Bodhi Tree Diary: Story - Grace for Liberation

This is a narrative I wrote for one of my assignment tasks at UQ. The objective was to write approximately 2000 words about a fictitious personage who is dying (or terminally ill) and trying to explain and embrace his or her religious tradition. In this case I chose Pure Land Buddhism. As far as my friend was concerned, it was a fantastic story. I hope it is engaging, and if I've done my job correctly, touching as well.


*Note: Only the nembutsu and specific Japanese references to Amitabha (such as Oyasama) are written in Japanese pronounciation. All other Buddhist terminology is written in its original Sanskrit enunciation.


The shaking young woman took a deep breath, her heart beating weakly in her ears as she watched a man across the small room, her vision blurred. It would not be long before her body succumbed.
He had been preparing tea when he heard her stir, rasping desperately for air. He bit his lip as he looked over his shoulder at her. It was painful to watch.
She moved again, her breathing quickening uncontrollably. “Hiko-senpai?”
He paused before saying aloud, “Yes, Uyo-chan?”
Her voice was quiet. “Are you there, Hiko?”
“Yes.”
“Come and sit with me.”
Hiko complied, placing the cup of tea on the table and sitting on her bed beside her. She struggled to rise into a sitting position, but he eased her back down, gentle hands pressing lightly onto her quivering shoulders and stroking back her long dark hair. “You should be lying down, Uyo. Your body is fragile, but I’m here. I won’t be leaving you.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes as she eyed the tea, her eyes blinking slowly.
Then, he broke the gentle tranquility. “Is there something you want to say?”
She glanced at him, then nodded. “Hiko-senpai? I have believed all my life. But I haven’t done more bad than good… have I?”
Hiko stared at her, before shaking his head more vigorously than he would have liked. “You have never committed great evil. You have never slandered or obstructed our faith. You will never be reborn in a Hell. I am absolutely certain Amitabha will take you straight to the Pure Land.”
She nodded, holding his hand. “You would always tell me of the saving grace of Amitabha. You had me grow up with the love and compassion of the Buddha of Infinite Light, with the promise that chanting the nembutsu before death would grant me a Pure Land rebirth and a chance at Liberation. Hearing his homage ten times is all Lord Amitabha wants before coming to anyone but the most heinous sinner’s side, and they may rejoice when He leads them to Sukhavati, the Western Paradise.”
He nodded. “It is real, don’t you know?” he did his best to smile. “It’s all real. The promises. The happiness you will find when you meet Him.”
She felt urgency overwhelm her being. There was no guilt that stemmed the tide of this urgency; the moment she understood Amitabha’s loving offer of rebirth in the Western Paradise she knew she needed His support. “Then I must call Him to my side before it’s too late,” she rasped, clutching Hiko’s hand. “I must… recite His homage ten times, or He will never hear me.”
“No,” said Hiko firmly. “I will call to Him on your behalf. He will hear you, most certainly. He will come and bring you to His Pure Land.”
She nodded. “I never doubted once that He existed. When I… when I …” she lowered her head. “It was no one’s fault but my own. Perhaps I had committed a grave crime in a previous life.”
Hiko shook his head. “Why don’t you tell me about Him? What He will do?”
“Our Parent,” whispered Uyo. “Oyasama. He will come, won’t He? He’s our loving Parent. He will take me to the Pure Land. I can practice the faith without any hindrance.” Her eyes began to wander. “I can almost see it already. I can meditate on it. Infinite life in infinite light…”
“Tell me more,” he urged. “Don’t stop.”
“I have meditated on His grace several times, and I could almost see it once again. I saw…” she swallowed. “The setting sun, its gentle radiance. And there He was, towards the west, tipping below the beautiful horizon. Amitabha was like a just and forgiving king, bright but not blinding, shining but not harsh. I saw water…”
“And lapis lazuli?”
“Yes. It was almost like a divine vision, even though I knew I was only meditating.”
“What else did you see?”
“The lotus leaves of the Western Paradise. The flowers and the jewel-trees; even they were joyously proclaiming the compassion and love of Amitabha to all who resided in the Pure Land. I was walking beside the trees; I was stroking them in wonder, and they awakened a meditative calm in me, and I saw in my mind countless other universes, where everything was just as I wanted it to be. Free from defilement, I saw the compassionate Avalokiteshvara, who was offering three wish-granting jewels… and the wise Mahasthamaprapta, whose power pervaded the entire land… these two great beings flanked a giant lotus flower of eighty-four thousand petals… all glimmering in luminosity, reflecting the entire cosmos in themselves.
“And finally…” she smiled, blinking away tears, “I saw Amitabha. His gentle face, eyes slightly open… smiling with infinite compassion. Loving-kindness too profound and powerful to understand completely. Ineffable love, divine and holy mercy that showed all, even unbelievers, a path to the Pure Land.”
“You did well,” murmured Hiko, stroking back her long hair. “So, tell me about Dharmakara. How he and Amitabha are one and the same.”
She looked at him, her eyes clouding. “The monk?”
“Yes.”
“Many eons ago, the compassionate Dharmakara vowed… to become a Buddha of a Pure Land, where devotees could devote their meritorious life into practicing the Dharma. He wanted…” she swallowed. “He wanted a universe where those who had died, and accumulated meritorious karma, to be able to work without hindrance towards the great Liberation. His new universe would combine all the merits of other Pure Lands together… and his Buddha-Field would exceed them all. He succeeded. He really succeeded…”
“And now you are on your way to this universe, dear Uyo-chan.”
