I prayed for life to be smooth; the Buddha gave me a blissful one
Have you ever wondered why challenges never seem to stop coming your way and, instead, only get bigger?
You're not imagining things! But it's the same for everyone, and that's how we grow, Venerable Bensi told the class of 16Z051Y at a sharing on 2 December 2019, Monday.
As we stepped into the final month of 2019, the class joyously welcomed Venerable Bensi as he arrived for what was originally planned to be a 15-minute chat. The compassionate Venerable then surprised us by staying for the rest of the evening to hear our problems and give us advice.
2019 is a brand-new start for our class, marking the first year everyone has officially graduated from school and entered the workforce. This new journey presents us with new challenges, and so it was no surprise to see many hands waving in the air when Venerable Bensi opened the floor for questions.
The questions largely focused on problems at work, and two themes for discussion were clear:
i. How do I manage my relationship with my clients, colleagues, and supervisors?
ii. Why is it that nothing seemed to be going right for me?
After listening to our problems, Venerable Bensi pointed out one thing – many of us fall into the trap of making assumptions too quickly, hence resulting in misunderstandings with other people. Consequently, some of us react in undesirable ways that only caused more problems for ourselves.
To overcome this, Venerable Bensi suggested that we can perhaps change our perspectives when dealing with matters. Most importantly, recognise that the external environment will not change. Therefore, instead of seeking to change someone who we see as causing us problems, we should consider looking into ourselves and ensuring that our intentions remain pure.
These problems will not disappear overnight. In fact, we will encounter problems at every stage of our lives, and they will only grow bigger. But this is a sign that we have become stronger. Think of it as playing a game – every time you clear a level, the next one gets much harder, but your powers have also increased.
The lesson here is simple: Never expect life to be free of troubles. Venerable Bensi also reminded us that there is one thing we can do -- always supplicate to the Triple Gems for obstacles to be reduced. To illustrate this, the Venerable shared his story with us.
Before he became a monk, Venerable Bensi used to teach at Temasek Polytechnic. During those days, he remained sincere and continued to have a strong desire to learn and practice the Dharma. He realised that, with this pure intention, he met with few obstacles whenever he wanted to apply for leave to attend pujas and retreats overseas. Eventually, the opportunity for him to become a monk came along. The Venerable described this as rare and precious, because there are few monasteries that will accept new monks his age!
“I never dreamt that I would become a monk,” the Venerable laughed -- but look where he is now!
The class was awestruck by the Venerable’s experience. His remarkable journey is testament to the power of faith and supplication, and we are motivated to be even more diligent in our daily prayers.
In retrospect, the answers have always been there if you have been paying attention during Lamrim lessons and especially if you attend Auspicious Puja every Sunday. But as we get busy in life, it's easy to forget these simple solutions.
What should you do?
Keep practicing until they become a habit, said Venerable Bensi, so you will never forget your faith and to supplicate to the Triple Gems.
“There are only two places where you will not face any problems: Heaven and Pureland,” Venerable Bensi told us.
“But we are very lucky,” he added. “When we encounter problems, we still have support.”
Written by Zoey Chong S16Z051Y
