What Happened

Once upon a beginningless time

Beneath a starlit sky

Two pure faerylights

Hover over the lily pond

Knowing nothing else except the presence of the other

And of course the beauty of the world around them

In another age

Within a crystal pyramid of light

A couple hold hands

Each aware only of the presence of the other

And the bliss resulting from this

Promising never to be apart

Beneath the feet of the lotus master

All sat in reverence and adoration

Amongst them sat too

Two beings in devotion

Two truth seekers they were

Each aware and thankful for the presence of the other

Those were pure times

But in between flow the rivers of life

Some waters are cleansing

While others pollute

Yet others corrode

Until all memories are forgotten

Each unknowingly soaks the colors and flavors

This everflowing waters

Becoming a being each to one’s own

Not knowing the dangers that comes

With self with pride with arrogance

With Ego

Once there were two pure lights

Now there are two individuals

One knows the other

As a name a face another

Inviting when pleasing

Distant when displeasure arises

The beauty of the starlit sky

And the fragrance of the lilies

The innocence of their dance

The warmth of their devotion

Seems lost submerged

Alas!

Passing on of a Friend

It is with sadness that I write this.

A week or two ago, I learnt that a friend Mr. Wong has passed on. He must be near 70 and I've not seen him for quite some time, like nears. Our lives crossed. He was a good man.

We found this out only because a friend whom he gave some Sivali relics to called his home to tel him the relics he gave has multipled. ( Relics do multiply and this is not the first time it had done so. Such multiplication is seen as a manifestation of the Buddha presence)

Death so often forgets us or rather we forget our own immortality and the brevity of our presence here. We touch the lives of others but more our lives are touched by those who share this same sphere with us.

Life is about finding happiness. May all find that.

I have with me a rare talisman of Luang Por Thot which he gave to me and that will always remind me of him.

To you, Mr. Wong may you move on and swiftly find the truth you seek.

light of the lamps

The lamps may be different but the light is the same...Humphrey *** from Gubra

Respect and your Child

A friend sent me an excerpt from Patrick Teoh's blog which spoke about how kids of the 50's,60's and 70's did all the wrong things which would have parents today shaking their heads. Those kids, albeit older today, are still fine.

This brought to my mind something about how children learn. Often, I meet friends show me their kids, sometimes their grandkids and what struck me most is that these kids do not say hello or call "uncle" as we were taught to. They would often act bored or just refuse to sall even when coaxed.

It is not that I want to feel good to be called "uncle" as it matters nothing to me. What I feel sad for them is that their elders did not provide them with a good foundation. They are left to learn the finer points and qualities on their own when they go out into the world. These qualities are the foundation for loving , caring, respect and humility.
Kids learn from their elders. If the parents do not stand up and greet visitors, then it is uniklely that the child will do so later in life. The child will not see that to take time to greet a visitor (or a family member returning home), even though one is busy, for example eating, is an act of courtesy and respect. Who would blame the child, if in later life, he would not as much as glance at the father when he comes home from work?

Another observation. If you want to know how your host rates you, just check how he sends you off. Does he/she let you leave on your own or are you sent to the door? If you are asking for a loan, you will notice that the front door is closed right after you are outside and before you have a chance to put on your shoes. However if you love her, you will walk her all the way to her car and wave as she drives off.

Head Stones and Mile Stones

It has been taught by many trainers and motivational gurus to set aside a special day to contemplate and plan for the coming year ahead. Being a sucker for such stuff, I admit, I faithfully followed.

One who fails to plan, plans to fail, so the mantra goes. Is that really so?

As we travel along the roads, we see milestones. By planning, we set our own milestones along this journey of life. Is that good?

Maybe the truer truth is that all these milestones don't matter.

We spend so much time and effort accumulating the wealth of this world. The most important thing seems forgotten along the way.

As we fade away witht he sunset, what is it that really matters? On reflection, all the milestones that we planted are just gravestones.

Dubai

I was into the Aghora book and at one point, it mentioned that Bombay is a cursed place.

People who live there will in the end be polluted by its curse. Only those very rare ones will come off it purer. Reminds me of the peacock that imbibes poison unharmed being able to transmute poison into the beauty of its plumes.

It made me reflect on some of those places I have been. It is true, isn't it that there are some places which makes you comfortable and then again there are those that turns you off. Of course here I would remind myself of the teaching that whatever we see is but a reflection of our own nature. (what this means is that whatever follows is to be taken with the pinch of salt that it deserves as it is only my own perception)

Recently I had an opportunity to be in Dubai. I had hopes of a desert walkabout but I did not get to see or do very much as the lack of mobility was a major obstacle and taxi fares prohibitive.