“Oh… Amitabha… He is Dharmakara. The ultimate ideal of compassion. And I will be able to meet Him soon…”
“He enters through your heart, dispelling all the delusions of this decadent world. Whatever you request of Him and His Pure Land, it is possible.”
“Should I wish it, I can have eternal life,” whispered Uyo. “Amitabha vows that whoever wants eternal life can have it in His Pure Land. Or, should I want to be a wisdom being, I can be reborn as many times as I want into this samsaric universe to help sentient beings.”
“And which boon do you want to enjoy from His grace?” asked Hiko, biting his lip and suppressing the urge to hold her to him and never let go.
“I want to be a bodhisattva, a wisdom being… like Avalokiteshvara. I want my own heart to be filled with endless love, pity and compassion for the suffering sentient beings of the world because I know, like so many others, what it is like to suffer. I will alleviate the suffering of others, so they may be happy. And then, I will cease completely the suffering of others, so they may be liberated. And…” she looked longingly at him. “I want to see you again, Hiko-senpai. One lifetime like this is not enough to repay your kindness. I want to be reborn many more times, so I can repay my debt to you.”
“But you are wrong. I will see you again. There… there is no debt to repay. There is no debt…” Hiko grunted back a sob. “I will see you again very soon,” he continued, determined to have her hear his words of comfort. “We will encounter one another, for many more lifetimes. So,” he tried to smile, but his voice was weak. “Treat all living beings with respect, love and sincerity. For it might be me.”
She looked at him, her eyes softening, and struggled to sit up again. Momentary, subdued silence hung in the air as Hiko finally relented and reluctantly helped her against the wall, propping up a pillow behind her back.
“I thought… I would be able to recall so much more of what you taught me,” she mumbled, her hand trembling. Instinctively Hiko reached out and held hers in his. “But… but… ” She began to wonder aloud. “Who will I see there? How am I supposed to know which of my friends have the privilege of seeing Amitabha?”
“It’s alright, Uyo. Listen to me. Don’t be afraid. Amitabha is not a Judge. He is not a punisher. There is no hate, or anger, or resentment for Him. Only love.”
She smiled, her lips shaking. “I was the one who wanted you to teach me all this. And now I can’t say anymore… forgive me, Hiko.”
Hiko smiled. “Other-power,” he whispered.
Her eyes widened momentarily, and for the first time since that day, she beamed. “Ah, yes. How could I forget? I… I must have faith. Must have faith…”
“Do you remember when you were just a small child, and you could not accomplish something you wanted to do? What did you do then?”
“I… I asked my father if he could help me.”
“So…” he urged gently.
“So Oyasama will most certainly help me. When we die, we must give up our self-power, no matter how much it helped us in life. We now must rely on Amitabha’s other-power, so we can give ourselves completely to His transcendent love.” She gazed at him, eyes shining. “Am I right? Hiko…”
“Once your Buddha-nature shines, Amitabha will hear you. You will be assured of rebirth in the Pure Land.”
Uyo closed her eyes momentarily as she breathed out a quick prayer. “Oyasama…Let me cross into your vessel of Grand Compassion, away from the turbulent sea of suffering. Be the raft to my Liberation, the shelter to samsara, be the shore of love and radiance on which I sail to.”
Hiko remained silent, pressing his forehead to hers. She wrapped her small hands around his, kissing it. “Hiko. Do not be sad for me. I am not afraid anymore,” she whispered firmly. “You were right all along. You, and the grace of Amitabha, have given me this strength. So when I leave, mourn not. Be free of suffering. We will meet again, I and I will be the first to call out to you.”
Hiko stared at her. She really had… “You have great strength, Uyo,” he said, his smile quivering. “There is no greater gift, than to die in peace, full of love and gratitude, and without hatred. This is how you will see Amitabha, and all the other Buddhas. This is what it means to be a Buddhist. You have realized this long ago, and for that, I can let you go with no regret.”
She nodded, her trembling easing slightly. “Amitabha, the unconditioned embodiment of the law of love,” she said, smiling and holding Hiko close. “Oh, Hiko-senpai. No more pain. No more of this… agony.”
“No more,” he agreed in a whisper, his mouth dry.
I feel the grace of Amitabha working deep within me; my Buddha-nature is shining… she thought. I must bid farewell before I… “Hiko,” she murmured, as he kissed her forehead, and her voice was quiet and steady. “My voice will be strong enough to chant His homage. He will hear me. Please, chant with me so I may hear your voice one last time. You have given me so much.” She smiled. To depart this universe with no resentment, from this man whom I love so much, and into the arms of the Lord of Infinite Light… what more can I ask for? “Goodbye, my dearest Hiko. And thank you.”
He held her tighter. “I will help send you on your way to His realm. Go in peace, child. I love you.”
Several more moments passed as Uyo breathed deeply in Hiko’s warm arms, quietly exultant. And at a silent accord, they began to chant.
“Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu…”
Three more times.
Two more times.
One more…
“Nama Amida Butsu.” Uyo fell silent, her eyes closing, and her weak grip loosened slightly on Hiko’s warm shirt. Her smile was radiant, and no longer was her face damp with grief. Hiko placed his cheek close to hers, and she sighed in rapture. “Goodbye, Uyo,” he murmured. “Goodbye.”
They remained in that position, wrapped in the gentle comfort of each other’s arms, trusting in the enlightened grace of Amitabha, until Uyo’s soft breathing ceased. Her head slumped, and her grip on Hiko’s hand relaxed completely.
A single tear left Hiko’s closed eye and trickled slowly down his face.





