On my transit flight back from Bangkok, I bump into a former colleague. She has retired about a year ago and she expressed her surprise to see me as we have never in contact with each other since she left the Company, We exchange greetings and update each other on our friends , colleagues and our Company.
She was on her way back from India with a group of 28 people, lead by a Sri Lankan Buddist Monk , who is residing in the US. She told me that it was spiritually very fulfilling as the Monk lead them through the birth place and the foot steps of the Buddha, It was a pity that Buddhism have died in the place of its birth and the missionary jobs have been taken over by the Tibetan , Sri Lankan , Chinese and Thai Buddhist monks.
She also knew my adopted Guru, Ajahn Brahm and she finds him lively, frank and progressive. I shared the same opinion and it was reported that Buddhism is the fastest rising religion in Australia as there are a lot of monastery and highly enlighten monks in Australia. Ajahn Brahm was expel from the Thai monastery as he broke tradition by promoting a female monk in his monastery without consulting his Thai counterparts. This is one of the changes which is needed in today's Buddhism. Everybody is created equal and every person is entitle to their choice of religion and be responsible for their own attainment in enlightenment. There is a good saying " We can provide you the knowledge but we cannot make you learn".
I must admit that a lot of my friends who have slowed down or since retirement have actually gone on such retreat in search of spiritual fulfillment and have gradually entered into the 2nd and 3rd rank of Buddha's life cycle : Birth, old age, sickness and death. When you reach a certain age, this consciousness is getting more vivid and it is a path to the end. But, I must maintain that life is still a journey and not a destination but the facts remain and we have to learn to gradually prepare our self. This may sound passive but it is real. To think or not to think is one's choice and decision. There is never a right or wrong and all of us is responsible for our own actions. Just open and follow your heart and control your mind.
There is a Chinese saying " We can eat at the same table but our path to enlightenment is through our own way".
Namaste
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Our path in life
In the film, LXD , there was this quote. At birth, our path is set for us, when we grow, we choose our path and most of the time our path change or at times, the path find us. This is a very deep philosophy and our life evolves and will continue to evolves.
We can choose the common path which have been curved out by billions of people, or we can choose a path that is less travelled or we can curve out a new patch for others to follow. Whichever way, the end is the same but the journey there will be different.
I was travelling from Dhaka to Palash on a car. It is like a city road to a country side where the road can only accommodate two vehicles . One from the left and one from the right in different directions. The road is full with buses, trucks , cars , motorbikes and people walking on both sides of the road. Everything is in a rush and most of the time , the vehicles moving in opposite directions would have a 50% chance of getting hit by an opposite vehicle. And this incident happens when a truck hit the side mirror of the vehicle I was travelling in and both drivers just move on as if nothing happens. Life is so cheap and fluid. It could be one day , I am here and the next moment, I will be gone.
You may asked me why. Why I choose this path? One of my expatriate colleague told me that this is my life work and since, I started it , I have to finish it. Yes, am I selfish so that I can leave behind a legacy? Or it is an ego trip? Yeah, I have a choice of comfort and safety.
You may say that I am a fortune hunter and I won't denied that a bit more money does help but I think at this age which passed the normal retirement age. It is more of a challenging spirit and to curve out a path in Bangladesh to lay a route to a new frontier. You may say it is non of my business and other people also can do it. Yes, other people can also do it but I want to do it to fulfill my individual vision in life and have satisfaction in life.
I think there is a frontier spirit in everyone of us but the choice of a routine and comfortable life suppress this desire to venture and to create. Whatever path we have chosen or is chosen for us, whatever is within us will not change. So, float like a butterfly and sting like a bee as we fly through your path in life.
Namaste.
We can choose the common path which have been curved out by billions of people, or we can choose a path that is less travelled or we can curve out a new patch for others to follow. Whichever way, the end is the same but the journey there will be different.
I was travelling from Dhaka to Palash on a car. It is like a city road to a country side where the road can only accommodate two vehicles . One from the left and one from the right in different directions. The road is full with buses, trucks , cars , motorbikes and people walking on both sides of the road. Everything is in a rush and most of the time , the vehicles moving in opposite directions would have a 50% chance of getting hit by an opposite vehicle. And this incident happens when a truck hit the side mirror of the vehicle I was travelling in and both drivers just move on as if nothing happens. Life is so cheap and fluid. It could be one day , I am here and the next moment, I will be gone.
You may asked me why. Why I choose this path? One of my expatriate colleague told me that this is my life work and since, I started it , I have to finish it. Yes, am I selfish so that I can leave behind a legacy? Or it is an ego trip? Yeah, I have a choice of comfort and safety.
