Good Karma Music Stories

Once, there was a huge black spider with long feet on the wall of my room, but, instead of feeling disgusted and smashing it with a broom, I quickly played a buddhist song in my laptop, hoping that the mantra would make the spider more compassion and it would eventually stop frightening me. When I paid no more attention to the spider for a few minutes, I looked back at the wall and the spider was nowhere to be found. I am so glad that I did not take its life.

This is an odd time to be thinking about the Paramita songs because I’m currently taking part in the 8 precepts which inhibits listening to music, but I suddenly remembered I don’t have the songs anymore and wanted them 😛 About a year ago, I lived a five minute drive from school and the “Be Green” fad was at a major peak. All of a sudden, it was the cool thing to be green (not that it’s a bad thing), so I was surrounded by people consistently preaching environmental awareness. Well, it worked; I wanted to be more environmentally friendly, so I decided I’d start taking the bus. I figured since there was a bus station across the street on the street that my school was on, it’d go there.. right? Nope. I looked up directions on Google maps and it said I needed to walk a mile to the closest bus station. I almost did it until I thought, “Wait, how far away is the school?” So, I looked up the walking directions and found the school was only 1.6 miles away. I thought it was ridiculous to walk a mile to save .6 miles, so I just ended up walking to school on non-rainy days. I suppose that broke the habit of relying on my car and now I’m a public transport frequenter. And on the bus, train, or lightrail, I constantly get the chance to observe random acts of kindness that help inspire me to be a good person.

Thursday after noon, at East Pacific Mall in El Cerrito, CA while loading grocery into our car, I heard my wife’s voice behind me. “Let me help you.” I turned around. An old woman was struggling with a 50lbs rice bag into the trunk of her car, parking next to ours. My wife helped her lift the heavy bag into place. The woman walked toward the passenger side of her car. I opened and hold the door for her. As she got into the car she said something I could not understand. However, I could not help seing a young man in the driver seat, reading a newspaper.

Not sure this is an act of kindness to become a vegetarian for not wanting to harm or make others to suffer. After I read a book about how people farm their animals and how they slaughter them. I couldn’t consume any meat at all. I feel sad when I see meat in the stores and people specially Buddhists who try their hardest to find excuses to eat these poor animals. I like to listen to your song – Ballad of Earth Store. I haven’t listened to other songs in your album because that is the only song I could find on the Ten thousand City website. This song is really great. Each note seems hit right into my soul.

Last month, I heard about the starvation of children and adults of Somalia. So I donated $25 to AmeriCare. After the donation, I was prompted by AmeriCare site to tell my other friends what I have done and encourage them to donate. First I thought I shouldn’t let others know what I did. But then I decided to put in email address of some of my friends, whom I have helped before, in the hope that they would make a donation and share in the act of kindness and compassion. Whether my friends donated or not, or how they would think of me and themselves shouldn’t be of my concern. The point is to share my joy of giving and inspire others to do the same.

I just finished a seven day Chan retreat. It was a very challenging, but ultimately inspiring experience in which many people from all walks of life came together in sincere practice. A few weeks earlier, I was at CTTB and appreciated hearing Master Heng Sure speak about the act of dedicating merit, so after finishing the retreat, I dedicated the merit from my practice to all living beings, wishing that they may swiftly accomplish Bodhi. As far as everyday things, there are a number of homeless people in the area where I live and when I pass them on the street, I try to make it a point to acknowledge them, whether simply with a smile and a “Hello”, a little conversation, or with some change or some food.

Due to injury, I have been unable to work for the last few years and thus making it difficult for me to continue good deeds wider in the world and keep up donations to charities. But I hold these actions very close to my heart, so still do what I can ever day: I speak to my friends daily and help them with their troubles – no matter what it is. I am very close to my family (especially my mum and nan) and help them with daily household tasks. I also have two very loving dogs who I show equally the unconditional love they show my family!I am not one to play myself up, so this was rather difficult to write, but I hope that my little story can help motivate those in a similar situation to me, to continue with little acts of kindness where possible in their day despite set-backs.Metta to all! 🙂