The end

Chinese San Shou

"San Shou is the quintessence of Wu Shu."


Recently I have been reading up on a Chinese style of kickboxing called San Shou, or unrestricted hand. Developed by the Chinese military in the 1960's, it has now become a popular combat sport as well as the martial art used in the army. As far as the military form goes, it seems to do as well as Krav Maga. In its sport form, it doesn't seem to be as vicious as freestyle fighting. It resembles kickboxing because all ranges of combat are permitted, although knees and elbows (not sure about groundwork) are banned in the sport form. Recently some San Shou fighter called Cung Le defeated a Muay Thai fighter in a MMA tourny. Nice.

Should San Shou continue to be pitted against Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo and the most prominent martial arts, we may see Chinese martial arts once again come to the fore, like it did alongside Japanese martial arts in the late 20th century.



E.N. For those who are wondering which martial arts are at the fore right now in terms of effectiveness, I would say Brazilian JuJutsu, Mixed Martial Arts, and submission grappling.

Consolation for the terminally ill.

I am doing a course at uni called Death and Dying. It is classified as a religion course, but focuses more on counselling and pallative care for the terminally ill. I am writing a narrative for my critical essay which requires me to write a short story of a terminally ill person who reconciles with death through a certain religious tradition. I've been writing a lot about Christian theology recently, so I decided to focus on Pure Land Buddhism this time. I will post the narrative when I am finished.

