THOUGHT OF THE DAY FOR YOUR LIFE FROM BUDDHISM-(SOURCE-BUDDHAVIEWS SITE)

Being born into this world as humans we all would like to lead a happy and a pleasant life until we die some day. This is the intention of all of us and there is no doubt about it. But is it the reality facing us? Is it happening the way we would like it to be? In reality it is not so. So what are these unsatisfactory matters we have to face in our lives? Addressing the above issue and finding a permanent solution was Prince Gauthama Siddhartha's main intention, even before he renounced the princely comforts and became an ascetic searching for the lasting solution for the above problems. Identify the faces of 'sufferings' we have to face Gauthama Buddha explained to us in a complete sense what actually the unsatisfactoryness the humans have to undergo in their lives. He explained them as Jara, Vyadhi, Marana, Soka, Parideva,Dukka, Domanassa and Upayasa. So we will try to understand what was actually meant by the words Lord Buddha used to describe Dukka or the suffering we all want to avoid. Jara - Old age After we are born, we get into the old age once we pass about sixty years of the life span. During the early years, a majority of humans may lead a healthy life so the effect of one becoming old slips through our mind until we actually face that situation. The physical body of ours gives us many problems as we reach the old age and majority of us don't know how to manage it correctly mentally. The body that was once very strong becomes frail and the physical features of us deteriorates and the personality and the beauty once we had will no more be there. One may even not be able to move at will to places since mobility of the body diminishes. Physical strength and mental activities such as good memory fades and forgetfulness will be prominent then. The bodily features once you adored, will be no more there to be proud of. One even may become sorrowful thinking of the good old days he once had. So Lord Buddha pointed the above to be wary of . He had the greatest kindness towards us letting us realise the problems before we are engulfed in it. Vyadhi- Sickness This is us becoming sick physically. One can become very sick any time unexpectedly. In many instances, there will be no prior warnings appearing on a sicknesses. Great pain can accompany a sickness immobilizing a person with normal activities of a human being. There is no age limit for becoming sick. Many times we may be able to overcome sicknesses through medication but there are also many instances that we have to suffer due to various illnesses until we get cured. Some illnesses are quite grave that one has to suffer throughout the lifetime due to that sickness. Even a newborn child might be affected this way and not to say all other probabilities of sicknesses one might come across during the lifetime. No one would like to be sick but can we avoid it altogether in our lifetime? Realising above and trying to find a way to minimise the bad effects if one is to undergo the above is an important task we have to think about. Marana - Death One might be spared of Jara and Vyadi but never from this. Even then this might be the least thing any of us would like to think about. The nature of humans is that they will avoid thinking anything that brings unpleasantness and fear into one's self. However healthy is oneself, it is seldom that a person can live over 100 years these days. If one tries to think correctly, it will be seen that many of us would die unexpectedly before we are hundred years old. Right around us we hear about, or see people die, unknown people and the loved ones. From babies, children, teens, middle aged to the old. The reality is there but we are not ready to accept it for ourself. 'It happened to the other but not to me, so what. That's nature'. That's how we argue with our inner self. We stop thinking about it then and there. A death elsewhere is only an incident for us. Only if a death of a loved one happens, then only we feel it for ourselves. Lord Buddha told us to be mindful about this factor. It will be seen that many of us would die unexpectedly without spending that 100 years we talked about earlier. Every passing moment is a moment that we all come near to that unavoidable unpleasant situation we call as death. But in our daily life, we live without sparing a single thought on it. Aren't we cheating ourselves thus becoming foolish in a sense by not accepting a reality of the life? One can argue with hundreds of reasons for not thinking about that reality. Will say it is not positive thinking. But accepting a Truth as a Truth itself is a first step into Positive thinking. We always get blinded with illusions and never called the shots honestly. We tried to hide behind a curtain when the things were not to our likings .Though we don't know about it, we are driven by fear within inside but Lord Buddha invites one to be brave and to accept the reality .There is no harm in it but you will grow in self confidence being able to accept the worst and to live the life with acceptance of correct facts with a brave and understanding character behind you. That person will be ways forward than the lesser fortuned persons who could not fathom the reality of life due to ignorance or we can say uneducatedness of the correct facts. Soka - Worry How often you get worried over something? Our worries may be never ending. We worry about our future, our health , about our loved ones. ' What happens suppose I lose my job due to the present economic downfalls ? What happens if I have to undergo the heart surgery and engage only in very light work? ' When worry comes in and engulfs, a person who don't know to overcome it will suffer due to it might lead a miserable life worrying unduly. Parideva - lamentation Some times if one cannot bear the grief due to some incident, will lament or grieve audibly or wail. These might reoccur sometimes making life too miserable for the person. It can also be expressed as passionate and animated activity of expressing grief and others may not able to bring comfort to the sufferer easily and quickly. Dukka - Pain This is the physical pain one undergoes due to a body injury , disease or a similar occurrence to the body. Until the cause gets cured, the pain will be there for pro longed periods. Everyone of us might have undergone pain due to a bodily injury at some time of the life. How we all want it to be cured in double quick time? Well no one would like to suffer from pain thought it might be unavoidable. Domanassa - Grief This is a mental factor of grief occurring over something which has a burning effect within inside self. The physical pain gets cured once the body heals but this is not so. Our mind can be driven to this situation quite often without being able to control it. Mental agony is so depressive that a person may not know how to get rid of it. Addressing mental disorders could be quite a challenge these days as more and more is noticeable in our society now. Upayasa - Despair This is loosing hope on something or one's self or overcome by a sense of defeat. Suppose a loved one died near to us so a sense of defeat overcome the mind. Never would be that loving person be there again - that sort of thought will drive the sufferer to a sense of defeat and a depressive mood. Lord Buddha explained that the above factors as a part of sufferings humans have to undergo. He just did not stop on the statement on suffering itself, but showed the way out from it. It is called the Noble Eightfold Path. There is a great possibility of experiencing the above mentioned phenomena or qualities ( regarding death- it's writing on the wall ! ) by any of us during our lifetime. Being in any of that status would not be a pleasant experience to anyone. Getting known of the worst itself is a great plus point as one knows how to counter it when it appears. The remedial actions are there to take for the Buddha disciple. If anyone is ignorant on these, that person would be ill prepared once he encounter them in real life. Making use of the Lord Buddha's wisdom is the way out from these pit holes. In our day to day affairs we used to mention the phrase -' in the worst scenario this is what will happen 'etc.- In the same way we need to asses the worst scenarios beforehand as that's what the wise has to do. Buddha's teachings are numerous and merits for persuasion spending even a persons entire lifetime. That's why many became Bhikkus to spend the entire lifetime following the path shown by the Buddha. Here we might just touch a thing or two from what the Buddha had expounded but even that might help someone immensely as a stepping stone to the wisdom Buddha had shown us.

