Buddhism As Education

Venerable Theg Chog Rinpoche was in Palme Gon Buddhist Society in Bagan Lallang, Butterworth from 28th to 29 May 2011 to conduct series of rituals, fire offerings, mantra chanting and animal liberation.

During the recent Wesak Day celebration on 17 May 2011, I had visited the Shah Alam Buddhist Society in Bukit Rimau, Shah Alam, Selangor to pay homage to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. During my visit at the Shah Alam Buddhist Society, many Buddhist devotees and well-wishers came over on that day to pay homage to the Buddha in conjunction of the Wesak Day. Numerous activities were organize such as bathing the Buddha, floral offerings, candle lighting and offering, free distribution of Buddhist books, magazines and booklets.

Things are entirely what they appear to be and behind them... there is nothing. Before us is everything but behind everything is nothing substantial (as all is constant change). But everything here is indeed here! And the "nothing" that is behind them is here at the same place and time too. Everything is same in the sense that all are equally empty. However, everything is distinctly different as they manifest in countless forms. "Everything" also refers to all of one's possession, family, health, wealth, fame, etc. As in the river analogy, the river is both here and not here in the same place and time. This applies to everything. The whole wide world that we know is "real yet unreal" at the same time. It is the ultimate "magic trick" that the unenlightened fails to see and be amazed at. Benefits of Realizing Emptiness Our ignorance is seeing the illusory as being too real where we see the constantly changing as unchanging and become attached

Emptiness does not mean physical or mental nothingness - it is the law of total openness and infinite possibilities. Emptiness is like the vast clear sky that allows clouds, birds, planes, etc to come in and go by, allowing infinite phenomena to occur within it. Emptiness is this infinitely more than everything that the unenlightened can perceive. It is because of emptiness that everything including ourselves can continually change for the better. Anything can transform into something else when the right combination of causes and conditions is present. Similarly, anyone can become enlightened if one cultivates spiritually. Emptiness is thus teaching full of hope. Emptiness of Mind and Matter Emptiness applies to all physical entities. Much more subtly, it applies to all mental entities (mindstates). All physical entities upon closer inspection are unceasing fluctuations of molecules, of atoms, of electrons, neutrons and protons, of particles, of sub-atomic particles of ... energy. All