It seems that the dying person must express at least five things to be able to depart the world without regret: "forgive me", "I forgive you", "thank you", "i love you", and "goodbye". Of course this is simplifying a lot - but for one to die without at least some kind of reconciliation with those most important to them is often a terrible end.

Western society is still very uncomfortable with discussing death openly. However there are encouraging signs when those without long to live are supported by both friends and family, their community, and often spiritually. Next week we will be studying "children and grief". I look forward to these very informative and often moving lectures. It sounds strange, it's uni after all, but I think it's safe to say that Death and Dying is a very unique course.

Kyrie Eleison.

It's interesting how Christianity is a "Western" religion, yet it began as a messianic movement in Jerusalem - far from being a Western city like Athens, Rome, or London. Even Judaism and Islam are lumped together as "Western" religions only because they worship the same God (some may not like to admit that, but that's their problem). None of these religions have geographical or spiritual references to the West as we know it; they are Middle-East centric. So what happened here? Perhaps because much of Christianity was inspired by Plato and his philosophy of "forms"? Or that much of the Christian liturgies and masses were composed in Europe by the great European composers?

I wonder why this is? Is it just a reference of the religion that stuck? Or is it presumptuous and rather strange? I'd like to discuss with anyone who is interested.

Foreplay.

Love has been said to be best left to amateurs to explain. This is understandable - love is too unpredictable, too random, a friend once complained, "too screwed up" - to allow scientists to explain.

Divorce in the developed West runs at 50% - in many cases it is higher - when one enters into a committed relationship one can be almost certain that he or she has been in serious relationships with partners previously, whether married or not. Is a new model of romance needed, seeing as how often the current one fails?

Lately I have encountered a growing online movement called MGTOW - Men Going Their Own Way. The main objective of this movement is to expose much of the myth created by contemporary feminism, and also to restore respect for the traditional model of Judeo-Christian marriage. I'm not part of their movement, and I don't agree with everything they advocate, but MGTOW is a refreshing new look at contemporary society and relations between men and women in America, Britain, Canada and Australia.

Love is a subject that has the potential to outlast even the most prolonged philosophical debate or religious discussion. And this is what makes it, one of the craziest and in my opinion, best things in life.

Bodhi Tree Diary: Total Body Workout with only dumbbells

I have developed a total body workout with four "hybrid" exercises, which blend two exercises together in smooth motions. All you need is a pair of dumbbells to work every muscle in your body... do this workout 3 times a week and rest for at least a day in between sessions, since it is a total body workout. Do 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps for each exercise. Alternate between 1A and 1B, then move onto 2A and 2B.

1A. Reverse Lunge/Shoulder Press Hold a pair of dumbbells in line with your shoulders with one leg in front about 1 foot. As you do a reverse lunge, lift the dumbbells upwards above your head in a shoulder press. Return to starting position, then repeat with other leg.

1B. Dumbbell Jump-Squat to Squat-Thrust/Push-Up Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides, squat, then jump as high as you can. Land softly into a low squat, then shoot out your legs so you're in the push-up position. Do a push-up, then reverse the motion so you are back in the starting position.

2A. Bent Over Row/Back Extension: Holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides while your upper body is parallel to the floor, lift the dumbbells up to your abdomen. Then, drive your heels into the ground and move into an upright standing position. Reverse the motion to repeat.

2B. Dumbbell Crunch: This one is actually not a hybrid exercise. =) But it is a good dumbbell exercise nevertheless.

The outcome? An efficient and time-saving total body workout. =)

Whole Body Workouts.

As a beginner in martial arts, I think weight training can bring great benefits. My favourite type of workout is the whole body workout, which is performed 3 times a week (preferably Monday, Wednesday and Friday), resting for at least 1 day after each session. I'm not a bodybuilder, so unless time permits, I don't really attempt many isolation exercises. I generally do dead lifts, bench presses, pull-ups, pulldowns, swiss ball exercises, and shoulder presses. Because I believe that the core is the most important part of the body to develop, but also that you should have an evenly balanced body muscle distribution, I workout the whole body. My objective is function, not aesthetics.

Here is my modified version of Alwyn Cosgrove's minimalist workout:

Dumbbell Dead Lift
Dumbbell Incline Press
Bent-Over Row
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
Swiss Ball Pike

I particularly emphasise abs - my idol is Bruce Lee in this respect. Leg raises are a great exercise for the lower abs, and if you supplement that with the Swiss Ball Pike, you really have a good abs regimen going.

