What I learned from the monk

 Spending two nights in a temple, wearing all white outfit, practicing some meditation and mindfulness, chanting some Buddhist prayers, listening to sermons from a monk whom God intended me to meet. Here is what I get out of the experience:

        
(1)
Never forget Jesus. I told them that I was there as a Christian learning some Buddhist  teachings, not as a Buddhist. I cannot be ashamed of my sweet savior who had saved my soul with his blood. I owe him my soul and will always be a good Christian in whatever I do and keep all his commands of love. BUT....at the same....God also told me to seek Him in everything and in everywhere. That means God is there in my experience at the Buddhist temple. He was  there, I just need to seek, believe, and I would find Him. He may not take the same name or be called as a supreme being in another religion, but He was there. This is so true. Once I surrendered to the experience and accepeted that truth in my heart, I felt so much peace and my heart was more open to learnings. I also discovered part of the calling of my life through it.

(2)
People whose souls are in a higher state of enlightenment seemed to be connected in spirit. They are one no matter what religion they take. I was given the same message, whether in a Catholic church or in Buddhist temple. The master of the temple is a highly respectable monk. He is the the director of all temples in the sub-district but he always keep himself simple and humble by cleaning the temples with his own hands, practicing Dharma in simple things like doing chores. I believe he is of high state of soul, for so many things he had said in the sermons spoke so directly to me and to other people as if he was able to read the minds. Some of his preaching inspired me very much and some were very practical as well. Somehow, the things that he said I should improve in myself are the same things that the some Catholic people have been trying to teach me. Now I really I believe that the highly-evolved souls are connected into one, but I just don't know how they do it because I am not one of them.
    What is more important is that I learn to humble myself before these beautiful souls. I, now, respect them and believe that they really deserve the respect.

Here are what I learn from listening to the monk's sermon and from a conversation with  him:

- I should think about my spiritual goal and focus on it now. A lot of life have been wasted on worldly pleasure like eating, buying, traveling. I don't know what day my life would end so it is better to seek "the treasures of the soul" not "worldly treasures"

-I have been creating unreal fantasy and confusing thoughts in my head. I was hurt and sad because of these illlusions that my mind have created. Some of the things I believe have happened, in reality it may not be that way at all. It's all in my head.

-There are many ways to meditation. Focusing on a task at hand is already one way that I can practice both concentration and mindfulness. I don't have to lose heart if I can't do it the formal way.

-Speak few words, don't speak when there is no point in speaking. I have wounded a person's heart severely by my words before and I should learn to take it as a lesson. Be very careful with my words.

-If I do good, people will gossip about me. If I do bad, people will gossip about me. There is no way that I can escape that. It is a very natural thing in the world so I should just ignore it and continue living my life.

-I should remember that all things on Earth are half-half, you can't find anything all good or anything all bad. People are that way as well.

- I told the monk 'I don't like people misunderstanding me.' And the monk said, "and what about you? do you always understand other people correctly? You think you never misunderstood them?" He also said that there are things that I don't even know at all and I thought I understood it. So I shouldn't be proud or have too much ego.

- He even knows that I have a messy room. He said "put things in order. When you look for something and can't find them, you get all moody and that can be spread to those around you as well. So put everything in order, in a way that is easy to find. You will have more peace in life." (My mom would be so glad to hear that he teaches me that, she's been trying to teach me that all her life but never succeed.)

Finally, he said that, the fact that we all  (the monk, me, and a few other people) are sitting here, discussing these things, happen not just by chance, but because our souls have long known one another before in the past lives.

Early morning, at the very moment before I left the temple, God answered my prayer. He let me know what is my calling in this life, at least an important part of it. The thought comes to my mind quietly but when it dawned on me, it is full of so much light. I will hold on to it from now on, as the true calling of my life. (I will not discuss it here now. Better to wait until I gather all the pieces of the puzzles completely. But I got an important piece of it now.)