Robot Monk Xian'er

A total messOthers’ troubles and errors are external conditions. The key lies in how we react internally. With a clear understanding of this point, we won’t be affected by others’ afflictions or fall for them.Equipped with right view and right mindfulness, we won’t be swayed by others’wrong views and agitations. On the other hand, if seeds of afflictions are nurtured in our own heart, other people’s actions would easily trigger their growth, resulting in our physical and mental malfunction. 一片狼藉他人有烦恼、过失是外缘，自己内心如何反应才是关键。明知是对方的无明烦恼，自己就不要去接纳领受了。自己有正知正念，他人的邪见烦恼就影响不到自己；反之，如果自己内心到处都是烦恼种子，他人的作为轻易就能引发，搞得自己身心一片狼藉。

A brave heartLife needs great aspirations, and personal growth requires the shouldering of responsibilities.Only when we have faith and purpose can the seed of strength be planted in our hearts, which will become increasingly powerful as we keep on forging ahead.The brave can always see paths, while the timid can only see walls. In face of difficulties, it is those who can solve problems and step up that are needed. In many teams, there are often more people talking instead of doing, more that find problems instead of solving them. However, the real backbone of a team are the ones that solve problems.Such minority are what we should strive to become no matter what others say. Be the person who gets things done instead of someone who just points out “this should be taken care of” or “that should be done”.“One should step forward in face of difficult or major events, remain calm during good or bad times, stay graceful in the presence of favor or anger, be visionary whether the group moves forward or not.” It is

Who decides our destiny?Our destiny is decided by ourselves. Whetherthere are blessings or not in our present life is determined by whether wecreated and accumulated good karma in the past. The key to change our destinylies in our aspiration, in our body and mind, in the present moment. When weare not satisfied with what we are having now, we need to carefully reflect on theweak points in our character and on the flaws in our actions. When these arerevised, our destiny could be changed accordingly. Changing our destiny is not to work onsomething that is unreal or unattainable, as if to revise something outside. Rather,it is an ordinary process that runs through everything we do, every word weutter, and every thought arising in our mind. Whether we could change destinyor not depends on our sincerity, confidence, the energy of taking actions, andmoreover, the long-time and non-stop persistence.  谁决定我们的命运？人的命运由自己决定，这一生有福无福，取决于过去有没有积福、造福。改变命运的关键就在愿力、在身心、在当下。当发现命运的不如意，就要仔细反省自己性格中的缺点、行为上的过失，把这些改过来，命运

To act upon our good intentionIf we do not open our heart, if we thinktoo much of ourselves, if our big ego fills every corner of our mind, leavingno room for others, we will feel isolated as a result. If we set ourselves highabove others, thinking no one would understand us nor could we change others,we will tend to run further and further away from people and feel lonely. Friend is a relative term. Only when webefriend others can we have friends. When we say “I need a friend”, weshouldn’t think first of what we can obtain from this friend. Instead, we needto give. We need to offer our attention, company, patient listening and a spacein the heart to embrace our friends. When we open our heart to care morepeople, to give more people warmth, we bring sunshine to ourselves too. Themore people we hold in our heart, the richer and warmer we ourselves will feel. Even when we are alone, we need to keepsome softness in our heart and do a little bit of good everyday. For example,in unpopulated areas, we may

This is what we call practiceOur afflictions often come up to cheatus in disguise. Sometimes we seem willing to give while deep inside we long forother’s understanding and affirmation. We are in need of other’s encouragementand love. We care very much whether we are happy or not. Our mind is tightlybent to a self. Negligence, to a certain extent, is doneon purpose. We make mistakes because we don’t really care or think little ofwhat are expected of us. We harbor annoyances in our heart which in turntrigger others’ grievances. As a result, a bitter knot is tied up in our heart.To lighten up the stalemate, we need to come back to our original mind rightnow, and to admit our mistakes. It is no good to argue that “I might be in thewrong, but he is not right himself.” This is but afflictions in disguise. Morefights would ensue. Our obsession is quite good atdisguising, often camouflaging bitterness as happiness and we are willing to becheated by it. Karmas created must have traces. Every karma works its

