22 Responses to Real me?

1. 

   Samfoonheei on Aug 31, 2019 at 12:24 pm

   Simple words yet so meaningful, to discover the “Real” oneself . To be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself. The individual’s belief about one self, includes the person’s attributes and who and what the self is. Self awareness is important because when we have a better understanding of ourselves, we are able to experience ourselves as individuals. By looking at ourselves objectively and practice mindfulness habits, to improve whatever weakness within ourselves and not looking at others. Everywhere in life, the true question is not what we gain, but what we do. Do some selfless service for people who are in need. Life is most exciting when it is lived for others and we do not even exist at all. In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of suffering. The suffering occur due to our desire to hold on the things. In order to end the suffering, we need to let our attachment and disturbances.
   Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.

   Reply
2. 

   chris chong on Jul 18, 2016 at 7:41 pm

   Dear Rinpoche,

   Pastor Tat Ming had once explained to me the concept of “self”. He says that if we look closely at ourselves, who is this person. We all have lables examples father, mothers, our jobs, our posts, and etc. If all of those does not exist. What remains?

   I realise that actually, nothing remains. This self is a whole identity constructed based on our perception and the environment we are in. if we strip all those away, the self becomes vague and undefinable.

   Humbly,
   Chris Chong

   Reply
3. 

   Sharon Saw on Mar 6, 2013 at 1:30 am

   I’ve often wondered who is the ‘me’. Like Datuk May, i have considered myself a plethora of labels, a mother, a writer, a student, a Chinese Malaysian, a daughter, etc etc etc. but since all these labels actually don’t really mean anything, who am i really? I am not this body, since it is only temporary for this life. If i am my mind, where is my mind (yes i lost my mind). What is my mind? At the very least i know that it is formless and because i have no real idea what my mind is, why should i be so attached to my perception of myself. Ok this is a real mind bender and i shall continue to contemplate.

   Reply
4. 

   Joy on Mar 1, 2013 at 6:39 pm

   Simple yet so profound… with just one sentence… it sums up Bodhichitta and Sunyata. And this is true…. if there was “I” the label, no attachments to the so called “self”… then what we do for others can be completely free of personal agendas and when our focus to help others becomes real. It becomes easy and without any conditions… it is like helping yourself in actuality. If we live for others, our lives will take on a different perspective and meaning. How we operate and act will be so different. How much we help others and how often would be limitless. I guess this is what it means and how Boddhisattvas do it tirelessly helping others, like Rinpoche. No matter how tired, exhausted Rinpoche may be, he never stops in benefiting, thinking how to help other sentient beings all the time. And there is like 6 different realms on our planet… animals, human, spirit, hell, gods, gods realms which Boddhisattvas never seize to appear to help. So you wonder how on earth do they do it… and we could go back to this profound quote of no “self”. Hope it makes sense.

   Reply
5. 

   David Lai on Feb 4, 2013 at 8:24 pm

   Here’s one of the wonderful and powerful lessons on selflessness. The formal subject of deriving selflessness is quite a exhaustive search for an unfindable REAL self. We term it real only because we put an extremely clear emphasis on its reality. While typing this, I do realize I have been doing that when I react in glee at a praise or joke or a scowl when I was teased or scolded. It is so innate this belief in the self that we just don’t realize how much suffering it creates for ourselves and others. I guess a mountain-high of merits to come to the realization of the non-existence of the self. This is one of the more enduring Buddhist subject of deconstructing the self.

   Reply
6. 

   Wan Wai Meng on Feb 20, 2012 at 12:11 am

   Beautiful quote from RInpoche, hope I can realize it someday.

   Reply
7. 

   So Kin Hoe on Feb 2, 2012 at 11:01 pm

   Thank you Rinpoche for your sharing. From my experience, if we are sincere enough to carry out something meaningful, all that matters in this current life is not important as we can live out the ‘real’ life at any moment.

   Reply
8. 

   Datuk May on Jan 28, 2012 at 5:59 pm

   This caption reminded me of a time I was in an adult experiential training and within a confined space, I was asked who am I? At first, I was shocked at the question and then started to answer with my name, my position in life as a mother, wife etc and the question keeps on being asked of me.
   I got tired of the question and kept quiet and then suddenly I answered that I am nothing.

   I think my answer is just out of desperation to stop the question. However on reflection, this may be it, we are really nothing, if we can let go of all our judgments, reactions, attachments to materialistic thing and emotional harbouring. Then is it true that we do not even exist? Or we live in equanimity?

   When we can do that then we can feel for others, as we are void of our own “whatever” and be able to place someone else first in our mind and can suffer all their sufferings.

   Reply
9. 

   Frederick Law on Jan 28, 2012 at 11:50 am

   The “Real” us, very deep meaning, it makes one think and contemplate what is the ‘Real’ us. I think many has the perception that what we do, act, say is the ‘Real’ us, based according to the social standard, and being in a world where advancement in technology and economic,many of us deceived ourself as the ‘real’ us, and hiding deep in the ravine of the very true nature of the ‘Real’ us.

   Being able to take on the suffering of others is hard, because of the ego, and ignorant nature that we build up since beginning less time, and in this life, we deceive ourselves with the what the society brand as the right attitude, and forgoing the very nature of ourself. Discovering the “Real” us is to be able to let go the ego, ignorant and false perception we create from our misconstrued messages we receive everyday. And I am still finding the “Real” me.

   Reply
10. 