There are some places which saps your energy and Dubai is one of them. Rich though it may be but behind the eyes of many, the human soul is missing. The workers are mainly if not entirely men coming from the Indian subcontinent. Except for one who says he is Arab, all the taxi drivers I have rode with are either Pakistanis or Indians. They earn what one night in a good hotel would cost. I read that 109 Indians died by their own hands as of September'08. This despite the facade that Dubai is the land of plenty.

The locals are handsome by most standards. By nature or by exposure, I observed that the migrant workers have developed very ugly values, being coarse, like to bully and on the whole contemptous both to foreigners and to their own kind. The beautiful side of human nature is sorely missing.

This attribute seems to extend to the habitat. Everywhere there is barren-ness like somehow a big torch has scorched the place and left its curse.

Alongside all this barren-ness lies manmade megaliths as tributes to man's ego and slavery to the senses. I saw all this decadence that seems so self inflicted. It conjures images of card 16.

This is Dubai. I write so briefly and there is so much room for missed perceptions. Any rejoinders?

Emptiness

Emptiness is Form
Form is Emptiness
Emptiness is none other than Form
Form is none other than Emptiness

This is an oft repeated prayer and comes straight from the Heart Sutra.

More than 2500 years ago the man we call the Buddha gathered his disciples together on this place called Vulture’s Peak. His disciples were ready for more advance teachings.

This is Vulture's Peak...

Thousands of enlightened Arahants and Buddha aspirants (Bodhisatvas) were present. It is a wonder how this small little crag could accommodate so many but then again we are limited by our own clouded perceptions.

In any case, this Sutra was spoken through Avalokiteshvara, the great Bodhisatva of compassion. If you miss that, he is none other than Kuan Yin. The Sutra follows the great style of the Buddha in that it is a parry of questions and answers between the Arahant Sariputra and Avalokiteshvara with the Buddha approving all this while in deep meditation.
Emptiness goes like this. We may have a physical body we identify as ourself. Whenever we look in the mirror, there we are. It is very assuring to know that everything is alright, minus of course the odd pimple that has popped up.

Now the Avalokiteshvara says we are actually empty or emptiness or whatever word that says that lovely shape of ours is not real. Wow! We are supposed to meditate on that.
So being told so, we go back and meditated as I suppose those great beings up on Vulture’s Peak did right there and then.

It took us quite a bit of time before we feel that we have got it. We have seen that our thinking mind is quite separate from our body. Ah.. maybe that’s the emptiness good old Avalokiteshvara is talking about.

But just as we thought that we have got it, It says that emptiness also is form. What? That means that actually we are empty..empty as in devoid of self and that lovely tummy that we have spent so much beer money and sausages on. That lovely tummy which we derived so much satisfaction rubbing and scratching after a hearty meal is not real?

Well after much complaining to the Buddha who said go and meditate more, we quietly do so. After all he is none other than the Buddha and there is only one in the whole wide cosmos. Goodness knows how long more we have to wait before the next Buddha appears. This is indeed a rare opportunity to learn something real that will give everlasting peace.

I mean, if it were anyone else we would have shown him something coarse and walked out. Probably this must have crossed the minds of some of those great ones there as this was certainly revolutionary thinking. Remember they were enlightened, you know.

Just as those enlightened beings meditated so did we. Of course our puny thinking skills and clear-mindedness just cannot fathom further. To help us along, some of the better ones realized that they were actually both emptiness and form. This they duly told the Buddha while we all lesser mortals remained silent, not being able to go further. The water is too deep.

As it happened, we exclaimed, “Ah…yes, that’s it!” or “Emaho” or “Eureka!” or something of like nature. Probably the smart Arahant did give himself a silent smirk or two.

Woe…woe…the Buddha smiled and said, “ But what about Emptiness is none other than form?”
There seems to be no end here. After exhausting the borders of our meditation skills and comprehension, we are told that our argument is not full proof but only fool proof. “Go meditate more.”

Do we see it now? This emptiness is all about pushing the borders of our perception. Pema Chodon calls it groundlessness. Every time we think we have arrived at a revelation or, if you like compliments, an enlightened thought, remove our bases. Pull the rug out and reexamine from there. Only then can we expect to see and understand what the Buddha means when he says there is no liberation or suffering. How can there be when form and emptiness are the same?When we begin to see that those who suffer and ourselves are one and the same, then maybe we have got something. This emptiness and form thing means that the person who suffers, the one who starts the suffering and suffering itself are one and the same.

Compassion and Loving Kindness

Loving kindness is thinking of wanting others to be happy.

Compassion is getting up and doing something to dispel suffering.

Preciousness of human life

According to the Teachings, the scarcity of being born a human is compared to the possibility of a turtle surfacing once every hundred years and on surfacing his head passes a ring the size of a yoke floating in the wide ocean.