All Up Country train services from Colombo to Kandy,Badulle and Matale bound trains have been cancelled since this morning due to the adverse weather condition including land slides and floods occurred in those areas at present the Sri Lanka Railways Department has announced.

Land Slides and Floods have obstructed some rail tracks in up country as well the department has said.

Meanwhile authorities have urged public to avoid traveling up country especially Badulle District due to the possible land slide threats.Seven people have been reported as missing due to a land slide occurred in the district this morning.

One Person Killed And Three Got Injured Due To A Land Slide In Peradeniya

One person was killed and three others were injured due to a land slide occurred in Muruthalawa area in Peradeniya during early hours of  today(25).Due to the heavy showers experienced in the area a mud slide was fell to a house early this morning and killed one person stayed inside the house and three persons including a  small child have  got injured and admitted to the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital. 


As the adverse weather condition is to continue further throughout the island during next 24 hours as well  the Disaster Management Center(DMC) has issued land slide warning to six districts namely Kandy,Badulla,Matale,Ratnapure,Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya .

Health Workers Belongs to 15 Health Categories To Launch An Island Wide Strike

Health Workers belongs to  15 health categories including government nurses and professions supplementary to medicine(PSM'S) have decided to launch an island wide continuous strike from next Tuesday(30) by demanding to increase their allowances the Joint Front Of Nurses,PSM'S And Para Medics has stated.

The Joint Front has demanding the government  to grant Rs.15,000 On Call allowance for the said health category workers in the view of the allowance increase given to medical doctors with effect from 01st of January 2015.

Around 10,000 health workers are due to launch this strike from 8.a.m next Tuesday the joint convener of the Joint Front Saman Ratnapriya has said.

Presidential Election Related Violence's Are On The Increase

Since the declaration of the forthcoming presidential elections around 510 complaints related to the election violence have been reported throughout the island according   to the Election Secretariat .Out of these election related violence's  45 were serious incidents and there were 465 minor complaints the department has announced.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY FOR YOUR LIFE FROM BUDDHISM (SOURCE-BUDDHASASANA SITE)

Kamma is an impersonal, natural law that operates in accordance with our actions. It is a law in itself and does not have any lawgiver. Kamma operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent, ruling agent.


