The mindful and meaningful way of life/Carlos Pueblo

 The mindful and meaningful way of life/Carlos Pueblo

The famous Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thick Nhat Hanh, passed away on January 22, 2022 and his teaching videos are on the You Tube immediately. I have attempted to review one of his teaching of living in a meaningful way of life. He says a lot of the mindful way of life that I doubt myself of my misunderstanding of what I have learned from him on his book, Jesus and Buddha as brothers. I thought that I was enlightened by him from that book.

I believe that he emphasizes the mindful instead of the meaningful way of life. Now I doubt that I have created the talk of the meaningful way of life. We define ourselves what is the meaningful way of life, such as making money, to marry a beautiful wife or wives, and have a good and healthy body, etc. We define our own goals as a meaningful way of live which we desire to live that is Buddhism. We grasp the opportunity to be a person in this wonderful world to live and to be prevail. 

It is up to us to live in a meaningful way of life and only ourselves can enjoy such life. On the contrary that we don't have meaningful ways of life, we shall be miserable and unhappy to live. I have run into many people who are engaging the religious missions after their retirement and some of them claim that they do make a fortune and like to do something more meaningful to the other. I categorize this as a meaningful way of life and is enlightening. Of course, there are many names to describe such insight in Buddhism that we don't have to learn them by all means.

Of course, I don't see many will agree to me for such idea. I don't really care yet this is what my understanding is and keep me very appreciated and happy to be alive. Each time when I have nothing to do, I always think of the meaningful way of life even taking a short yet unlimited nap during the day. It is a waste of time indeed yet that is very plenty which I always have had.

思索和有意義之生活／莊峻華

 思索和有意義之生活／莊峻華

剛圓寂之越南釋一行和尚，生前有許多箸作，其中一書名佛陀耶蘇似兄弟，對我影響至巨，因他剛逝世，網誌上開始出現許多他的影片，於是我開始尋找我因他而頓悟之說，很想溫故而未必需要知新，老和尚提到很多英語上之思索性生活，我開始懷疑會不會是我誤會其本意，人生本意是過有思索，有思考之生活？而非我所誤會之有意義之生活？此書我已贈送他人，無法查證，網誌上老和尚言，多半是有思索有思考，十分抽像，這是哲學，哲理，凡人不易了解，我言過有意義之人生，當然由自己定義。

年輕時我們求學，是有目的，我們在學校認真讀書，循序漸進，畢業後找到工作，成家立業，這是有意義之人生，我們都想有錢，過豐裕之家庭生活，這也是十分有意義之人生，及其長也，有些人富有後，開始信仰宗教，勸人為善，我剛來美國，參加南浸信會耶誕節國際學生會，在丹佛市就遇到有錢人贊助此活動，我在紐西蘭旅行，路上遇到傳教者，都不忘提醒我他們都是成功之商人，富有後傳教也是有意義之人生。

這些人因為物質生活無慮，可以處理精神生活之有意義，可以臻隨心所慾之境界，這是有意義之人生，我們都是凡人，凡人也可擁有有意義之人生，凡人較易滿足，也較安份，人生不滿百，至少目前如此，時間有限，不容浪費。

我常津津樂道，我的有意義人生，我出生在台灣，一個微薄家門，幸好有雙親重視學校教育，讓我有機會完成基本學校教育，就是大學畢業，因為有此學歷，我得以申請留學美國，移民美國，我能在美國工作謀生，過有意義之生活，完全是在台灣打下之基礎，我將此機會，傳給了子女，讓他們也能擁有有意義之人生，這是很簡單又實際者也

What I have learned from Thick Nhat Hanh/Carlos Pueblo

 What I have learned from Thick Nhat Hanh/Carlos Pueblo

Thick Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk who has changed my life. Two of my friends informed me his death on January 22, 2022. Let me announce their names, Shelly of the tennis group and Ketsana of a television survey sale that both know this distinguish monk changes my life to a happy one forever. What do I have learned from him and made me so happy? In a simple sentence to describe it is a goal to live in a meaningful life, of course, we do define the word of the meaningful no matter is huge or little. Let me advice Putin of Russia and Xi of China, invading Ukraine or Taiwan are huge yet not meaningful while releasing a lizard from a bucket of frozen water is meaningful. When I was quite younger, I read a book of his called Jesus and Buddha as Brothers. I have read it several times and purchased several to give to my closed friends or introduced to many who show interest. On this book he introduces the philosophy of the Buddhism on the ways of Baruch Spinoza and Immanuel Kant. I am so appreciated to his help to get closed to these two European philosophers.