The bright sideSeeing others with disdain does not meanthat they are no good at all. Instead, it is because we have made a habit outof being picky and whiny, seeing only the faults in others, or even blamingthem falsely. Such habit is terrible, because it will attract everythingnegative, drown people in darkness and create a vicious cycle. This has to bechanged. We should develop good habits of looking on the bright side, makingcompliments and being grateful. Let’s make a plan: everyday, find at least onegood thing that happened to you, discover a good quality in others, and say“thank you” to someone sincerely.  When we are in a good mood, we can evenfind someone we don’t like lovable. Meanwhile, when we feel down, even thingsthat we usually like can annoy us. In its essence, afflictions come from ourminds, the external only provoke it. The best way to resolve hatred in ourminds is to cultivate a grateful and compassionate heart, by learning toobserve the bright side of things and people around us in our

One and the SameWe ordinary people can’t lead our liveswithout connecting ourselves with myriads of conditions.Without parents, we wouldn’t come to thisworld. Without teachers, we wouldn’t be able to read. Without peaceful socialenvironment, there would be no stability in our life. Without peasants plantingcrops, there would be no food to feeds us...... An individual is closelyrelated to others and the society as a whole. If one can’t realize thisrelationship, but cares only about oneself, then his or her life is definitelyboring, meaningless and perplexing.   We influence others through our behavior atany moment and meanwhile are affected by various complicated causes andconditions. Therefore, we should be concerned about interrelationship betweenus and others, the society, as well as the nature, disciplining our act andmaking efforts towards kindness and goodness.   It is addressed in the Buddha Dharma thatproper reward and dependent reward are all one and the same. The externalenvironme

On the loving of faceFace, in other words vanity, is what oneimagines others think of oneself. Often times, it is a pair of heavy shackles tyingus down. Those who worry about saving face are constantly tense,minding every single detail, and wanting toplease others with all efforts. However, it is easy to lose oneself whenchasing after vanity. We should accept our imperfections and be open toopinions. People are often overly self-protective, unable to take any criticismand fearing to be looked down upon, which results in excessive caring aboutface, limiting oneself from progressing.  Those who can accept criticism well canbenefit from it and improve quickly, while those that worry about face saving, willonly suffer in vain. One’s face is built on hard work in becoming a betterperson, not simply on the opinions of others. Have principles, be responsible andrespect oneself, then no one can, in anyway, undermine your dignity. Worryingabout saving face does not help you build it. One gets respected, liked and

On being timidCowardice is caused by illusions anddelusions in one’s heart, just as the saying goes “the ghost inside your mindis what scares you.” One is seriously troubled by delusions when there is alack of wisdom and merit, which weakens the light of the heart. “Those withmerit have a peaceful mind, those with wisdom have no fear.” One shouldexercise filial piety and do good deeds more often to accumulate merits, tolearn and think more to gain wisdom. Stay away from situations that easilytrigger delusions. Those who are fearful and have lowself-esteem are always worried about being hurt by others, because they are notstrong enough inside. Avoidance is no way out. Instead, one needs to gain innerstrength. Everyone has the power of light within, which awaits to be discoveredand brought out. To actively give, instead of passively waiting for others tosmile to you. Even innate cowardice has no intrinsicnature, so we should never believe that it cannot be changed. Start breakingthrough from this mome

Joyousand fearlessNotbeing able to see the whole picture, we tend to be trapped by trivial matters. Moreoften than not, our fret is caused by focusing our mind on an unpleasant pointwhile ignoring, forgetting many beautiful lines worth appreciating. We feelexhausted when we have to do something, have to finish it as a task. Aiming atonly a good result, our mind is agitated by the possible losses and gains. Joyand fearlessness come only as a bonus of our knowing clearly the significanceof what we are doing, not clinging to any result, and doing it with our besteffort.  Those who can withstand pressure and staycalm in dealing with complicated situations are those who have honed themselvesfrom a variety of experiences. We may feel uneasy and restless if the capacityand intensity of our mind are still too small and too weak, not fit to bear anypressure. It is delusions that agitate a peaceful mind. It is concrete effortsthat settle the mind. Tons of thinking is not as good as a little bit of doing.  &nb

