The samudra manthana lit. churning of the ocean, is one of the best-known episodes in the Hindu philosophy. It explains the origin of amrita, the nectar of immortality and like us humans, both Devas and Asuras are struggling between power and death issue all the time. Kurma the second Avatar of Vishnu, like other avatars of Vishnu, Kurma appears at a time of crisis to restore the cosmic equilibrium. Kurmasana, a yoga posture that shows the supporting and mediating role of Vishnu in this mythology.

印度神話裡的眾神跟凡人一樣，有著愛恨情仇以及生老病死的煩惱。 這也是為甚麼我們在讀這些史詩時除了劇情精彩讓人停不下來以外，還能發人省思。 因為史詩裡的每個角色似乎都能在現實生活中找到對照。 這個週末的Samudra Manthana 攪拌乳海的故事讓我們一同來了解Vishnu如何化身為Kurma(海龜)，調解眾神與阿修羅之間的紛紛擾擾。

《畜生道的緣起》
The interdependent origination of the Animal Realm
(English version below)

六道輪迴圖，可知曉何謂六道。但要清楚明白六道，天、阿修羅、人、地獄、畜生、餓鬼，各道的緣起，妳你就必需得進一步地實修佛法，以免越修越響六道，甚至三惡道去。那就非常的悲慘嘍！

多年前，吾還有看電視節目，或閱讀報章時，看到或讀到，某種動物及飛禽等等，將面臨絕種的消息時，心中總有一絲絲的莫明覺受。

但修習佛法後的吾，有了真實的見地，知曉過去那莫明的覺受，祇是一種無知的一時湧現，而非真實的智慧。佛教闡明因與果。緣起緣滅也即是因果。妳你的心念一起，就是緣起。而在妳你生命的流光中，妳你不但沒及時拿掉這種子，反而天天「施肥」（惡行為），不久的將來必得惡果。凡貪、嗔、癡、妒、慢、疑者，都是畜生道的緣起。因此，某種或任何一種飛禽走獸等等，應該不會這麼快的絕種。

還否有印象，吾前些日子寫有關一位明知故犯，「下毒」害她家翁的少婦嗎？那短文叫《毒人終毒己》。文中所提的這位少婦，她和她先生曾響吾，學習佛法達四個月，次次來學吾都教導她他們，守戒持戒的重要，如佛教基本五戒，以及儒家孝、悌、忠、信、禮、義、廉、恥之八德，還有己所不欲， 勿施於人，等等。

在她家翁生辰的那一星期，的某一天中午，吾還特別地接聽她的來電，以確保她清楚知曉，不該放什麼食材，煮面線給其家翁食，因其家翁不久前，才從中風康復過來，還有其家翁之前皮膚生濃剛好，這些她全然不顧的，狠心明知故犯。她這一明知故犯，已爲她的未來打造一個地獄，也有了畜生道的緣起。

她「幹了案」之後，吾有再接見她多一次。那一次的再接見她，她身上已有了一團業氣，而這業氣（毒氣），也已出現在她的臉上（毒瘡）。若不快快力行懺悔，毒氣（業氣）攻心，三惡道哪裡逃啊！這就是毒人終毒己的慘報。

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You may know about the diagram illustrating the Six Realms of Rebirth, but to clearly understand the interdependent origination of each realm: Devas, Asuras, humans, Hell, animals, and hungry ghosts, you will need to level up in your practice of the Dharma, so as not to lose your way and end up in these Six Realms, especially the three evil paths. That would be disastrous!

Many years back when I still watched the TV or read the papers, I would always feel a tinge of bafflement when I learnt that certain animal species were endangered.

However, after I started the practice of Dharma and attained a certain level of insight, I realised that those feelings of bafflement were moments of ignorance and not true wisdom. The Buddha expounds the Law of Cause and Effect. The arising and cessation of affinity is also the Law of Cause and Effect. As a thought rises in you, the seed of affinity is planted. And as you flow through life, instead of removing it in time, you nurture this seed day after day with unvirtuous acts. Surely in the near future, it shall bore unvirtuous fruits. The poisons of greed, hatred, ignorance, jealousy, arrogance and suspicion create the arising of affinity for the rebirth in the Animal Realm. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that a particular species of animal will go extinct anytime soon.

Do you remember one of my recent articles, titled Done By Your Own Poison, about a married woman who intentionally "poison" her own Father-in-Law? This woman, together with her husband, came to learn the Dharma from me for a period of 4 months. Without fail, I would remind them about the importance of upholding the precepts, such as the Five Precepts of Buddhism, and the Confucian values: filial piety, sibling harmony, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, sacrifice, integrity and sense of shame

During the week of her Father-in-law's birthday, I took her call one afternoon and just to reinforce her understanding, I specifically told her to avoid using a certain ingredient, to cook the rice noodles for her Father-in-law. This caution was due to his state of health after recovering from a stroke and a recent bout of pus-filled sores on his skin. However, she cruelly went against my advice. Her wilful action has created a realm of Hell for her and planted the affinity seed for a rebirth in the Animal Realm.