He explains that God is the totality of the nature according to Spinoza. I firmly agree. According to my Chinese history description that during ancient Chinese Dynasties, people worshiped the mountain and the river, the ghost, and gods of all kinds, etc. He also point it out what is the God? and gets the answer on his explanation from Spinoza. Furthermore, he interprets the phenomenal as well as the nominal. The phenomenal is the horizontal knowledge while the nominal is the vertical knowledge between the God and yourself. We must be well learned of the phenomenal in order to sense of the nominal according to Kant by the way of Thick explanation on his book. That is good enough for me to be enlighten! As I have announced that enlighten is from reading his book other than by listening to his speech like great disciples of he current Buddha's lectures some 2,600 years before in India.

I evaluate everything on every day if what I have run into is a meaningful life or not. It is very interesting that has satisfied my senior life. I don't think that I care about my formal ambition or desire any longer; therefore, there is no stress any more. What I have appreciated is the one that I currently own. I passed by the Vietnamese Coastline of his home town Hue exactly two years ago and I thought of him like before I traveled to the New England and France where his students built meditation centers. I regret very much that I never have an opportunity to listen to his lecture.

越南高僧釋一行圓寂／莊峻華

 越南高僧釋一行圓寂／莊峻華

越南高僧釋一行於昨日圓寂，01／22／2022，圓寂於其越南故鄉，清晨美國球友秀莉告知曰，一行老和尚書，幫助其女至甚，我僅知其夫婿羅伯特，曾是老和尚讀書會成員，讀書會後來成為禪定會，我與他提過我和老和尚之緣覺因緣，因聽說而悟為聲聞乘，因看書而悟為緣覺乘，我是讀過他的書，耶蘇和佛陀似兄弟一書而悟，老和尚曰人生即是過有意義之生活，他在這本書解釋許多德國康德哲理，深入簡出，我有佛經，道德經，和儒家思想背景，深能體會，也幫助我有健康之人生觀。

我有幾次想到聲聞乘，就是找機會聽老和尚演講，老和尚在法國，和美國新英格蘭有靈修院，其實加州也有，我旅行路過這幾處，都想到他，真想能一睹豐彩，越南客戶安慰曰，老和尚曾來休市弘法，也許我可能等到，最近一次是在兩年前，時代雜誌介紹老和尚，回越南故鄉惠省，靜候圓寂，時年高齡93，我們郵輪正好經過峴港，我是想到他。

康德哲學深奧，經過老和尚之深入淺出，就非常生動，我在阿根廷布宜諾斯艾利斯客棧，巧遇一德籍青年，我和他提及康德哲學，就是老和尚在書中介紹之物本學，水的道理，現象哲學，和物本學，就是康德講的人與神之關係，青年歉曰不懂，但告知其曾祖父與康德同鄉，當今白俄羅斯境內，我兩次途經漢堡，並且居住漢堡幾日，但未與該青年再會。

按照老和尚曰，人需多聞，了解水平世界運行萬物道理，現象學，斯可了解物本學，就是垂直的人與上帝之關係，我常懷疑愛美教會牧師，和聖經中之信口開河，愛美均斥我不要囉哩囉嗦，這是康德哲學乎？我在圖書館研究康德，未有老和尚書之易解。                                                                                                                    

The squatter/Carlos Pueblo

 The squatter/Carlos Pueblo

Current political hot subject in Taiwan other than Chinese to invade Taiwan is the squatter, in another words , the illegal construction by politicians in Taiwan. I am interested in it as I describe that Taiwan is very unique, a small island nation of the size 1/12 of the State of Texas yet with almost the same population, 24 million in Taiwan vs 29 million in Texas. Taiwanese need the space to room their family and 90% of constructions are some kinds of illegal, people add additional structures or the rich find a way to ignore the law. There are at least three topics in discussion now in Taiwan that draw my attention.

It is very interesting to me because that I have learned so much for so long about the matter even when I was in Taiwan. One of the main factor to appreciate the land value is the development of the governmental projects such as the high speed rail, subway in the large cities, farm land changed to a residential use, etc. Investors can make a fortune by purchasing the designated land before it is converted. Mayors or some legislators may leak the information to their relatives or friends we call it insider information in the U.S. Security Exchange and is a criminal offense.