    Adeline on Jan 28, 2012 at 1:38 am

    Still finding ‘Real Me’ in me.If i think myself don’t exist,i can become selfless and make sacrifices for others easier.

    Reply
11. 

    DR on Jan 28, 2012 at 12:23 am

    So very true Rinpoche. There is no me that suffers, because no real me exists. Likewise since suffering does not exist, therefore concepts like fear and failure are just manifestations of our ego. After all what is there to fear, and why fear failure when no real me exists to fail? It’s the best reason to try everything our lama tells us to do, and to do it without fear.

    Reply
12. 

    Adeline on Jan 27, 2012 at 10:55 pm

    It is easy and inexpensive and yet powerful practice of making water offerings to the Buddhas. It has many benefits such as purifying our negative habituations,cut down miserliness, create the cause to obtain wealth and many more.Doing water offerings the proper way can gain so much merits to fulfill our spiritual and mundane wishes, must do it everyday.

    Reply
13. 

    Wendy Loh on Jan 27, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    There is a saying that what is “real” cannot be soiled by the tongue; it cannot be spoken and experienced by the 5 senses. If we insist on labeling it, then, it just is. Everything just is. Nothing (including the “I” or the “ego”) is real or unreal. It just is, empty.

    Rinpoche, how do we know emptiness?

    Reply
14. 

    abby on Jan 27, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    but Rinpoche, i don’t know the ‘real me’ doesn’t mean it is not exist? Is this true? Or the actions that we take and the experiences that we have build up the ‘real me'(that we feel and think it is), and actually the actions and experiences are so rely on others and they are impermanent, thus the ‘real me’ doesn’t exist?

    Reply
15. 

    freon on Jan 27, 2012 at 1:58 pm

    Very deep meaning. “Real” us. What is “real us”? Is that mean who we are? What is deep in our thought, do we dare to face ourself truthfully. Are we brave enough to bare the “suffer” of our mother for instance, not even talking about stranger, people who we dislike, people who hates us?

    I understand the statement ‘Actions from false perceptions create the sufferings and disadvantages. TR” But i still struggle to understand the ” the ‘real’ us doesn’t even exist.” What is the connection of this both statement.

    Reply
16. 

    Mc on Jan 26, 2012 at 11:05 pm

    I doubt if there is a real ‘me’ and hence no real ‘us’. If there was a real me, everything would be ‘fixed’ and I wouldn’t be changing my mind all the time. Things I liked when I was say 5 years old, like my old blanket, I would still like. Things and people that made me happy, will always make me happy. Things I believed in as a child would be things I still believe in now, But that is not the case and everything about me and with me changes with changing conditions and with time.

    If there was a ‘real me’ or a ‘true me’, I should be able to pin down that ‘me’ into a set of physical, emotional, and mental description that will never change and has never changed. There is only an ideal ‘me’ thatI I perceive myself to be now and which I project to the world and expect the world to accept.

    ‘Me’ is actually a very temporary densification of ideas and perceptions within ‘my’ comfort zone at a particular point in time.

    Reply
17. 

    Wai Kee on Jan 26, 2012 at 9:23 pm

    How do we find the real us?

    Reply
    • 

      vc on Jan 26, 2012 at 11:19 pm

      the real you is the state of nirvana. your true mind.the state neither emptiness nor existence.where emptiness is existence or existence is emptiness.neither production nor extinction.where you are using your true mind to see the true nature of the universe.

      Reply
    • 

      VC on Feb 7, 2012 at 8:36 pm

      Dear Wai Kee,

      I have get a short excerpts from a Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra spoken by the Buddha itself:-

      At that time the World Honored One spoke a gatha, which says,

      If one sees me in forms,
      If one seeks me in sounds,
      He practices a deviant way,
      And cannot see the Tathagata.

      The above spoken by Buddha explain living beings can only see the dharma body of the Buddha if they are enlightened.Living beings cannot see the Buddha if they are attach to self.They should not attach or cling to anything.Neither Emptiness nor Existence.
      As i said before to find the real you,you must return to the original source, your true mind, which is also the Buddha mind , Nirvana mind.Sentient Beings mind are attached to self which makes them deluded from their original nature.What they see now is unreal because they are not enlightened.Once you become enlightened,you can believe your own mind.Living beings live in a world like a dream to them.In fact,the Buddha said everything is a dream, it is unreal.I personally agree what the Buddha said because if you look above the sky,it is infinite.The Universe itself is infinite and emptiness are melting away in this infinite world.There is an unseen moving force that shape up this universe,which is the true mind spoken by the Buddha.It is an ocean of nirvana,as depicted by scientist Dr. Michio Kaku,a professor physicist.We are living in an unreal deluded world of attachment to self in this Universe.So the Buddha ask us to return to our original nature.The True Mind.To get out of suffering.

      Reply
18. 

    Serena on Jan 26, 2012 at 4:55 pm

    How do we know which is the “REAL” us?

    Reply
    • 

      tsemtulku on Jan 26, 2012 at 8:47 pm

      Haha…because you don’t know the real you, it shows it doesn’t exist the way you think. Actions from false perceptions create the sufferings and disadvantages. TR

      Reply
      • 

        Serena on Jan 28, 2012 at 11:33 am

        We always thought that we know the “REAL” us. Hence, it’s very easy to create the false perception by the “REAL” us. If we can put the “REAL” us aside and look at the situation again, it may not as worst as what we seen or experienced. Then the suffering will become easy.

        Reply