a new year / a new day

paperflower SG

hi.... Smile

just an open enquiry:

how does a buddhist view new year? is there a celebration for new year? or is it everyday is a new day for celebration? hoping for a smooth prosperous year..... or one should understand the cause and effect of things and practice the dharma daily in order to receive what turns around good for oneself and others..... that makes up to a good whole year or entire life?

i don't know....
many people have their own different point of views. this subject maybe not so significant to some but may have come across some minds to examine....

i understand seeking prosperity and goodwill for oneself is good practice, and then extending it all to others and hoping to see everyone good is a higher non selfish goodwill. but which is more important - a prosperous, safe, smooth new year or a prosperous, safe, smooth new day?

what is "fan tai sui"?
practicing the buddha dharma, cultivating progressing in one's spirituality, realising the nature of all things around, powerful enough to eradicate any offence to the grand duke of jupiter?

Smile would be grateful to receive some views....

metta
om mani padme hum

sinweiy SG

i think there's no emphasis for New Year, from the Buddha or in the Buddhist text.
in the text, we often begin with, "Thus I have heard, at one time ..".. or we don't have a specific calender system by the disciples of the time of the preaching or birth of Buddha. in other word, their philosophy of time is void, just as great thinkers of the world do. time/space is not real.

"fan tai sui" is from Taoism or folk belief of offending God Tai sui. it's not from Buddhist.

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paperflower SG

Very Happy thank you, am really grateful!

it is clearer now....

thats what i thought too cos i have never come across in any buddhist teachings of observing the offences to the "tai sui"...

my inlaws are buddhist yet they advice me to pray to the "tai sui" cos i offend the "tai sui".... i have no intention naturally and have no intention to criticise anything either.

some even said to me that to be enlightened, one has to be a virgin (like monks or nuns) but after examining a little more..... think thats not necessarily true needed. after all the historic buddha was a prince married, a father to his son before renouncing. its all in the mind to know.

i have alot to learn, i'm still very attached to worldly stuff but i am not slacking in the pursuit.... i know... i just know some day that time will arrive.

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by paperflower:
my inlaws are buddhist yet they advice me to pray to the "tai sui" cos i offend the "tai sui".... i have no intention naturally and have no intention to criticise anything either.

you still can go and pay your respect to these celestial beings. unless you have took the precepts that the Dharma Protectors are protecting you. best not to offend devas or spirits, since we don't have spiritual power. if it's of astrology, or fengshui/geomantic thingy, then better follow the nature's cause, or it could cause unfortunes too.

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An Eternal Now SG

Hi, basically the dealing with horoscope is not within the field of Buddhism but nevertheless intriguing. How does horoscope works? According to Ven. Dr K Sri Dhammananda,

www.ksridhammananda.com/pictures/PUBLI/Buddhism%20And%20Astrology%20-%20edited.pdf

BUDDHISM AND ASTROLOGY

An Eternal Now SG

I believe even if the horoscope/astrology tells you about something, ultimately it is YOU who can change it... deities cannot do the work for you or change your destiny/karma. But it is ok to pay respect to them.

some even said to me that to be enlightened, one has to be a virgin (like monks or nuns) but after examining a little more..... think thats not necessarily true needed. after all the historic buddha was a prince married, a father to his son before renouncing. its all in the mind to know.

Very true. In fact I would like to add that many Lay-persons like us, who are not monks and nuns, also attained enlightenment. So practise and cultivation is not really for monks and nuns only, it is for everyone. Everyone has Buddha Nature, everyone will attain enlightenment.

my inlaws are buddhist yet they advice me to pray to the "tai sui" cos i offend the "tai sui".... i have no intention naturally and have no intention to criticise anything either.

Are you sure they are Buddhists? Those who follow just folks traditions, worship deities, are not considered as Buddhists, nor practising Buddhism. It is those who took refuge in the three treasures: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, that are considered as Buddhists.

BTW, a very happy Chinese New Year in advance Smile

paperflower SG

thanks for the interesting articles and exchanges on horoscope and astrology.

good or bad, i know..... i have to cope with them naturally and most importantly is for me to learn not to cling on to either of them.

i believe i really believe we can change our destiny ourself.....

this is a blessing in some ways i could receive guidance even virtually. everyone of you and everything is my teacher. i always keep in mind what the awakened one said to believe in the spirit of the words and find search seek investigate for oneself...... yes be brave without fear.... step out and search seek..... realise and accept and....... let go........ even if one is alone......( just as HE did it alone all by HIMSELF)......

everything in this universe is too subtly profound for us to understand and judge with our unawakened minds. but we ought to understand that we must respect each and every individual for what and who they are - a universal unity in oneself.

thanks again....

happy lunar new year to all!
Smile

sinweiy SG

there's a recent Q&A on 'fan tai sui' in 3rd Feb 06, audio A, 30min.
http://www.amtb-aus.org/
answered by MCK.