Kamma or karma can be put in the simple language of the child: do good and good will come to you, now, and hereafter. Do bad and bad will come to you, now, and hereafter.
In the language of the harvest, kamma can be explained in this way: if you sow good seeds, you will reap a good harvest. If you sow bad seeds, you will reap a bad harvest.
In the language of science, kamma is called the law of cause and effect: every cause has an effect. Another name for this is the law of moral causation. Moral causation works in the moral realm just as the physical law of action and reaction works in the physical realm.
In the Dhammapada, kamma is explained in this manner: the mind is the chief (forerunner) of all good and bad states. If you speak or act with a good or bad mind, then happiness or unhappiness follows you just as the wheel follows the hoof of the ox or like your shadow which never leaves you.
Kamma is simply action. Within animate organisms there is a power or force which is given different names such as instinctive tendencies, consciousness, etc. This innate propensity forces every conscious being to move. He moves mentally or physically. His motion is action. The repetition of actions is habit and habit becomes his character. In Buddhism, this process is called kamma.
In its ultimate sense, kamma means both good and bad, mental action or volition. 'Kamma is volition,' says the Buddha. Thus kamma is not an entity but a process, action, energy and force. Some interpret this force as 'action-influence'.  It is our own doings reacting on ourselves. The pain and happiness man experiences are the result of his own deeds, words and thoughts reacting on themselves. Our deeds, words and thoughts produce our prosperity and failure, our happiness and misery.
Kamma is an impersonal, natural law that operates strictly in accordance with our actions. It is law in itself and does not have any lawgiver. Kamma operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent ruling agency. Since there is no hidden agent directing or administering rewards and punishments, Buddhists do not rely on prayer to some supernatural forces to influence karmic results. According to the Buddha, kamma is neither predestination nor some sort of determinism imposed on us by some mysterious, unknown powers or forces to which we must helplessly submit ourselves.
Buddhists believe that man will reap what he has sown; we are the result of what we were, and we will be the result of what we are. In other words, man is not one who will absolutely remain to be what he was, and he will not continue to remain as what he is. This simply means that kamma is not complete determinism. The Buddha pointed out that if everything is determined, then there would be no free will and no moral or spiritual life. We would merely be the slaves of our past. On the other hand, if everything is undetermined, then there can be no cultivation of moral and spiritual growth. Therefore, the Buddha accepted neither strict determinism nor strict undeterminism.

Police Fired Tear Gas To Disperse A Students March

The police have fired tear gas to disperse a protest march conducted by a group of University Students this noon as the protesting students tried to march towards the University Grants Commission Office at Ward Place,Colombo.

Due to the protest march a heavy traffic was reported in several areas in the Colombo City.

Government Minsiter And MP Decided To Support Common Opposition Candidate

The leader of the All Ceylon Muslim Congress and Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen and Government MP Amir Ali have decided to support the common opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the upcoming Presidential Elections.

Both the Minister Rishad and the MP Ali have arrived to opposition leaders house at Sirikotha this evening after taken their decision to support the common candidate.MP Ali who was a former Eastern Provincial Councilor had sworn in as a national list MP recently after MP A.H.M Azwer has vacated his seat in the parliament.

Sri Lanka And Germany To Establish Direct Air Links Between Berlin And Colombo

Sri Lankan and German authorities  are to be discussed on establishing Direct Air Links between Berlin and Colombo to strengthen the Tourism in here  according to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Germany,The Sri Lankan Ambassador to Germany Mr,Karunathilake  Amunugama and Director General Of The Department Of Aerospace of the Federal Ministry for Transport And Digital Infrastructure in Germany Gerold Reichle have been discussed on establishing the direct air links recently..


During January To October this year around 87,000 German Tourists have visited Sri Lanka  it has been revealed.

The Sri Lankan Diplomats in Germany and the German Officials have agreed to continue their dialogue on establishing direct air links between Berlin and Colombo
 further it has been announced.

Showers Or Thunder Showers To Be Occured In Most Parts Of The Island In Coming Days

Due to the atmospheric disturbance prevails at present showers or thunder showers will occur in most parts of the island today and in coming days  particularly  in Central,North Central ,Eastern,Uva and Southern Provinces with over 150 mili meter heavy showers in some places according to the Meteorology Department.


An occasional showers will continue in deep and shallow sea areas off the Eastern and Southern Coasts and temporary localized strong winds may assist with the thunder showers the department has announced.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY TO YOUR LIFE FROM BUDDHISM(SOURCE-VIEW ON BUDDHISM WEB SITE)

The four immeasurable, also known as the Brahma Viharas (Skt.) are found in one brief and beautiful prayer:

May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
May all sentient beings never be separated from bliss without suffering,
May all sentient beings be in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger.

