Expert: Justin Choo - 9/23/2009

Question
"If you want to know what you did in the past,
Look at where you are at present.
If you want to know where you will be in the future,
Look at what you are doing at the present."
I was born into a foster world(parentless)I remember living in several foster homes, I remember being sexually assulted at a very young age, maybe at more than one foster home, my belief in a creator was from a very young age, I remember my last foster home allot, my place was always of very much thankfulness to the foster families it was what I was told to do and thus always thought I was so lucky to be at there house, I was always treated in a not nice manner by any of the homes I remember, like a bad person I allways thought that of myself as today, your above statement kinda reflects my present but as a child I lived a life of fear with not really doing bad to no-one or trying and I helped lots of poeple as many as I could, my 12yr marriage ended with me getting sole custody of my 3 children and I raised them myself, my ex-wife beat my children and told them if they said anything she would send them around the world and they would not see me or each other forever they were 6, 8 & 9 years old at the time-long story and bad, as a family we have had nothing but heart ache, from one tragedy to another, financial ruin, poeple judge me for no reason, I am gossiped about and made out to be a creep of a guy/untrusting/thief/a bad guy allways to this day... I never go out,dont drink,try to be a good person and I mean try, even a friend that I have says she has never seen or heard of anything like what I go through, like now a muscle disease that cannot be diagnosed for 8 years, have any thoughts???

Answer
Hi Brian,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.  It is said; and also my personal experience that when you share your thoughts to a trusted friend, half the burden is lifted.  I wish you feel the same.

When I first read the quote, it sounded familiar.  Well let us consider the first line:

"If you want to know what you did in the past,
Look at where you are at present."

The Buddha reminded us that we brought with us a storehouse of our past kamma, both good and bad.  We are born with either this treasure of good kamma, or with a burden of bad kamma.  Most often, it is a mixture of good and bad.  For this we have no control and whatever befall us due to our past kamma, is unfortunately "bad luck".  Be that as it may, right now, we have a certain degree of control over our lives; and this leads to the next sentence:

"If you want to know where you will be in the future,
Look at what you are doing at the present."


We may not really know what will happen in the future, especially future lives.  However, the most important is what we are experiencing right now..this life.  From what you wrote,you have gone through "the realities of life".  Life is not a bunch of sweet smelling roses; even roses have sharp thorns.  Let your past experiences be a lesson that you learned to value virtues and compassion.  Let us not follow the foolish and evil people who inflict terror and fear on others.  In this world, there will always be such people who are actually not "humans".  They just exist to satisfy their animal instinct of hate and desire.  Let them be.  Right now you have full control of your life.  Inculcate in your children the values of good conduct.  Continue with your noble lifestyle.  The Buddha reminded us that when one practises the Dhamma well, the Dhamma will protect the one.  Simply put; continue with your good work and the natural law will be your protector, here and now.

Feel free to visit this place as and when you feel like it.

Take care, Brian.

Justin Choo.
[I like to invite you to visit my blog:]
http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/

[And these sites by Rev. Dhammika:]
http://sdhammika.blogspot.com/
http://www.buddhismatoz.com/