I met her once after she committed the "crime" and it became apparent that an aura of negative karmic energy had enveloped her body. It manifested on her face in the form of an infected acne. If she does not seek repentance fast, the negative karmic energy shall penetrate her heart and there will be no escape from the Three Evil Paths! This is the tragic ending of a venomous person falling to her own poison.

www.masterdaihu.com/畜生道的緣起/

相信去過泰國既人
都唔會對呢一個藝術品陌生😊
但係又知唔知佢背後既故事呢？😎
乳海翻騰 (Churning of the Ocean of Milk)
係印度教神話故事之一
相傳大乳海有令人長生不老既露水
善神同 惡神都想獨佔 但冇人成功
後來雙方決定合作 一齊將海水抽起 🌊
最後成功攞到神藥

The most famous art piece at the airport, Churning of the Ocean of Milk.
It's a legend in Hinduism about the devas (gods) and the asuras (demons) wanting to get the Water of Life. :)

吳哥城Angkor Thom又名大吳哥，是9世紀至15世紀高棉帝國最長久的國都。都城占地9平方公里，在這範圍內包括一系列各朝建立的古都遺蹟：蘇利耶跋摩一世重建的空中宮殿，烏達雅地耶跋摩二世（Udayadityavarman II）建立的巴普昂寺，闍耶跋摩七世建立的巴戎寺（Bayon）、象群台和瘌王台等。巴戎寺坐落于吳哥通王城之中心點，其回廊東西長160公尺、南北長140公尺；迴廊上方原本皆有木造之屋頂，但由於年代久遠，目前只剩下斷垣殘壁及巨大之石柱供後人憑弔。值得一提的是寺廟之牆壁上仍保存著豐富且生動之雕刻，舉凡古代戰爭記述、尋常百姓之生活百態、洞裏薩湖之湖畔風光等皆充分透露著當時之情景，絕對是不可不看的珍貴史跡。那一幅幅活靈活現的壁畫彷佛訴說著一段段遙遠的故事。巴戎寺共分三層，下兩層為正方形，外側廊壁雕刻故事性浮雕；頂層為圓形，樹立佛塔。底層浮雕從東門開始順時針行進，看到的分別是：出征占婆-林迦崇拜-水戰--水上生活-贏得勝利-鬥雞和下棋-軍隊-內戰-大魚吞羊-勝利遊行-馬戲團-占婆人洗劫吳哥。從外觀上看，巴戎寺是一座金字塔形建築，最高處是一座塗金的圓形寶塔，它建在兩層空心的台基之上。按照宗教意識，這表示天上的佛與地上的人得以息息相通。周圍建起了48座大小不一的寶塔，眾星捧月一般，簇擁著中心寶塔。每一座寶塔上四面佛的原型就是闍耶跋摩七世本人，所有來這裏朝拜景點內景的臣民都驚奇地發現，原來菩薩就是自己的國王，而這樣的國王當然是必須效忠和敬仰的。廟宇的建築結構相當複雜，經多次重修、改建和增建，現在的建築事實上是由兩座不同時代和造型的寺廟疊加而成的，有人曾把它比作“人用手塑造和雕刻出的一座山峰”。巴戎寺的外觀似乎與吳哥窟很相似，但巴戎寺是佛教寺院，它的整體構成是以傳說中佛教最高境界的須彌山為樣本的(印度教也有須彌山，其細節與佛教的雖然不同，但基本上可以相互對應)。與吳哥窟相似，巴戎寺也建在三層基臺上，底層基台尺寸為140MXL60M，二層基台尺寸為72MX80M，三層基台為十字形平面，中心為圓形平面的雕刻塔。各層基台的周圍有圍廊，基台中部和圍廊上共有塔49座，形成林立的塔群。巴戎寺最著名的是刻在塔身的巨大的四面觀音像，象徵著當時高棉王國的強盛。巴戎寺的早晨空氣清新，氣溫宜人，不過若是進入內部，則須配備人工採光工具，因為即使在正午，裏面也是漆黑一團。此景點浮雕壁畫甚多且皆有不同之涵義，還好導遊詳細解說，才不至入寶山卻空手而歸。有人說巴戎寺的四面佛是四面神不是佛，是婆羅門教三大主神之一的梵天。其實巴戎寺的四面佛是宗教藝術創作，闍耶跋摩七世本人信奉佛教，但是國民多信婆羅門教，因此巴戎寺的建造就在二者之間取平衡，主體架構採用婆羅門教寺廟的三層結構，將梵天的四方位有白鬍鬚的面部形象，改為闍耶跋摩七世本人自己的面部形象。由於佛教也將梵天吸納為護法神之一，在南傳佛教的東南亞，尤其泰國，得到很大的發揮，華人稱之為四面佛。因此你想怎樣稱呼都附笑談中。四面佛的四臉代表了喜怒哀樂，在佛教講的四無量心「慈、悲、喜、捨」。即慈，是予樂；悲，是拔苦；喜，是歡喜；捨，是解脫。而其中喜和樂的差別在於，樂是在五塵中所生的快樂，而喜是在法塵中所生的喜悅。