Mͦ M̶T CHIÊM BAO Thuӣ xѭa, có mӝt chú Sa Di tên Tăng Hӝ. Tăng Hӝ xuҩt gia vӟi ngѭӡi Thҫy - mӝt vӏ A La Hán, nguyên là cұu ruӝt cӫa chú. Hôm nӑ, Tăng Hӝÿѭӧc thí chӫ dâng cúng cho ba xҩp vҧi thұt ÿҽp. Chú mӯng lҳm, ÿӏnh ÿem vӅ dâng Thҫy ÿӇ tӓ lòng biӃt ѫn và kính mӝ cӫa mình. Ngӡÿâu khi mӟi mӣ lӡi, ông Thҫy cӫa chú ÿã gҥt phҳt ÿi.
- Thôi ta ÿã ÿͿ ba y rͫi. Con hãy gi· l̽y dùng ho͏c dâng cúng vͣ nào còn thi͗u. Chú Tăng Hӝ năn nӍÿӃn ba lҫn nhѭng Thҫy chú vүn mӝt mӵc tӯ chӕi. Tăng Hӝÿâm ra buӗn rҫu, bӵc bӝi, vӯa ÿӭng quҥt hҫu cho Thҫy, chú vӯa ÿӇ dòng tѭ
tѭӣng trôi lan man... “Mình tӭ cӕ
vô thân chҷng có ai ÿӇ nѭѫng tӵa... chӍ có cұu mình là ngѭӡi thân nhҩt trên ÿӡi. Vұy mà cұu cNJng không thѭѫng ta... Vұy ta còn sӕng ӣÿây làm chi cho bұn lòng әng. Ta ÿã năn nӍ әng ÿӃn ba lҫn mà әng cӭ lҥnh lùng tӯ
chӕi... Thôi ta ÿi khuҩt mҳt cho rӗi. Nhѭng ta ÿi ÿâu bây giӡ? Lҩy gì sinh sӕng? À! Phҧi rӗi! Mình sӁ bán vҧi lҩy tiӅn mua mӝt con bê... ÿӇ nuôi. Hҵng ngày mình dҳt bê ÿi ăn cӓ bên vӋÿѭӡng vӯa thanh nhàn, vӯa ít tӕn kém. Loài thú này sinh sҧn rҩt mau nên chӯng vài năm là mình ÿã có cҧ mӝt bҫy gia súc. Mình sӁ bán bӟt ÿi ÿӇ tұu nhà
cӱa, ruӝng ÿҩt giѭӡng chõng...
ÿӗÿҥc trong nhà cho khang trang và ÿӃn lúc trѭӣng thành, mình sӁ cѭӟi mӝt cô vӧ. Khi ÿӭa con ÿҫu lòng chào ÿӡi mình sӁ bӃ nó ÿӃn quy y vӟi cұu mình... Ӡ! Thҵng bé mӟi kháu khӍnh làm sao... Ðѭӡng xa trӡi nҳng, coi bӝ vӧÿã mӓi tay, ta bҧo: - Ð́a th͉ng cu anh b͗ cho. Nhѭng nó không nghe, cӭ
giành ҹm trên tay. Bҩt chӧt...mө vӧ vҩp mӝt rӉ cây, thҵng bé rӟt xuӕng ÿҩt... giұn quá... ta vӟi lҩy mӝt cành cây, gõ cho mө vӧ mӝt cái nên thân.
- Ðã b̻o ÿ́a ta b͗ cho mà c
không nghe, cái thÿàn bà h́... ch͡ bi͗t cãi l͵i..
Dòng suy tѭ cӫa chú Sa Di còn
ÿang tiӃp tөc trôi chҧy, bӛng nhiên chú nghe tiӃng nói ÿiӅm
ÿҥm cӫa Thҫy chú cҩt lên : -Này chú! Chú ÿánh không trúng cái mͽ vͻ h́ thân ̽y, mà l̹i trúng ngay cái ÿ̿u trͥc cͿa ta, kêu cái “tróc” ÿây này.
Lӡi bình: Có ph̻i trong ÿ͵i th́͵ng, ta cNJng giͩng chú Sa di Tăng Hͱ, cNJng “mͷ m͇t chiêm bao”? Ta ÿã tng d͟t bao nhiêu mͱng rͫi ôm cng nh·ng b̻n v͕ÿó. Ch̹y ÿuͭi, n͇m b͇t, nh·ng mong thͧa mãn m˿́ͳc và ÿòi hͧi cͿa mình. Ta ÿã tng “gõ” lên nh·ng nǵ͵i thân, cha m͑, vͻ chͫng, con cái, b̹n bè mình nh·ng l͵i trách móc n͏ng n͙, nh·ng thái ÿͱ bΉc dͥc, khó chͣu mͯi khi ta buͫn giͅn vì trái ý, nghͣch lòng. Ta cho, chính nh·ng nǵ͵i thân ÿã c̻n trͷ, nhi͙u khi còn…h̹i mình, làm cho mình không thͧa mãn nh·ng ham muͩn, nh·ng ÿòi hͧi ̽y. Sѭu tҫm và Bình Lý Ĉa Sӵ
Initially I came to the Center because a medical doctor told me that I needed to learn to meditate and calm down because my blood pressure was high. In search of a way to reduce my blood pressure, I decided to look into meditation at Universal Door, and here I found out much more than just a way to improve my health. I discovered where my problems came from, why my health was eroding, why my relationship with my wife was so shaky, why I was always so tense and nervous around my boss, and why I was overwhelmed with sadness whenever loved ones passed away….
When I first came, I thought that other people in my life caused me to be angry, irritated, nervous, anxious, and sad, therefore causing me to have high blood pressure. For example, it seemed that an over-bearing boss who con- stantly made me feel nervous and tense was the problem. Also, I thought my wife was a big cause of my irritation and sadness because of arguments we would have over lack of money, time, and other worldly goods…
Through meditation at Universal Door, I was guided on how to look within and to stay with what was happening in my body in order to truly see where my problems came from.
Contrary to most people’s belief that mediation is only done while on a cushion, I learned that it can be applied anywhere. A big moment happened one day while driving; I stayed with the feeling of sadness and touched it for the very first time. It was at that moment that I was able to see the truth.
By staying with sadness and looking within, I discovered several basic things that I had always missed before. I saw that my suffering wasn’t because of my boss, my wife, or anything outside of me; it was because inside of me there was some- thing I was already holding onto, something I expected from my boss or wife, and if whatever happened didn’t match what I was holding onto, I would then suffer and automatically put the blame on them.
It was then I realized that throughout my entire life I had built and built this sadness, anger, and hate by looking outward not inward. And I saw the damage it can do: severe heart problems, hostile work environment, shaky marriage relation- ship, constant suffering… Realizing that suffering is inside myself is one of the strongest points I have ever learned. Fur- thermore, I now see the cause of suffering is not outside myself, nor is the path to end my suffering outside myself. It is sort of like blaming the hammer for hurting my thumb.
Even after realizing more about myself, difficult life situations still arise, but if I look inward instead of outward, argu- ments dissolve away at home, and there is genuine ease in my workplace even though all the same people are there. Recently there have been several deaths in my extended family and I saw that I was much more stable and