He said do you believe in cause and effect. plant good seed, receive good fruition. He thinks it's not necessary. 55 years, He had never an1 tai1 sui1 before. moreover Tai Sui had become His Dharma protector already.
if one really 'fan tai sui', do good deed and accumulate merit and virtue and Tai Sui will automatically protect/bless you. Tai Sui will commit offense if He don't. an1 tai1 sui1 is like bribery, it doesn't work this way. Smile

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paperflower SG

my tiny brief discovery in understanding cause & effect thru waking daily moments.

i like to eat chocolate while surfing the net. some chocolates fell to the floor together with some drops of water. u know very well automatically that if u don't clean up now, in time ants will come. and due to still having ignorance fully unpurified thinking (irritations, unawareness) or by accident, the ants will get killed. so not only preventing but cultivating myself not to be lazy, i clean up the mess right here right now not only because of the ants but u will get a clean area also. very logical right?

whats the cause & effect here?

cause: clean up mess
effect: no ants killed / place is clean again

cause: leave the mess alone not wanting to clear
effect: ants come, tendency to kill is there and they'll be harmed

it is simple, natural, & logical but we sometimes overlook the smallest thing.

paperflower SG

don't know whether u all can understand what I trying to say....

ok maybe need to rephrase...

Thusness SG

Our Chinese ancestors idea of Time is controlled by the 10 heavenly stems and Space is governed by the 12 earthly branches. The space-time interacts to produce the 60 year-cycle - 60 Hua Jia Chart (A combination of the 10 heavenly stems and earthly branches). Since men reside within the space-time continuum, we are influenced by their movements and interactions. This is the way our ancestors understand the universe. It is a development from the Chinese Yin-Yang and Five Element philosophy -- not so much of a superstition.

However our tradition also believes that every of this Hua-Jia (each year in the 60-yearly cycle) is reigned by a deity. Tai Sui is a generic term to indicate the deity that is controlling the year of the hua-jia. So there are a total of 60 Tai Sui. If the earthly branch of the year in which we are born is in conflict or offended Tai Sui (according to the five-element interaction philosophy), then the elderly will advise us to pray to the tai sui".

In whatever case, in addition to non-clinging, a sincere heart towards all beings is equally important. Not to offend them. Smile

Happy New Year.

paperflower SG

re-edited to rephrase.....

cause: i want to eat tat chocolate thus it can fall onto the floor / might not. either clean up or don't want to clean up / either now or later.

effect: have a clean or dirty place / show negligence or diligence

= karma (that will result either now tat can be experienced or later on)

i'm laughing at myself now.... Razz for a newbie like me i need to understand clearly. ok this cause & effect thing can be hard and simple to apprehend at times.
just like (cause) i go to a cosmetic counter/doctor i want to buy a skincare product for my face. i'll have to decide i want to buy or not so the (effect) is if i buy and use, i will have a better skin complexion, if i don't buy my skin complexion won't improve. (karma) for this is the result of if i buy & use i'll have radiant improved flawless skin or if didn't buy, my skin will turn from bad to worst deterioting skin problems.

am i in the right view? correct me....

sinweiy SG

cause can be conditions and can be effect. all 3 are inter changable.
example a smoke addict feel like buying cigarette to smoke. that urge or craving is an initial cause. then there are conditions such as money, distant of shop, advertisment, friend encouragment etcs...to add to your cause and then actual buying the cigarette is the effect. smoking can be a new cause where getting cancer is the effect.

but i think, karma of yin guo is not quite the usual action, reaction of object.
it takes 2 person for it to work. if u see the precepts. it's to stop killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, all and all greed, hatred, and folly.
because one make another person suffer, hence a back fire to oneself.
say if you kill/steal/lie to a person, that person will hold a revengeful mind on you. this energy don't vanish in mid air, it will come back like a ripple. in times to come, this energy will come back to u, and you don't even feel it, as it can come back as your close friend or love ones.

life is like a train trip. u board the train, then there are people stepping out and people stepping in. ppl who sit by your side is your close relatives. sooner or later, we also need to get off.

/\

marcteng SG

astrology is the study of the planetary movement isnt it?

a star or a planet is so colossal in size, and so many stars and planets in the universes, how do you study astrology?

The Buddha said, luck itself is luck own star, what can mere star achieve.

I wonder how does astrology related or give any meaning to.

An Eternal Now SG

I think since the world and universe is so interrelated then it's possible (seen the holographic universe?) although I am not sure at all how it works.

Astrology is sometimes quite accurate but cannot be 100% accurate. And dharma can change it all.