Within the laws of probability, everything is possible. The laws of karma, rebirth in different forms, multiple realms and worlds; all these are possible.

The Teachings exhort us to make use and treasure this human life and use it meaningfully for the pursuit of spiritual goals. Have I?

What are we?

A quote from this book (I have not finished reading it so am unable to provide a review...later)

"The ship is safest when it's in port, but that's not what ships were built for."

Soft shell crabs, anyone?

I have heard of many people who enjoy eating the soft shell crab and treat this as a delicacy.

Well, I learnt over lunch today the cruel way in which these crabs are bred (more like prepared) for consumption. After reading this and knowing how much cruelty is involved I hope that you will not order them anymore and tell your friends about this. This is how it goes...

Young crabs which have been caught or reared have all their limbs and claws cut off. They are then thrown back into the breeding pond. These crabs apparently undergo and suffer much pain as they wriggle and struggle. Apparently it is the pain that triggers their bodies to shed their hard outer shell. Once this process is over they are harvested.

To all who rear soft shell crabs and those who delight as they eat them, please show conpassion...Om Mani Peme Hung...

Clockwise? Which direction?

Which way is clockwise?

Surely all of us know that. The thing is that not much thought has been given to this concept that have been us all our life.

It just so happens that clockwise is but one of those little silent things that have taken over our lives. It is just a convention and we have been conditioned to accept that convention. No wonder it is taught that we are a creation of conditioning.

Just like accepting that clockwise is just this direction, many of our attitudes and views and the way we take things to be are also conditioned. This conditioning is not what we really are. Peel away those layers that is not us and perhaps we may find out what we really are made up off. It is taught that we will find that we are empty of any existence and that is when it becomes really frightening. But then we are assured that that is when enlightenment dawns.

life whizzing by

Aa I was driving along the north south highway a few mornings ago, I passed by one of my favorite spots along the highway. This one is just after the Seremban toll heading north on the right hand side. It is a grassy knoll. It is not naturally grassy though as it once used to be belukar but now is a cleared area used for culturing turves.

That morning, the sun was just up and men were busy changkuling away harvesting the green turves. It was a splendid sight of men at work with nature, away from the roar of us busy noisy motorist. There was calm in that.

I so wanted to take a picture but it was not possible as I was speeding along. A great shot wasted.

Life is like that. We move so fast whizzing past that we have no time to capture the details. We miss the sights, the aroma, the joys. Just like that moment on the road, it can only remain a memory soon to fade with nothing to share with anyone else.

Should we not slow down some? Time and Tide wait for no man, how true!

Dying and Dreaming

I lost a few friends this past few years to death. The day will come when I will lose all of them when I die.

I dreamt that I was walking along a path. This path used to be one of those that as a young boy I had often used when running about with boys from the same village. The shrubs that lined this path had leaves that were prickly and tend to cut our skin if we were not too careful which often happens when we became too engrossed in our games.

In this particular dream however the leaves were green, fresh, young and new growing off their long stems. I take this to be a good sign.

Within the same dream was another aspect. It got me thinking about how we are so much a slave to attachment and emotions. For example a young boy will forgo the opportunity, excitement and experience of studying in a foreign land simply because he has affections for a girl and being apart becomes something unthinkable.

As grown adults we too have moments when we pine for those we love. Very often we miss our family when we are away from home. Sometimes it is just the knowing that they are near that makes us feel good. Each may be going about their own individual activity.

We are very attached and emotional animals. Perhaps, the solution lies in us being able to move a plane higher by “feeling” on a mental level. That way distance and separation does not become an issue as when we are all mentally connected there is no separation. Of course, the teachings tell me otherwise. It tells me that as long as there is one iota of craving, a thought such as the one I have just talked about is but one distraction that will lead me astray.

The true path should be one that leads me to rejoin the great ocean, just like the droplets of rain rejoining the sea. That way all becomes inseparable and free of ‘you’ and ‘I’.

A Dream of lost babies and flip flop-having only one face

I had a dream two nights ago which on reflection gave me some interesting insight and lessons.

It was actually two dreams in one. In the first part of this dream, I was in a hospital nursery. There was this couple with a baby who had just learnt to crawl. On the blue tiled floor was scattered lost of colorful toys. These toys were like Lego strewn all over. Somehow the baby was dropped onto the floor and she vanished. Well sort of vanish. We knew she was somewhere among the toys but just could not be located. I tried to help and in doing it made a show like I was concerned and threw sidelong glances at other people to check whether others knew I was ‘concerned’.

The next stage of the dream had me leaving this nursery. I boarded what appeared to be a huge ship but the difference was that this ship could fly. So there we go soaring over the dark sea and its huge waves. Even though soaring, this ship somehow ploughed the waters and the wake of the water was awesome.

