A Moment of Peace

by Marcus on March 10, 2010

Ajahn Brahm

Ajahn Brahm

In the book “Who Ordered this Truckload of Dung” Ajahn Brahm gave many insightful and inspiring stories but I liked the ancient Chinese proverb quoted at the opening page. It rightly deserves it place in the beginning of his book. It goes…

Grant yourself a moment of peace,

and you will understand

how foolishly you have scurried about.

Learn to be silent,

and you will notice that

you have talked too much

Be kind,

and you will realize that

Your judgement of others was too severe.

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Seen an Udumbara Flower before?

by Marcus on March 4, 2010

pic Udumbara Seen an Udumbara Flower before?

Apparently this is an Udumbara flower.

My idea of this flower was that it is much larger. This one measured just 1mm in diameter.

An udumbara flower is said to be so rare that it flowers every 3000 years. (Given our short history the last one if this one is real would have been circa 1000bc. Well, so much for legends.

Botanically it is quiet common and is a flower of the cluster fig tree. Both the tree and the flower are referred to as the udumbara (Sanskrit, Pali; Devanagari) in Buddhism.[5] Udumbara can also refer to the blue lotus (Nila udumbara) flower. The udumbara flower appears in chapters 2 and 27 of the Lotus Sutra, an important Mahayana Buddhist text.

The Japanese word udonge (優曇華) was used by Dōgen Zenji to refer to the flower of the udumbara tree in chapter 68 of the Shōbōgenzō (”Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma‎”). Dōgen places the context of the udonge flower in the Flower Sermon given by Gautama Buddha on Vulture Peak.

In Hinduism (Arthava Veda)  it is given prominence as a means for acquiring prosperity and vanquishing foes.

The picture comes from here.

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Who Ordered this Truck Load of Dung?

by Marcus on February 27, 2010

Truckload of Dung

One of my most treasured books is ‘a Meditator’s Handbook’ by Ajahn Brahm. As the title implies, it serves as the best guide I have read so far. Sadly, action is another matter. J

Another book which I recommend is “Who Ordered This Truck Load of Dung”. It is really a book of anecdotes but more importantly those stories reveals many personal insights as well as life as a monk. Ajahn Brahm’s writings and talks are delightful to read and hear. Behind that wit, I am quite certain lies an enlightened mind.

You may be able to find them at the local stores but if Amazon’s the thing, here’s the link:
Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?: Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life’s Difficulties Who Ordered this Truck Load of Dung?

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Lesson from the Birds

by Marcus on February 19, 2010

swallow Lesson from the Birds

As the heat of the festivities dies down this year, one thought popped.

Year in and year out, we make that mad rush home, braving the traffic snarls and crawls. Some brave snows, others heat and rain. We make that journey simply to be home with Family.

Once the elders are gone, the younger ones will eventually scatter out and set up their own homing roosts for their children. So the pattern continues. Of course a new reverse pattern is emerging where the older ones gather at the homes of their children.

Parents depend on their children and vice versa. There is comfort in the thought that we can often find shelter when needed. Most of the time, values are imposed both ways. There are bound to be expectations and behaviors to follow. This is good, well, as far as can be seen.

Perhaps there is another way of looking at things. Consider the swallows or most other birds. They nurture their nestlings until they grow wings and are able to fly. Once the young are able to fend for themselves, they become free and live independent of their parents. Can we apply this same model on humans?

The young learn to be independent. They learn to forage for themselves. They learn strength. They develop their own thoughts, hone their social and interactive skills and hopefully develop wisdom. They become themselves.

On the reverse side, naturally, the warmth of the humanity may be lost in the process. This brings to mind a word of advice, ” Be like the pidgeon. Go forth and seek your self but return home when the day is done.”

I rant not so much as to say that the whole social structure is not good but as an exploration of ways to make us more positive, better human beings.

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Ha Long Bay Vietnam

February 18, 2010

This picture I took of Ha Long Bay is just great.
Compared to two decades ago, Vietnam is now so accessible. Its natural beauty reminds me of Sihanoukville in Cambodia.
If you visit these places, it is difficult to resist jumping into the waters for a dip. Having seen beaches deteriorate in the name of development, its [...]

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The Great French Duel Mark Twain

February 8, 2010

Presenting … that grand old man of words … Mark Twain!
He was one of my favorite writers of old…er…my young days. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn,
One of his favorite phrases which I still remember was, “Giving up smoking is so easy I have done it a thousand times.” Or something like that.
I beg your pardon [...]

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The Art of Dying

February 4, 2010

Earlier I posted the Tibetan Book of the Dead. I hope that the following little that I have read about will be helpful.
I must declare that what is written below are just a summary (and a very brief one at that) of my own readings. Some would be my own assumptions and simplifications. How real [...]

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Living and Dying

January 28, 2010

Living and dying. This is one aspect of our short life that is inescapable. Its actual nature is to most remain elusive.
I tend to think that death is not so frightening. What is most frightening is the actual process of dying. Having seen many friends dying, it fills me with dread and sorry for the [...]

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Simple Way to Read the Tarot Cards

January 21, 2010

The Tarot is a good tool to delve into the unseen and unknown.
As a young fellow, I was very fascinated with Tarot cards. It was always a dream to own ‘my’ own set but back then they were very hard to get hold of. So we substituted them with playing cards. Mine was a pack [...]

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India’s Twin Delights

January 12, 2010

Chai or milk tea is one of the wonders of India.
Anyone who travels India will not miss this wonderful broth. It is made from boiling tea leaves in milk and water. I hear the best combination is 1 part water and 1 part milk with some sugar to suit your taste.
Chai..ai.. that’s one of the [...]

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