Split bodypart workout routines are good for those who focus specifically on weight training. Because my main focus is karate and boxing, I can't really risk uneven bodypart development. Total body workouts are my thing, also because they are more fun for me and not so boring (let's admit it, lifting weights is so much more boring than sparring with other people).

Boxing will make you brain dead, son.

I recently received an email from someone which I found, quite frankly, to be a narrow-minded insult to the martial art and sport of boxing. While I know he was concerned for my safety, he seems to have disregarded all the technique and skill and power required in boxing and focused his concerns on one thing: how professional boxers suffer from long-term brain damage and head injuries. This would be perfectly justified, except for one small catch.

I'm not a professional boxer.

Was there ever one person in human history who suffered brain damage by spending a couple of hours skipping rope, shadowboxing, practising technique on a punching bag and floor-to-ceiling ball, some light partner-sparring, then taking a shower and going home?

A very unfortunate person, I suppose. But that's my usual boxing routine. And I don't think I'll ever be that unfortunate.

See, it's not enough that modern martial artists dogmatically stick to one style - if there was a perfect style, there would be only one. One needs to study the entire spectrum. And when it comes to punching and footwork, boxing can contribute greatly to your arsenal of offensive and defensive moves. Yet people ignore the possibility that some will practise boxing simply for fitness, or for self-defense. I wonder, why so many think of boxing as a sport where two brutes beat the shit out of each other with no regard to technique. Once again this is a stereotype of a martial art, which I discussed earlier in my "Misconceptions of Martial Arts" post.


Granted, boxing might give you a couple of bad habits you must watch out for, eg. locking your elbows when you punch. But otherwise, people only get seriously injured in professional boxing.

To be honest, I am getting extremely tired of defending boxing - and the funny thing i'm noticing is, all these unfounded accusations against boxing so far come from people who have never done martial arts before.

If you don't want to get brain damage doing boxing, don't participate in the events that can cause said brain damage, which is professional boxing. I certainly won't.

Thought for the Day.

Why does everyone disagree on matters like religion, God, gods, philosophy, politics, the military, the emotions, altruism, hatred, love, sex, desire, passion, heroes, criminals, life, death, an afterlife, the nature of the universe, the transcendent?

Because the most interesting things in life are always different from the mundane. =)

Worth of my Fist.

Tonight I will be starting an essay for my course Introduction to Ethics. I find that philosophical egoism is the silliest and most contradictory moral position I have ever studied. Essentially, it is the belief that only one's own interests and pleasures matter. Only one's own, no one else's. Superficially this makes sense. But consider the wording, as all philosophers do: ONLY. And herein lies the key. Both normative and descriptive psychological egoism are false because the belief that humans are ALWAYS selfish just isn't true, nor are humans ALWAYS altruistic. Self-interest will always be prevalent, and I'm glad, because otherwise I would starve myself to death, neglect my talents, and never maintain my bulletproof rock-hard shoulders. But helping out a crying kid? For sure. Listen with full attention to someone going through emotional trouble? I'll be there. Why take an extreme path?

Even worse, philosophical egoism is arbitrary. And an arbitrary position cannot be maintained by most rational people, if you consider the following example.

Imagine an occasion that I commit perjury against you in court for one million dollars. You get screwed over due to my perjury, and I walk out never having to work again. Who was "right" in this situation - me or you? Well, there is an answer - but it is certainly not going to come from egoism, because I did the right thing - for me - by committing perjury because my own interests have been advanced. Yet for you - it was totally the wrong thing because YOUR interests were shattered.

And that comes to an even bigger question: How can the worth of my fist be any more than that of a common thug's if all I do is serve my own selfish impulses?

Look, I know people get fed up of my obsession with virtue and warriors - but an ideal warrior fights with virtue. We have plenty of healthy self-interest - it is what keeps us strong, smart, and vital - but we also have a healthy amount of altruism, for this is the measure with which we gauge our higher capacities.

Break through the fog of lies created by egoists and emerge into the beautiful universe. A fist of virtue is enough to achieve this.