I chanced to look at my feet and I had flip flops on. And one, the one on the right foot was coming loose. Even though I tried to hold on to it by squeezing it, there was a loss of control and that flip flop fell into the sea below. Within my thoughts the flip flop was not so important as I had another good pair of hiking boots. It was quite a high fall and I could see it fall and disappear.

What this dream taught me was that to act with greater sincerity. In my dealings and thoughts I should not act because I wanted people to think I was of a certain nature. That nature of mine should be natural and should come from the heart not for some hope of recognition or reputation. I should learn to develop myself such that every act and thought as well as the words that leave my lips are naturally free of falsity. I should have only one face which will be the same irrespective of what others see me as, what I should show to others and what I would like myself to be. That is the meaning of the first part of the dream.

The second part of the dream tells me that I should not hold onto little things in life. I should not let petty issues trouble me in that there are so many more precious things in life. There are bigger issues and goals. I should learn to let go.

'black' or 'white'?

Today a friend is travelling, taking a long train ride south. The reason for this journey is to visit a sister who is scheduled for an operation to remove a tumour, a pretty large one.

Every operation involves risk and it is not a journey to relish. It is a journey that does not carry with it the excitement that comes with setting forth on an adventure.

Very often we find ourselves in a family gathering not out of sharing some joyous moment but for some sas tearful event. The chinese say that family meet either for some 'black' or 'white' event. It echoes very appropriately the way the rat and dollar race has got to us. We just 'have no time' to catch up in lighter moments to share live or just simply for that cup of tea.

We do not catch a train to drop by or over at a brother or a sister or father or mother to say hello or simply to to chat nothings. I remember my grandmother used to trudge with her rattan weave bag from town to town visiting her daughters. I remember my aunties too doing the same and they will drop over for a few hours and then walk a long way to the bus stop and then take the last bus home to her village home many miles away.

That's how life was in the old way. What happened? We have cars and many other means of getting about yet we do not do the old way? We wait for the 'black' or 'white'....

Saving for what?

Ever own a laptop computer? And if you do, do you take the battery out to use when the mains are plugged cos batteries are expensive and you want to save the battery for that time when you need it most. Well, I did.

As often happens, the battery outlasts the laptop. Just like in life we always try to scrounge on ourselves so much so that we begin to develop some masochistic joy out of scrimping on ourselves. Very soon we find that our body gives up on us and we will leave behind all those treasured possessions like savings for that rainy day, unopened gadget or a new shirt still in its plastic envelope waiting for that one suitable day. One person I know still have the plastic wrapping on his car seat, not wanting to tear and throw it away for fear of dirtying the fabric. Well, he will never relish the soft feel of the seat cushion. That person is my brother…haha..

“Go for it!” says one shoe advertisement and I think we can see its relevance in the way we look at life as well. After energy work courses, we often teach that we must give ourselves a treat in celebration. It may be a hearty meal or just something simple like a bar of chocolate. In this way we celebrate life and also take it as an opportunity for the blessings and abundance that the Universe had provided us. Try it!

To Receive, Let Go

Hope nobody shouts"Plagiarism!!!" but this story i find meaningful..here goes :) thanks for the fwd mate.

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five.Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face."A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies.After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.

On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath.Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he wouldstop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.

One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, daddy, not my pearls.But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite."

"That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night."

And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?""Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you."

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style.As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy.And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, daddy; this is for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is, with our Heavenly Father.He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.

Are we holding onto things that we should let go of? Are we holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that we have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go?

Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing .The greatest gifts happen when you share love & touch others.

In giving love and generating compassion and practising generosity oneself is healed too!

Borobudor

I remember Borobudor.
That ancient ruins
A monument from that era
of flourishing Buddhism
vajrayana Buddhism

why did it die?
simple
as all things must come and go
so too must structures and things once permanent
so died it did

religions and philosophies too
will follow this same fate
that is what the Lion of the Sakyas said
and I believe him
yes I do I do

I enter
From the low of the prambunan plains
The mural walls dark and grey
Like life
Mired in ignorance

Mong cha cha is life
murky and confused
So apt this
Of life
Blindly plodding on to nowhere

As I climb
There is some glimpse
Of the sky
And light
So further I climb

Then
Lo and behold
A rush of cool fresh air
The view stupendous
As the valley below unfolds

Endless the sunlit plains
Stretching to meet the horizon
Farmers toil the fields
As we churn in life
Endlessly

Magnificent
This ruins of borobudor
Learned its architect
But this other architect of no happiness
One day I shall defeat!

Faith !

The news say that Tibetans are fighting for their homeland. There is karma between Tibetans and I. My heart goes out to them. May they one day regain their homeland. May that day be soon!