The Buddha taught the following to his son Rahula (from "Old path white clouds" by Thich Nhat Hahn): 

"Rahula, practice loving kindness to overcome anger. Loving kindness has the capacity to bring happiness to others without demanding anything in return.
Practice compassion to overcome cruelty. Compassion has the capacity to remove the suffering of others without expecting anything in return.
Practice sympathetic joy to overcome hatred. Sympathetic joy arises when one rejoices over the happiness of others and wishes others well-being and success.
Practice non-attachment to overcome prejudice. Non-attachment is the way of looking at all things openly and equally. This is because that is. Myself and others are not separate. Do not reject one thing only to chase after another.
I call these the four immeasurables. Practice them and you will become a refreshing source of vitality and happiness for others."

If you are interested in meditating on these and many other subjects, see the List of Sample Meditations.

LOVE

The definition of love in Buddhism is: wanting others to be happy.
This love is unconditional and it requires a lot of courage and acceptance (including self-acceptance).
The "near enemy" of love, or a quality which appears similar, but is more an opposite is: conditional love (selfish love, see also the page on attachment).
The opposite is wanting others to be unhappy: anger, hatred.
A result which one needs to avoid is: attachment.

This definition means that 'love' in Buddhism refers to something quite different from the ordinary term of love which is usually about attachment, more or less successful relationships and sex; all of which are rarely without self-interest. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to de-tachment and the unselfish interest in others' welfare.

'Even offering three hundred bowls of food three times a day does not match the spiritual merit gained in one moment of love.'
Nagarjuna

"If there is love, there is hope that one may have real families, real brotherhood, real equanimity, real peace. If the love within your mind is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue"
His Holiness the Dalai Lama from 'The little book of Buddhism'

Attachment and love are similar in that both of them draw us to the other person. But in fact, these two emotions are quite different. When we’re attached we’re drawn to someone because he or she meets our needs. In addition, there are lots of strings attached to our affection that we may or may not realize are there. For example, I “love” you because you make me feel good. I “love” you as long as you do things that I approve of. I “love” you because you’re mine. You’re my spouse or my child or my parent or my friend. With attachment, we go up and down like a yo-yo, depending on how the other person treats us. We obsess, “What do they think of me? Do they love me? Have I offended them? How can I become what they want me to be so that they love me even more?” It’s not very peaceful, is it? We’re definitely stirred up.
On the other hand, the love we’re generating on the Dharma path is unconditional. We simply want other to have happiness and the causes of happiness without any strings attached, without any expectations of what these people will do for us or how good they’ll make us feel.
Don’t Believe Everything You Think: Living with Wisdom and Compassion, by Thubten Chodron

COMPASSION

The definition is: wanting others to be free from suffering.
This compassion happens when one feels sorry with someone, and one feels an urge to help.
The near enemy is pity, which keeps other at a distance, and does not urge one to help.
The opposite is wanting others to suffer, or cruelty.
A result which one needs to avoid is sentimentality.
Compassion thus refers to an unselfish, de-tached emotion which gives one a sense of urgency in wanting to help others. From a Buddhist perspective, helping others to reduce their physical or mental suffering is very good, but the ultimate goal is to extinguish all suffering by stopping the process of rebirth and the suffering that automatically comes with living by reaching enlightenment.

The attitude of a so-called Bodhisattva is Bodhicitta: this is the ultimate compassionate motivation: the wish to liberate all sentient beings from the sufferings of cyclic existence and to become a fully enlightened Buddha oneself in order to act as the perfect guide for them. Actually, this could well be the most honorable and idealistic motivation possible.

(See also the page on compassion.)

SYMPATHETIC JOY

The definition is: being happy with someone's fortune/happiness. Sympathetic joy here refers to the potential of bliss and happiness of all sentient beings, as they can all become Buddhas.
The near enemy is hypocrisy or affectation.
The opposite is jealousy, when one cannot accept the happiness of others.
A result which one needs to avoid is: spaced-out bliss, which can easily turn into laziness.
Note: sympathetic joy is a great antidote to depression for oneself as well, but this should not be the main goal.
By rejoicing in others' progress on the spiritual path, one can actually share in their positive karma.
Sympathetic joy is an unselfish, very positive mental attitude which is beneficial for oneself and others. In this case, it also refers specifically to rejoicing in the high rebirth and enlightenment of others.

