Mastering Mathematics Smartly
by Wee Wen Shih

We are facing difficult times now, in which our minds may occasionally be clouded with doubts and uncertainties of our unsettling daily lives.

I hope you will find strength, inspiration, wisdom and clarity from the following sharing words, which I have sent to some of my friends in the form of SMSes:

Sharing #1:
Do not be moved by the eight worldly dharmas of gain & loss, praise & blame, glory & dishonour and pleasure & pain.

Sharing #2:
When we are attached to our thinking, we make karma. Attached to our thinking, we cannot see clearly and live our lives clearly. Recognise that our thinking is fundamentally empty, we will be released from our karma here and now. So, we should see things as they are, like a mirror. They appear and disappear. They are impermanent, unsatisfactory and selfless.

Sharing #3:
In essence, the four noble truths are the truth of suffering or unsatisfactoriness, the truth of carving and ignorance which cause suffering, the truth of the end of suffering (nibbana) and the truth of the means to end suffering which is the noble eightfold path.

Sharing #4:
The Heart Sutra has this phrase: there is no attainment with nothing to attain. That is the spirit one is encouraged to develop in one's meditation practice.

Sharing #5:
Help and no help are essentially the same thing. We sentient beings think too hard and thus we suffer from mind karma. So, we help someone who needs it without thinking about the merits of this act of helping. Without thinking about this help we are giving, wouldn't it be the same as don't help?

Sharing #6:
Dependent Origination's ancient formula: When there is this, that comes to be. With the arising of this, that arises. When there is not this, that does not come to be. With the ceasing of this, that ceases.

Sharing #7:
We cling to material forms, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. For this very reason, we must suffer.

Sharing #8:
The 12 factors of Dependent Origination:
Ignorance leads to willed action;
Willed action leads to rebirth consciousness;
Rebirth consciousness leads to physical forms and mentality;
Physical forms and mentality lead to the six senses;
The six senses lead to contact;
Contact leads to feeling;
Feeling leads to craving;
Craving leads to clinging;
Clinging leads to existence;
Existence leads to birth;
Birth leads to ageing, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair.

And the cycle goes back to ignorance, towards infinity, unless one is liberated.

Sharing #9:
The purpose of leading the spiritual life under the Buddha is to understand the things that should fully be understood. What is to be fully understood? It is the true nature of our mind.

Sharing #10:
The mind is its own place, and of itself
Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.

Sharing #11:
It is because of problems that we search for and discover solutions. In the same way, from an impure mind can one discover a pure one, and from suffering can one discover a liberating path to end it.

Sharing #12:
In this period of gloom and uncertainty, it is important for each of us to not get caught in gloomy, speculative thoughts that bring no inner comfort and peace, but to see all things with complete, unbiased objectivity and unparalleled clarity.

Sharing #13:
The Buddha said, "My Dharma is the practice of non-practice." In other words, we carry out our practice in a way that does not tire ourselves out. By not exhausting ourselves out, we get to rest and therefore heal holistically.

Sharing #14:
Between feelings and craving (two factors in Dependent Origination), there exists a battlefield in which the vanquished will continue to wander on in samsara and the victorious one will find liberating bliss. To seek certain victory, one needs to practise mindfulness and clear comprehension on the true nature of one's feelings.

Sharing #15:
Good karma yields good results. Bad karma yields bad results. The follower of the Buddha's teachings goes beyond karma and results.

Sharing #16:
A hard and challenging life's journey presents to one a great opportunity to maximise his potential as a human being to be able to reach his utmost actualised self!

Sharing #17:
The Buddha taught the truth of suffering and He also taught the truth of "dwelling happily in things as they are". We must stop trying to prove that everything is suffering, but to touch the truth of suffering instead with our mindfulness. Only then will our practice come to meaningful fruition.

Sharing #18:
As we celebrate valentine's day with our closely loved ones, let us also radiate immeasurable love to all others. Immeasurable love is a genuine feeling of caring and respect for others. We wish them to be happy and to have whatever they need for a healthy, satisfying life. Have a lovely day always!

Sharing #19:
Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.

Sharing #20:
We are most disturbed not by what goes on around us, but what goes on in our heads. What is going on in our heads? It's our thoughts entangled with the past, present, future. And it's not being able to get what we want when we want it, and not being able to get rid of what displeases us when we are displeased.

Sharing #21:
Part of a Zen poem -
Too much knowledge leads to overactivity;
Better to calm the mind.
The more you consider, the greater the loss;
Better to unify the mind.

What happens when one unifies his mind? Three things occur: one's body and mind are one; internal and external are one; and previous thought and subsequent thought are one.

Sharing #22:
Do not lose yourself in the past. Do not lose lose yourself in the future. Do not get caught in your anger, worries, or fears. Come back to the present moment, and touch life deeply. This is mindfulness.

Sharing #23:
This poem is on the practice of right speech:

Word can travel thousands of miles.
May my words create mutual understanding and love.
May they be as beautiful as gems,
As lovely as flowers.

Sharing #24:
Not to have an attitude of gain and loss, not to seek happiness or to avoid unhappiness is characteristic of a liberated one.

Sharing #25:
It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.

Sharing #26:
He who treads the path in earnest
Sees not the mistakes of the world;
If we find fault with others
We ourselves are also in the wrong.

Part of the Formless stanza of Zen Master Hui Neng (full details of the stanza)

Sharing #27:
A man who conquers himself far exceeds the one who overwhelms a thousand others in battle.

Sharing #28:
The most important practice is aimlessness, not running after things, not grasping. In aimlessness, we see that we do not lack anything, that we already are what we want to become, and our striving just comes to a halt. We are at peace in the present moment.

Sharing #29:
A useful question to reflect upon when we are attached to things: How could we gain permanent happiness by acquiring things which are themselves impermanent?

Sharing #30:
Living one breath at a time
I am aware that the present moment
Is a wonderful one indeed!

Picture above:
Wholeheartedly I take refuge in the Buddha, the fully enlightened teacher of the truth.
Wholeheartedly I take refuge in the Dharma, the teachings of the truth that lead to happiness.
Wholeheartedly I take refuge in the Sangha, the noble community that lives in accordance with the ways of the truth.

1. Basic buddhism site

2. Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn site

3. Teachings of Ajahn Chah site

4. Vipassana (insight meditation) site

5. Diamond sutra site

6. Heart sutra site

7. The Dhammapada site

8. The Buddha's teaching as it is site with audio files

9. Teachings of Zen Master Sheng Yen site

10. Ajahn Brahm's podcasts

11. Zen stories site

12. David Ingram's site, featuring his highly acclaimed e-book "Mastering the core teachings of the Buddha".