Filled with righteousness Endowedwith benevolence, treat others with kindness, live with a heart of gratefulnessand joy, then we will “have righteousness within that no evil can touch”. Onecannot become upright by acting on the spur of the moment. Instead, it requiresa clear goal, long-term persistent efforts, and letting go of attachment to personalgains or losses. With such an aspiration, all experiences can be transformedinto a driving force for growth. Filledwith righteousness within, there will be no more room for evil forces. Workhard and don’t get our mind caught up in trivial matters which do not help atall. What we need is to develop a good mindset, because our current state ofmind is not healthy or strong enough. Weneed to find our inner spirit, which is right view, noble ideal and endlesshope. Make friends with kind people, join charity events, let our heart be filledwith the light of right view and leave no space for ill intentions or thinking.Read good books and surround ourselves

Charity as a way of practiceThe most important thing in doingcharity for public good is to have a compassionate heart and the desire to bekind. Bearing this in mind, we can do charity anywhere all the time. Make a vow everyday: may what I say andwhat I do deliver happiness and hope to others, and can be a help as well. Thereis no need to worry about failure or losing face, nor how other people judgeyou all the time. “All afflictions result from merely caring oneself”. Manysufferings originate from the extreme attachment to a self and the habituationof wrong ways of thinking. Find opportunities to participate in some charityevents. To give with a tender heart and learn to really care about others.Thus, the sun would shine brilliantly from the inside. Virtuous behavior canbring us inner peace and tranquility. Therefore, to help others is to helpourselves. We engage in charity and events ofpublic interest in order to improve the external world and to help others. Thisis a very good intention. However,

Purifying the mind with DharmaPressure is the piling up of wild thoughts, such as suspicion, worry,misunderstanding, etc. When we try to write down all the causes for ourrestlessness, we may find they are leading to nowhere, a dead end. It means ourinner heart has already been wrapped by the haze of delusions and our mind isdispersed. What we need is a gust of wind to blow away the haze and return ourmind back to its clarity. This gust of wind is nothing but right view and rightthinking. We need to create a chance, or to rely on an outside situation toremind us of the right way. For example, we may read a book of spiritual guidance,or go to listen to the evening and morning singing to a bell in a temple, oreven to a hospital or a cemetery. To settle down and to think.  Some people reduce their pressure by compromising to afflictions. They maygo shopping, eating, or go to a movie, go travelling. All these are not hittingthe snake on the head but temporary transfer of attention. After transientpleasure, mo

Playing strong  It is not wrong to want to do things right. However, if one is too concerned about results, one can be easily hurt. Meanwhile,a person often plays strong to prove himself to others. Thus, little by littlehis aim for life is kidnapped by other people’s opinions. He lives for othersand deviates from his own direction.Towork hard, but not to complete with others, nor for a perfect result. One workshard, because wong hard is right. Sometimes, being competitive may work asan outside condition to propel us forward. However, it does not mean we shouldstrive for such an aim. The core is to return to our own heart, to bring forthenergy from inside. Otherwise, we may take the wrong path and end up thousandsof miles away from our destination.   要强努力想把事情做好并没有错，但如果太在意结果，就很容易被伤害。另一方面，要强之人往往是为了证明自己，争一口气，不知不觉已经把自己生活的目标附加在他人的看法之中，为他人而活，偏离了生命的方向。尽心工作，但不是为了和别人竞争，也不是为了追求完美的结果，而是本该如此。有时候争强好胜的心可以作为一个外缘促使我们进步，但不代表着我们应该追求这样的目标，正确的宗旨应该是回归到自己的内心上来，向内着力，不然就会走偏、走错，失之毫厘，谬以千里。 

Good karma connectionIn the process of helping others, one gets into trouble himself. This is due to the lack of compassion and wisdom. What’s more, one may get trapped by external conditions due to the demand upon and obsession with others. The way out is to realize these faults, to make a great vow for more diligent cultivation in listening to, reflecting upon and putting into practice the dharmas. Do not rush to make decisions for others. Instead,to build up good karmic connections is the core in our dealing with others.  结善缘去帮助别人却起烦恼心，是自己的慈悲和智慧都不够，又对他人有要求有执著，所以反而被外境牵绊、影响。此时要做的，是清醒认识到自己的不足，发起大愿，好好闻思修行，不要急着去替别人当家做主，对他人以结善缘为主。