You may say that I am a fortune hunter and I won't denied that a bit more money does help but I think at this age which passed the normal retirement age. It is more of a challenging spirit and to curve out a path in Bangladesh to lay a route to a new frontier. You may say it is non of my business and other people also can do it. Yes, other people can also do it but I want to do it to fulfill my individual vision in life and have satisfaction in life.
I think there is a frontier spirit in everyone of us but the choice of a routine and comfortable life suppress this desire to venture and to create. Whatever path we have chosen or is chosen for us, whatever is within us will not change. So, float like a butterfly and sting like a bee as we fly through your path in life.
Namaste.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
There is always a lesson somewhere
Yes, I have said before that we should not judge on another person's action or you shall also be judged. But, I really cannot tolerate as these disgusting acts are just too much.
I was travelling by a local airline from Chittagong to Dhaka and the flight was delayed by one and half hours. While we sit there fuming and trying to calm our self down , there was this couple sitting there waiting together with us. The girl just stuck to the man like a leech, practically graping hold of the man and start to pull small hairs from his face and head and this lasted for the whole waiting period infront of about a 100 people. There were so many Bangladeshi at the airport and their religion is Islam. One look at the man and girl, I know the man is flirting with the woman as he was quite old and she was many years younger. I know I should not judge but it really make me uncomfortable. I over heard the man talking in Cantonese while the women speak in Mandarin. Yes, she is one of those wacky China dolls who have posted and caused many havoc to happy homes. I met a friend in Dhaka and he told me that the China girls are everywhere , trying to catch a big fish irrespective of color, race and religion. Just like devil in disguise.
Another China couple was also very annoying , talking for the whole waiting time at the airport and on the flight from Chittagong to Dhaka. I just wonder why they have so many things to talk. Don't they feel tired and be more aware of their surrounding and respect the people around them. This prompted my colleague with me to concur that the China man and women are loud , rowdy and their splash their money around like no body's business. The more money they have, the louder they will talk. This is really a nuisance and irritating.
These two incidents really push me to the edge and I have to dig into my wisdom to keep a peace of mind and to remain calm to complete the journey. Maybe, there is a lesson in these incidents and tell me that I have a lot to learn.
There was this story of a young monk who cannot meditate because a nearby bell was ringing very loud and he gets irritated and went to see the abbot of the temple. He asked the abbot how he can tolerate the ringing bell. The abbot told him that the choice of selecting what to hear depends entirely on the young monk. We cannot get calm or stillness is because we choose to concentrate on the sound or the ringing bell. We know that standing in the middle of the street will caused us to be knock down by on-coming traffic, do we still want to stand in the middle of the street. If we put our hands near the candle, we will get burn, do we still want to put our hands there to be hurt ? So, it all depends on us to stir our mind or focus to something more pleasant and positive. The two above incidents is a good example. Why should I look at them or try to hear what they say, it only hurt me.
Yes, I believe that there is a lesson in any incidents or happening. We just need to be more aware of this test and the choice of our will.
Namaste.
I was travelling by a local airline from Chittagong to Dhaka and the flight was delayed by one and half hours. While we sit there fuming and trying to calm our self down , there was this couple sitting there waiting together with us. The girl just stuck to the man like a leech, practically graping hold of the man and start to pull small hairs from his face and head and this lasted for the whole waiting period infront of about a 100 people. There were so many Bangladeshi at the airport and their religion is Islam. One look at the man and girl, I know the man is flirting with the woman as he was quite old and she was many years younger. I know I should not judge but it really make me uncomfortable. I over heard the man talking in Cantonese while the women speak in Mandarin. Yes, she is one of those wacky China dolls who have posted and caused many havoc to happy homes. I met a friend in Dhaka and he told me that the China girls are everywhere , trying to catch a big fish irrespective of color, race and religion. Just like devil in disguise.
Another China couple was also very annoying , talking for the whole waiting time at the airport and on the flight from Chittagong to Dhaka. I just wonder why they have so many things to talk. Don't they feel tired and be more aware of their surrounding and respect the people around them. This prompted my colleague with me to concur that the China man and women are loud , rowdy and their splash their money around like no body's business. The more money they have, the louder they will talk. This is really a nuisance and irritating.
These two incidents really push me to the edge and I have to dig into my wisdom to keep a peace of mind and to remain calm to complete the journey. Maybe, there is a lesson in these incidents and tell me that I have a lot to learn.
There was this story of a young monk who cannot meditate because a nearby bell was ringing very loud and he gets irritated and went to see the abbot of the temple. He asked the abbot how he can tolerate the ringing bell. The abbot told him that the choice of selecting what to hear depends entirely on the young monk. We cannot get calm or stillness is because we choose to concentrate on the sound or the ringing bell. We know that standing in the middle of the street will caused us to be knock down by on-coming traffic, do we still want to stand in the middle of the street. If we put our hands near the candle, we will get burn, do we still want to put our hands there to be hurt ? So, it all depends on us to stir our mind or focus to something more pleasant and positive. The two above incidents is a good example. Why should I look at them or try to hear what they say, it only hurt me.
