Creative Writings and Musings

We all search for happiness and peace, and most of the times it eludes us. Perhaps we are looking it at wrong places, through wrong means. The law of Karma says that we reap what we sow. This means that, if we want to reach a state, where we can even become aware of the path of true happiness we have to first sow the right karmas, the good Karmas. But, how do we know what is right and what is wrong?  Lord Buddha gave to all people, especially the householders, who cannot leave their houses and have a duty towards their parents, their children, their spouses, a guide, commonly known as the Five Percepts: Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami :  " I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures".  Lord Buddha says we should not involve in activities which kill any other sentient being. Each life is precious, and human life even more so. Let us not waste this precious life by killing other beings, or by becoming a cause of killing/destroying other beings

When others out of jealousy, Treat me wrongly with abuse, slander, and scorn, May I take upon myself the defeat, And offer to others the victory. When someone hurts us, who gets hurt, the ego.  When someone abuses us, our ego tells us to react back with even harsher words. And if we are not able to do so at that moment, ego tells us to bide time and strike when the iron is hot... The question is what will 'I the Self' get from all this, the ego may feel pleasure for a small time, but 'I the Self' will have to bear the effect of these negative actions (karma). Knowing thus, the wise man will take upon self the defeat, and will offer other the victory. When someone whom I have helped Or in whom I have placed great hopes, Mistreats me in extremely hurtful ways, May I regard him still as my precious teacher. Often times we hear people complaining that I did so much for him/her and still see how ungrateful that person is. They are filled with pain and hurt because of this. P

Author: Amy Hofstadter Today I was sitting on the system studying when a wave of sleep surrounded me. Forced by it I went to bed. And I saw I am a teenager again, and just as in this lifetime I am very naughty going to all places I am not supposed to go. And added as icing on the cake, I have a twin brother (just-like-me in nature) and he is also my best friend. In this lifetime he is a very good friend and my mentor. I live on some planet like Earth (or maybe Earth itself), It has much more water than what it has now and our small country gets people from other countries coming and going through small ships. So in the dream I somehow in a lazy afternoon, go on top of a secluded building, I love going there as I love to see the horizon. Today I am alone, on that top building, there is an isolated system (it is a discarded Apache server, left there by someone, and is still in working condition, I and my brother have been trying to hack into it. Today I am alone, and somehow there is te