Everytime you think you can’t make itTo help deal with one’s habit of laziness and indolence,One of readily available ways is to resort to an external helper.For instance, if you’d like to build up your body,please find a fitness coach for your schedule making and implementation,or attend a course with persistence.It’ll be much more effective than wong out alone.However, environment is just the external factor,What most fundamental is still your desire for growth.To consider more about the ideal state you’d long for inspiring motivations. Then, when feeling like holding back and slacking off,you hold on a second and a second.And you’ll find it’s not so difficult in fact.Never try to achieve the goal all at once.Instead, it's enough to take each moment of hesitance seriously.Actually, what we need to do is what we are facing now,and is that little bit of persistence, with which we can make it.  每一个动摇的时刻 改善懒惰懈怠，比较容易下手的方法是借助一个外境，例如想锻炼身体，找一个健身教练来帮助自己制定和执行计划，或者参加某个课程坚持跟随，比独自训练要有效很多。不过，环境总归只是外缘，最根本的还

EnlightenmentEnlightenment takes on many forms.Usually, people see it as looking on the bright side, not being a hair-splitter and so on.In fact, seeing the reason behind life and deathis also enlightenment. Enlightened, one can transcend life and death,and escape the cage of dream-thinking.To live is to learn how to become enlightened.There was already someone on this planetwho attained such enlightenment,and shared his path to it with the world. We have learned survival and living skills and all sorts of knowledge as we grew up,and are now able to make a living.But we have seldom learned aboutthe way to control our afflictions and become enlightened.In terms of spiritual growth,we are still infants, lacking the strength to understand andprotect our mind.We always want to be given an effective “solution” to problems,without acknowledging that this is simply impossible.Improvements can only be made graduallythrough studying and practicing the teachings. Insignificant as human beings are,our min

Be responsible forourselves//Self-underestimation为自己负责//自轻 Whether we are studying or working,We need not to please others.One should be responsible for oneself.All dharmas have no intrinsic nature.Success is due to favorable causes andconditions,Failure is due to unfavorable causes andconditions;So long as we change causes and conditions,We can change results.Believe that you can change, and grow up,Rather than cower with negative mindset.  为自己负责//自轻学习、做事，我们都不需要取悦别人，而是为自己负责。诸法无自性，成功是因为有成功的因缘，失败是因为有失败的因缘，只要我们去改变因缘，就能改变结果。相信自己会改变、会成长，而不是一直用负面的心去退缩。

All will be goneWhat is past is past. Yet, we cling to it as reality.Instead of letting go, we are more willing to take past to heart, and suffer. The right way is to see the past as empty. Everything in this world is impermanent and has the characteristic of emptiness. They are just like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows. In the end, external conditions arise and extinguish; what really matters is internal growth.   一切终将逝去过去的事情早已不存在了，只是我们内心还把它当做真实，所以想不开、放不下，百般痛苦。对过去要“空观”，把一切看空，当做梦幻泡影！外在的一切终将逝去，重要的是心灵的成长。

AspirationAfter aspiring to do something,it is common for us to no longer feel motivated thesecond day,or give up on it when facing difficulties.The refore, we should reinforce it everyday.Meanwhile, we need help from our surroundings,to protect our aspirationin an environment of good Dharma.Others can provide external help,but the aspiration can only come from ourselves. The Chinese character of aspiration (愿)is composed of two other characters—one meaning “original” (原) and one meaning“heart” (心).It is easy for people to lose their “original heart”while being busy to make a living,so we need guidance from the wiseand a role model for life.An aspiration is a will.With this will comes power.We should think about the question:what kind of life is meaningful?愿力我们常常发了一个愿，第二天又没感觉了或遇到境界时又退缩了，因此要天天去串习。此外还需要外在环境的辅助，在相应的善法环境中守护自己的愿。外在的条件可以由别人帮忙提供，唯有愿心要自己去启发。 愿，原+心，愿力便是追随自己的本心。世间人在茫茫的奔波中，往往忘失了本心，所以需要智者的引导、生命的榜样。愿是一种心念，有了这种心念，才会有力量。要去思考：什么样的人生才是有意义的？