EQUANIMITY

Equanimity in Buddhism means to have a clear-minded tranquil state of mind - not being overpowered by delusions, mental dullness or agitation. For example, with equanimity we do not distinguish between friend, enemy or stranger, but regard every sentient being as equal.
The near enemy is indifference. It is tempting to think that just 'not caring' is equanimity, but that is just a form of egotism, where we only care about ourselves.
The opposite of equanimity is anxiety, worry, stress and paranoia caused by dividing people into 'good' and 'bad'; one can worry forever if a good friend may not be a bad person after all, and thus spoiling trust and friendship.
A result which one needs to avoid is apathy as a result of 'not caring'.
Equanimity is the basis for unconditional, altruistic love, compassion and joy for other's happiness and Bodhicitta.
When we discriminate between friends and enemies, how can we ever want to help all sentient beings?
Equanimity is an unselfish, de-tached state of mind which also prevents one from doing negative actions.

"If one tries to befriend an enemy for a moment, he becomes your friend.
The same thing occurs when one treats a friend as an enemy.
Therefore, by understanding the impermanence of temporal relations,
Wise ones are never attached to food, clothing or reputation, nor to friends or enemies.

The father becomes the son in another life,
Mother becomes the wife,
Enemy becomes friend;
It always changes.
Therefore there is nothing definite in samsara."
The Buddha

"The foundation for practicing the seven-point cause and effect method is cultivating a mind of equanimity. Without this foundation you will not be able to have an impartial altruistic view, because without equanimity you will always have partiality towards your relatives and friends. Realize that you should not have prejudice, hatred, or desire towards enemies, friends, or neutral persons, thus lay a very firm foundation of equanimity."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from 'Path to Bliss: A Practical Guide to Stages of Meditation'

It is said that the awareness of a Buddha is completely even, like the ocean, taking in equally the joys and sorrows of all people, friends, loved ones, relatives, and those never met. This is the meaning of a statement made by so many of the world's great spiritual teachers,
"Love your enemy."
It doesn't mean love the person you hate. You can't do that. Love those who hate you.

Total Number Of Dengue Patients Reported This Year Has Exceeded Last Year's Figure

The total number of Dengue Patients reported throughout the island this year up to now has exceeded the total number of Dengue Patients  reported during the last year(2013) according to the Sri Lanka Epidemiology Unit.Around 43,059 Dengue Patients have been reported during January-December this year while 32,063 Dengue Patients have been reported during last year.

There's an increase of 10,996 patients this year when comparing to the total number of dengue patients that have been reported during  last year the epidemiology unit has said.

During first eighteen days of this month 1104 dengue patients have been reported throughout the island it has been revealed.The majority of these patients have been reported from the Western Province 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY TO YOUR LIFE FROM BUDDHISM (SOURCE-METTA SITE)

People for the most part, no matter what country they're born in, are more interested in the affairs of the body. They're not all that interested in tending to the heart and mind. They don't look after the heart and mind. When the heart is suffering, they don't look into why it's suffering. They're more wrapped up in looking after the body. When the body's in the slightest pain, they run to the doctor, to the hospital. But when they suffer in their hearts and minds, they aren't all that interested in finding out why.

People who have trained their minds, though, investigate into the reasons and causes. When the heart is suffering, and they've investigated down to the real causes, they'll know how to release the heart from that suffering. You could say that they act as their own doctors. The Buddha was a master doctor, a doctor specializing in the diseases of the heart and mind.

When we listen to the Dhamma and put it into practice, we're said to be studying medicine for the heart and mind. Once we've learned the Dhamma, we train ourselves in line with it. Once the mind attains concentration, we'll have strategies and techniques for looking after our own hearts and minds. When suffering arises in the heart and mind, we'll be able to contemplate it for ourselves and treat it by ourselves. This is why the Buddha says that there are great benefits, great results, for those who practice generosity, virtue, and meditation. People who do this are called sages. The word "sage" here can apply to women or men. It applies to anyone who knows — who knows the affairs of the heart and mind. But these affairs are hard to know. Most people abandon their own minds, throw them away. The mind is a crucial thing to train. And as I've said, we train it through generosity, virtue, and meditation.

2015 Budget Proposals Have Been Defeated At The Ambilipitiya Urban Council

The 2015 budget proposals submitted to the  government controlled Ambilipitiya (Sabaragamuwa Province)Urban Council have been defeated today(16) as all the five government MP's in   the council have been refrained from voting during the vote.

The governing United Peoples Freedom Alliance(UPFA) having 5 MP's at the urban council while the opposition United National Party (UNP)is having 2 MP's.During the voting 2 opposition MP's have  voted against the budget proposals while all governing party MP's have refrained from voting.