only for the wandering spirits but also for those still alive and in flesh - to rejoice with the wandering souls.
We need to be happy and happiness is infectious. Even those sick and disabled must learn to be happy.
Hardly a month or two pass bye before there is another festival. They even added Vesak and Christmas into their calendar of festivals.
We must learn to feel the pleasure of life in every second. We should never be angry or sad. Why? Well, you know it. For every minute of our sadness, we lost 60 seconds of happiness.
Learn to be happy. Everyone must do that. What better ways than to have festivals the whole year round. This will keep us smiling more often.
Even death of a loved one is not just an occasion to grief but to up lift the spirit and to celebrate at the end with feasting and music at successfully sending off the departed. We must be happy even in sadness.
There needs to be the celebration of life even in death. The departed is not lost but is back with family through the ancestral tablet. The family members welcome the departed back and even celebrate in style.
We must find more excuses to be happy here and now - not wait till life hereafter to have happiness. Eternal happiness here and now in this life is what we must have. Spare us the agony of waiting till we die to have eternal happiness. That is unkind though intention is otherwise.
The moment we come to this life, we must be alive and never say die (to happiness) - 1354 in Cantonese dialect of Chinese is a pun on this. This post is number 1354 of the Living Life Series 1. We must be happy and not let happiness die... Eternal happiness now is what we need and can have. We do not wait till afterlife to have this.
If you seek Ji Gong 济公 for help with a problem, he will just laugh and be merry even before your problem is resolved. You will instantly feel the joy in him has an infectious quality on you. You will be happy the moment you meet him.
To neglect what we have or can have is a waste. To indulge in what we have and to have much more is to go for more and more - a bottomless pit. We don't seem to have enough. We always be in want.
We must know what are needs and what are wants. We must know the must-have and the good-to-have. There is this need for balance as depicted in the image of Bo Tien 武天 with feet atop and on the elements.
We tend to be lopsided and we are usually in pain due to our wants. There is the need to counter this. We need to focus on what we take for granted - the blessings of life that we have everyday. This is easier said than done.
We need to inject ourselves with happiness and meet others who are happy. But all tend to flow downstream with the current of emptiness. There is always something bad that needs to be worked on. Bo Tien 武天 says we need to go upstream against this current.
This is not easy and the sages of old China knew this. They know we don't like to do so. So what they did over the centuries is to inject reasons to be happy not just for ourselves but also for all others as well.
They introduced the festivals like Chinese New Year, Dumpling festival, Autumn and Spring festivals and even the Hungry Ghost Month when people gather and enjoy street shows, have feast not only for the wandering spirits but also for those still alive and in flesh - to rejoice with the wandering souls.
We need to be happy and happiness is infectious. Even those sick and disabled must learn to be happy.
Hardly a month or two pass bye before there is another festival. They even added Vesak and Christmas into their calendar of festivals.
We must learn to feel the pleasure of life in every second. We should never be angry or sad. Why? Well, you know it. For every minute of our sadness, we lost 60 seconds of happiness.
Learn to be happy. Everyone must do that. What better ways than to have festivals the whole year round. This will keep us smiling more often.
Even death of a loved one is not just an occasion to grief but to up lift the spirit and to celebrate at the end with feasting and music at successfully sending off the departed. We must be happy even in sadness.
There needs to be the celebration of life even in death. The departed is not lost but is back with family through the ancestral tablet. The family members welcome the departed back and even celebrate in style.
We must find more excuses to be happy here and now - not wait till life hereafter to have happiness. Eternal happiness here and now in this life is what we must have. Spare us the agony of waiting till we die to have eternal happiness. That is unkind though intention is otherwise.
The moment we come to this life, we must be alive and never say die (to happiness) - 1354 in Cantonese dialect of Chinese is a pun on this. This post is number 1354 of the Living Life Series 1. We must be happy and not let happiness die... Eternal happiness now is what we need and can have. We do not wait till afterlife to have this.
If you seek Ji Gong 济公 for help with a problem, he will just laugh and be merry even before your problem is resolved. You will instantly feel the joy in him has an infectious quality on you. You will be happy the moment you meet him.
