You Ask, I Answer – Round 1 Part 3/3

Last question from Joseph Ng in my Saturday’s AMA:

“Hi Ji Qian, may I ask how can a person find a moment of tranquility amidst all the afflictions?”

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My answer:

Dear Dharma Brother, if a “moment” of tranquility is what you are after, why is there a need to ask me?

In this mortal world, there are many ways to get this “moment” of peace. You can listen to a song, go have tea with some friends, or just swipe your Facebook and look at cats, dogs or some motivational video.

The methods are many, for your picking.

I grew in family of conflicts, and had been ridden with afflictions since young. I take refuge in the Triple Gems and practice Varjayana Buddhism, so that I can achieve “eternal” inner peace.

My personality is just like my Feng Shui skills. I go for practicality.

What is the point of a “moment”? How long can a moment last? As long as the song sings? As long as the long movie plays?

After that “moment” flies by, your heart remains turbulent, and your fortune get exhausted in your pursuits of momental peace. I don’t have the habit of self-deception. 😄

Vexation or not, your mind decides.

If your mind does not have precept strength, meditative strength and wisdom strength, and is clogged, even looking at an ant will cause you affliction. From day to night, you can only be singing, “最近比較煩，比較煩，比較煩……”

Let me tell you some of my stories!

The first and foremost thing about a car’s Feng Shui is to keep the car clean at all times.

A car of such “cleanliness” in this photo carries a lot of 土煞 (baleful energies due to excessive Earth).

Pity the owner of this car doesn’t always listen to me, despite me dishing out free advice that people pay good money for.

A year ago, I advised a workshop participant to change his keyboard, when I saw his FB photo. His keyboard had many missing characters from the keys, due to long years of usage.

Having never met me in person before, he took my advice to heart and bought a new keyboard within days.

Our tools of trade must always be kept in tip-top and pristine condition, in order to constantly receive wealth from our careers with as little drama and obstructions as possible.

These two separate incidents brought me joy and worry at the same time…

Another story:

One day, I was supposed to head to the west of Singapore for a Feng Shui audit.

The day before, the young female client suddenly asked me for my mobile phone number.

I told her that I never had the practice of giving out my number. I only communicate via FB, and it applied to all clients.

She asked me, “Don’t you think it is more sincere and easier to communicate with a number?”

Honestly speaking, our gates are often stuffed with many flyers from property agents. Their numbers are printed in big fonts across the paper. Will you consider that as sincerity?

I poured my heart out in writing 400+ posts and did 70+ FB Lives. I replied to almost every comment. Isn’t that a show of my sincerity? Without all these, but just a phone number, would you have looked for me?

A mobile number that can be easily changed VS a Facebook account that has been established for years. Should only the former be considered authentic?

I didn’t explain much with the client, but I reached a consensus with her and cancelled the audit.

Will such an incident cause affliction for me?

Her request wasn’t too much. Just that our viewpoints are different. I wrote this, not to make her look bad, but to say…

If I am stubborn about that angpow I could have gotten,

If I worry about her talking bad behind me, encouraging other people not to look for me,

If I am very affected with why my closed ones do not value my teachings as much as a complete stranger,

If I only care about the end result, and fail to gain some realizations from the process,

I will ALWAYS be suffering in afflictions, never having any moment of peace.

I choose to live my life with wisdom.

My Grandmaster, Living Buddha Lian Sheng, once expounded: 「以無所得故，立斷煩惱。」

As long as there is desire, there will be afflictions.

When you have a want, you feel troubled.

In pursuing your want, you feel troubled.

When you have gotten your want, and wish to guard it, you feel troubled.

When you can’t get what you want, you feel even more troubled.

When you chase a new want, after getting what you want, the process starts all over again.

The most amusing thing is, at the end of the day, nobody can take away anything from here, except their personal karma.

The more karmic obstructions there are, the more vexations you will have.

Hence, my advice to everyone: be steadfast in adhering to your precepts and eradicate your negative karma diligently. Only then will you be truly at ease and joyous.

There are many things in the world that can’t be sought. Everything amounts to emptiness. Even afflictions.

We are here on Earth as guests. When there are guests, there must be a host. Our minds play our hosts.

If your mind can let go, you can live life in a natural way. Most people aren’t able to do it. That requires taking refuge in an accomplished master, and practice mental cultivation.

There’s another explanation for your vexations too.

When a person does not have good Feng Shui at home and in his office, he tend to feel troubled frequently. He feels troubled at home, and the feeling intensified when he returns home and see his wife. Every month when he sees his bankbook, he feels most troubled.

So, my dear Dharma brother, do you want to get your Feng Shui audited to give your heart some peace? 😄

May everyone take refuge in an accomplished Master soon, and cultivate your mind to remain unperturbed as external conditions change, and have the ability to change them instead.

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