Yes, I believe that there is a lesson in any incidents or happening. We just need to be more aware of this test and the choice of our will.
Namaste.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wisdom : The choice of re-action
There was a young monk who was begging from house to house.
There came a Rich Person who was super arrogant and egoist.
The Rich Person started giving bad words and abusing the monk for no reasons.
The monk was still cool, calm and composed.
The Rich Person got wilder because he thought that the monk will lose his temper.
So he started to shout more and give more bad words.
Still there was no reaction from the monk.
The Rich Person called him close and then pushed him into the mud.
The monk fell and all his belongings scattered.
But still the monk did not say anything and was very cool.
This perplexed the Rich Person so he called the young monk and asked the secret of the monk's coolness. The monk did not reply directly, but asked the rich man who was sitting on the horse. Sir, whose horse is this?
Rich Person: Mine obviously
Monk: If you give me this horse whose will it become?
Rich Person: I do not want to give you the horse but if I give you the horse it will belong to you.
Monk: Good, you want to give but I do not accept the horse, then whose will it become?
Rich Person: If you do not accept the horse it will be mine, obviously.
Monk: You gave me so many Bad Words, I did not accept any. So all of it is yours!
(Writer: unknown)
In transition
The time in Bangladesh is two hours behind the Malaysian time and I am aware that it is already 12 mid night in my home country but my mind is playing a fool with my consciousness as it is only 10 pm here in Bangla. Shall I sleep or not ? My awareness is fighting with my consciousness. On one side, it is already late and on the other side, it is still early. If I sleep now , I will be up by 5 am local time and it is still early in the morning. So, I want to put my thoughts on my blog.
I have just finished a dinner with my colleagues in Bangla and we also sang a couple of songs at the restaurant's Karaoke Room. The songs we sang were from the 70's and 80's , with songs like born free, bridge over troubled water , dreams ,etc. My feelings were a bit confused as I drift back to my earlier years when I was playing a band. It was a carefree day and my friendship with my band friends was wonderful and we spend a lot of time together. We dis-band after I got married and my band friends just moved on and we seldom catch up with each other.
After a few years after we dis-band, I called up my bassist and asked where are all the other band players especially my rhythm guitarist. He told me to look for him in the underworld as he has moved on. I was taken aback and feel bad that I did not look for him earlier. Well, this is life. We are so caught up in the rat race and to start a family, we just become too focus on our well being that we neglect those friends who have grown up with me and share a music bond with me.
Now in strange land and after re-visiting some of the old songs, my past memories flow back to me and make me think of my band friends and the wonderful time we have together. Why can't we think of them earlier and called them to refresh the friendship before it is too late.
Suddenly, I feel so flimsy and uncertain like flowing through time in a strange land and suspend in transit. My psychical body in here now but my mind is back in the past. This is a mis-match and caused an uncomfortable and uncertain feeling of lost.
Hope that all you readers understand my thoughts and my feelings and learn from my mistake. You do not need to get your self lost in pursuance of your well being and severe ties with your good friends. You can do both and you will feel more fulfilled in the end.
Namaste.
I have just finished a dinner with my colleagues in Bangla and we also sang a couple of songs at the restaurant's Karaoke Room. The songs we sang were from the 70's and 80's , with songs like born free, bridge over troubled water , dreams ,etc. My feelings were a bit confused as I drift back to my earlier years when I was playing a band. It was a carefree day and my friendship with my band friends was wonderful and we spend a lot of time together. We dis-band after I got married and my band friends just moved on and we seldom catch up with each other.
After a few years after we dis-band, I called up my bassist and asked where are all the other band players especially my rhythm guitarist. He told me to look for him in the underworld as he has moved on. I was taken aback and feel bad that I did not look for him earlier. Well, this is life. We are so caught up in the rat race and to start a family, we just become too focus on our well being that we neglect those friends who have grown up with me and share a music bond with me.
Now in strange land and after re-visiting some of the old songs, my past memories flow back to me and make me think of my band friends and the wonderful time we have together. Why can't we think of them earlier and called them to refresh the friendship before it is too late.
Suddenly, I feel so flimsy and uncertain like flowing through time in a strange land and suspend in transit. My psychical body in here now but my mind is back in the past. This is a mis-match and caused an uncomfortable and uncertain feeling of lost.
Hope that all you readers understand my thoughts and my feelings and learn from my mistake. You do not need to get your self lost in pursuance of your well being and severe ties with your good friends. You can do both and you will feel more fulfilled in the end.
Namaste.
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