For the profit of the land change, the way to solve is a proper taxation. The profit, or the gain, must be taxed from land owners when they sell and realize gains. For the illegal construction, instead of removing beautiful improvements, we can encourage the offenders to donate to the public for the benefit of the public that some one in distinguish has done that. I believe that is a frugal way and making more sense. I show the example in my Chinese edition of this article you can read it in case of your curiosity, Chia- Chuan Su is the name who used to be like the speaker of the House in Taiwan. He donated his illegal farm house to the public as a museum to get out of his jam with the law.

違章建築／莊峻華

 違章建築／莊峻華

台灣最近熱門政治話題，違章建築，非常有趣，我無法轉移注意力，還是想發表我的看法，第一，台灣地小人多，資訊發達，富人均不願落人之後，興建豪宅，第二，台灣有人迷信特權，第三，社會不知如何善後。

顏清標是黑道出身，海線黑道流氓，但因政治選舉漂白，又當上廟祝，夾大甲媽祖，以號令天下諸侯，他設法傳下衣帛給其子女，不幸其子寬恆這次立委補選挫敗，掀開一系列違章建築，面臨拆除，非常可惜，但也是罪有應得，然後是台中市長盧秀燕，也連帶波及。宜蘭縣長林姿妙，隨後也為檢廉調查，列為違法被告，她是變更地目，機關用地改為住宅用，圖利他人罪。再來就是雲林縣張麗善家族，張家勢力緣起其兄榮味，也是黑道出身，當過縣長，也犯法坐牢，他們家有多處豪宅，違章建築，都面臨拆除，或者已經開始拆除，這些違章建築，都是美侖美奐，一時之代表作品，拆除真是可惜，但也不能就地合法，雖然台灣建築90％都涉違章，台灣法律諸多漏洞，因為國民黨中國人，長期執政之劣習，上述三例涉案者，三縣長都是國民黨籍，顏家也是國民黨出身，李登輝時代，黑道進入台灣政治，蔣介石蔣經國時代，老蔣是黑道漂白，不容許台灣黑道，李登輝假台灣黑道，對抗中國難民軍頭，和台灣黨外人士，就是當今執政台灣之民進黨。

民進黨之蘇嘉全，在屏東縣長任後，也有一豪宅農舍違建，競選台中市長時被揭發，民進黨迅速處理，蘇立即捐出豪宅農舍為公義用，後來蘇當過立法院長，因姪兒生意有染，退出政壇，基本上蘇是位人才，而且清廉守法，難得有為正義，我的意思就是鼓勵上述三家族，不用拆除違章建築，浪費難得資源，捐出違建給國家社會公益用途。

佛陀在金剛經裡，反覆說明有無，這是哲學，有錢富有，只能在一穩定國家社會保持，但需守法，只有法治法律可以保護富有，美國的川普為例，一生都在挑戰法律，商法政治，現在需要面對商法政治，律師團都要求先付律師費，川普有錢，煩惱不斷，與窮人煩惱無異，把不義之財捐出吧。

My immigration to the U.S. from Taiwan /Carlos Pueblo

 My immigration to the U.S. from Taiwan /Carlos Pueblo

Each time when I watch the stressful news of Taiwan, my home country before the summer of 1975, I feel so appreciative of my immigration to the U.S. from Taiwan. Taiwan is about 1/12 size of Texas in area while 5 million shy of population in population with Texas. The density of the population per area is very high; therefore, you can see how hard Taiwanese must work in order to survive. The most important of my successful life is this immigration which has created the opportunity for me and my family to be in a much different class in the society, I mean from the poverty class to a middle class.

There is a subject of issue with the abuse of land and existing law in Taiwan from the Nationalist Chinese local elected officials. It is a fact of real life that the law doesn't apply to them. It is more like Donald Trump in the U.S., of course, there are some difference yet the same theory, greedy in public expanse or we say corruption.

In Taiwan, the land is scarce. The land must be developed in order to make room for the population to live and use. Therefore, the elected local government officers including members of councils of every level all attempt to grasp the opportunity to abuse the law and make a huge profit. It has been this way for years that the law doesn't apply to these kinds of politicians. Now, it is about the time for them to be faced the law.

I think that there is a better way to make it work for the rule of law. In the American society, they call if to follow the money and tax them! In cases of Taiwan, some talk shows discussions now come to the tax issue. The government always needs some revenue to meet needs of all kinds such as the national defense, welfare, infrastructure,  employees pension, and funds to fight the pandemic, etc. It is one of the effective way to increase the revenue and I don't see any other better way.