I watched an episode of my favorite t.v. show. In that episode, an eighty nine year old guy died. One of the main characters was deeply affected by the death of this old man. The main character didn’t know how to cope and didn’t know how to honor the old man. The old man took care of him when his father died and had become his second father. The main character asked for help from his writer friend on how to go about in delivering a eulogy. His writer friend suggested that he talk about the little things because it’s the little things that matter.

The episode is one of my favorites. It got me thinking about my own mortality. How would I like to be remembered? Buddhists know how short life is and how precious it is. We know how important it is to leave behind good deeds and good memories.

The episode also reminds me of the short speech that was delivered yesterday during one of our Buddhist general meetings. One of the members made a really profound and wonderful speech that brought tears to my eyes.

He said:

We as Buddhists know that life and death occur simultaneously. The moment of life is also the moment of death. The two are intertwined. And so, we must not waste time in useless pursuits.

They say that our life is like a movie. And you are the director and actor of your own life. There are only two directions that you can go. You can make a movie about your life where only you and you alone are happy to the exclusion of everyone else. When you die and watch back on your own life, the scenes would be brief. And at the end of the movie of your life, you would feel empty.

Or you could choose to make the other movie where you help spread happiness. At the moment of your death, when you watch back on your life, you would feel extremely happy because you spent your life helping others to be happy. It’s like watching your favorite movie. And there are so many wonderful scenes that you wouldn’t want the movie of your life to end.

There are two kinds of happiness. There is relative happiness and absolute happiness. Relative happiness is fleeting. Absolute happiness is never ending. When one is selfish and cares only for his own happiness, then he would experience a happiness that is empty and short lived. When one is selfless and cares for other people’s happiness, he would experiences boundless joy.

I know those lessons well. But sometimes, I tend to get lost. There are days when I feel that I don’t have a direction in life. But sometimes, a passage in a book, or in this case, an episode of my favorite t.v. show would remind me of what I’m on this planet for. I’m here to be happy and to spread happiness. And I can start the journey of a thousand miles by transforming my own life.

I came across Ho’opononopono on the internet. It’s about an ancient Hawaiian technique of spiritual cleansing. There are many similarities with the kind of Buddhism that I practice. The only difference is the spiritual approach itself but the core of the teaching is basically the same.

In Ho’oponopono there is mention of the zero state. In Buddhism, we call it ‘emptiness’, the ‘void’, the ‘ninth consciousness’ or the Buddha-nature. It’s the highest state of awareness which is a state of pure bliss. Some call it ‘nirvana’ or ‘ananda’. In this highest state of consciousness, everything is possible. And once you can tap into that ‘divine state’ you can create miracles and healing.

In our Buddhist practice, we are told to cleanse our karma. And through the process of cleansing our karma, our wishes will be fulfilled. Some call it a miracle. But in our practice we call it benefit.

Ho’oponopono emphasizes cleansing of the ‘programs’. Programs are memories. It’s when an individual is conditioned to become the person that he is. These programs are what causes unhappiness. And it is only through cleansing these programs that we can truly be happy.

In Buddhism, we call these ‘programs’ as karma. Karma is basically memory. The universe remembers. Consciousness remembers. And our basic goal in Buddhism is to cleanse our karma. Or to cleanse our basic life tendency.

Ho’oponopono relies on the self. You can’t blame the people around you for your unhappiness. In fact, this ancient Hawaiian technique is about changing the self. Once you change yourself, you change the world around you. You can actually have a positive impact on the environment by cleansing your spirit.

It’s very similar to the Buddhism that I practice. Buddhism states that self and environment are one. And the environment is basically just a reflection of the self. Hence, a person who is violent, would encounter violence in his daily life. And a group of people who are full of hatred and prejudice can create a nation which is always at war.

In Ho’opononpono, it is mentioned that a person must take full responsibility for his life which includes the good and the bad things that happen to you. People who enter your life have a purpose. And any issues that you may have with a person, is your own issue. To change how that other person reacts and interacts with you, you must change yourself first.

So, if you have so much hate for another person, instead of blaming the other person, you have to turn within for the answers. You have to ask yourself why you hate that particular person. And only by understanding and forgiveness can you let go of the hate.

It’s very similar to Buddhism. In Buddhism, you can’t blame external circumstances and people for your misery. Relationships are your mirror. If you have terrible relationships, you have to turn within for the answers. Once you know the answer, it’s only then that you can change how your approach the person. And by changing your approach, you change everything.

Ancient wisdom is basically universal. It’s only the spiritual technique that varies. Some may be more inclined to follow Ho’oponopono. Some may be inclined to follow Buddhism. But the ultimate goal of any spiritual approach is to reach that highest state of awareness or to unite with our ‘divine nature’ or ‘Buddha nature.’

It’s a little sad that a majority of the population have forgotten to follow a spiritual practice. Everyone should nurture their spirits. Our physical self is fleeting and only temporary. But our spirit is eternal.

I believe that the reason why there is so much violence in the world is because people have neglected their spiritual side. Most people have allowed themselves to be ruled by their egos. But the happiness that the ego experiences is short-lived. By nurturing the spirit, one can experience true happiness. Our spirits are thirsty. It’s about time that we satisfy our spirit’s need for growth.