Sabitlenmiş Tweet
My account is a relatively new account. So I thought to spend some time on explaining who I am, who is Cuong. You can essentially understand me by understanding my background.
I was born a Buddhist in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). My maternal family was from Hanoi. And you can understand the Buddha by his past lives. In one life, he saved a dove from being eaten by a hawk but gave the hawk a piece of flesh from his own arm. Another he sacrificed himself because he saw a starving mother tiger with cubs. Yet another he was king of a prosperous nation where he was so generous that he never says no to anyone's request, even when someone finally asked for his head. So the Buddha can be described as naive -- or he can be described as having boundless love and empathy.
I believe that when I give, that gift is truly for me and not the recipient. Yes the gift benefits the recipient but the giver is benefited double by strengthening my own character. You don't need to be a Buddhist to understand the act of trying to care for each other, looking out for one another, encouraging each other. Because when we all die, that is all that matters.
As an author of a famous book on conflict, I am fully aware of wins and losses in this world. But how inspiring it is when the Buddha said, "Victory begets resentment. Defeated, you sleep with dissatisfaction. But you sleep completely calm and satisfied if you leave behind both victory and defeat."
Of course I am not a monk, much less a Buddha. I made regrettable mistakes in the past. Nonetheless I try my best to be closer to the Buddha's teachings, the Dhamma: no alcohol, no smoking, eating moderately, causing no harm to others, feeling genuine empathy whenever I see suffering, leading a life with integrity and without malice.
I am happy to have connected with so many wonderful people on X so far, and I look forward to connecting with many more in the future. I love you all.❤️
English
