Don't Fall for this Telephone Ruse

Friends, there are some bad people who are up to tricks to scare and cheat you of your money. Please read this as it is my story and not a forward.

My brother received a call of distress from one claiming to be my son. In answers to questions, the caller claimed that he has been badly beaten. He says he is confused, does not know where he is and that his head is bleeding badly.

This sure scared the green shit out of my brother and mother as the voice really did sounded like my son. Fortunately my brother had the wits and presence of mind to ask him what his other name was. To this, the bad person on the other end knew that the game was up and hung up immediately.

Coincidentally, my brother had called my son in the morning to ask him to be careful as there seemed so much uncertainty over the coming Bersih 2.0 rally. Could these bad people have access to my brother’s number somehow?

Friends, if there is anything to learn, please be careful that there are bad people who will use this kind of telephone trick. This is just one variation. Another variation had a girl claiming to be a daughter being abducted and asks the parents or relatives to deposit money in return for her safety.

Yet another variation will call the victim claiming that there is a problem with the victim’s phone (like being used by criminals, being under investigation by the police or some other authority or institution etc). The victim is then asked to switch off his mobile phone for a period of time. The victims family are then contacted with some ruse or other. The effect of this ruse is that the victims family may immediately call the victim and of course with the phone off, would be unreachable adding reality and emergency to the situation. They thus fall for the trick losing money to these bad people.

Learning my experience, I would suggest:

1.   Family members may adopt a code word system which is shared among family. In any emergency calls of this nature, the right question can be asked to determine the authenticity of the caller. The caller would not be able to give the correct answer.

2.   In response to such situations, work as a group NEVER alone as a group can think more rationally. Ask friends to assist and if necessary check with the police for advice.

Please tell your friends as well my story. Thanks.

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.

HaLong Bay Vietnam

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 pristine beauty brings back beautiful memories. Quiet sandy beaches, lulling sounds of waves breaking against the sea shore…what more can I say?

Hope you enjoy this shot as much I did taking it.

If you are travelling or thinking of visiting Halong Bay, you can fly to Hanoi direct and catch a local tour from there. Tourism is an industry so there should not be any problem arranging a tour to Halong Bay. There are many operators but do check them out. The meals are often compromised so if you are into food, ask what they are offering if not you may get served ONLY one prawn each! (that is their version of seafood)

The peak season is summer but then the heat is stifling. This is where the vehicle taking you there is very important. It is worthwhile to check out with the tour operator what they use to get you there. Be careful with the 8 seater vans. I had one on the way back from Halong Bay to Hanoi and as it turned out, the aircon did not work and the seats were uncomfortable with no lean back and no leg room. So, do check them out before putting your money down.

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 it is I do not really know. Perhaps the truth of it can only be realized by the individual. The more fortunate would ‘bump’ into a teacher who has realizations of what is taught in the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

The Book (of the dead) describes the process of dying into eight stages. I observed that it is in two major processes.

These two processes are:

1 the dissolution of the gross physical body

2 the dissolution of the consciousness winds

The Gross Physical Body

This is what we see walking around. Our physical body that we identify as ourselves is comprised of five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, space.

The other way of relating to these five elements is to think like this:

Earth = our cells, the solid organic matter that eventually decay to become earth or dust

Water = the liwuid part of us, the water in our cells and blood

Fire = the warmth or heat energy of our bodies

Wind = the cavities, the spaces between all cellular structures

Space = the gross consciousness (because there is also the subtle consciousness) which a part of the composition of us as a living thing.

The Consciousness winds

The critical part of the art of dying lies in the fact that there is that part of us that we cannot see. This is the subtle winds.

Before talking about winds, perhaps we need to know that there are 80 instinct patterns that comprise our makeup. A little technical but knowing this helps us to accept that these 80 patterns are driven by winds. These winds are the subject of the next stage of dissolution when we die.

As mentioned before in the earlier article, the winds, just like the gross physical body also dissolves in 4 stages.

The 8 stages of Dying

To sum it up, there are 8 processes to be aware of in the process of dying. These are:

1              earth dissolves (our cells die or lose its vitality) – things become blur . An image like water flowing down a highway is perceived

2              water dissolves – our body fluids dries up or stagnates. The image of being enveloped in smoke is perceived. We no longer hear well.

3              fire dissolves – our body heat subsides. The feeling of cold arises. An image of fireflies or bursts of sparks is perceived.

4              wind dissolves – breathing stops. Taste disappears. Body sense disappears. An image of being in the middle of a dying candle flame is perceived.

This is the point of being clinically dead.

The next 4 stages also gives rise to perceptions which arises from the dissolution of the winds and the ‘flying out’ of the indestructible  “subtle clear-light consciousness”. After this point we are truly dead.

Here are the next 4 stages and experiences which arises from the dissolution of the winds into the central channel.

5              gross consciousness dissolves. The male essence descends to the heart complex. An experience of a vast sky filled with white moonlight is perceived.

6              the luminance dissolves. The female essence rises to the heart complex. One experience a vast sky of orange sunlight.

7              radiance dissolves. The male and female essences meet at the heart and envelope the consciousness. One perceives pure darkness.

At this point one loses consciousness. Most will not know what happens after the next stage as it is too subtle to be perceived unless one has adequate training. The 8^th or last stage of dissolution is characterized by its non-dual nature and perceiving and making use of this stage offers the opportunity for enlightenment, ultimate wisdom and transcending the rounds of birth and death.

What often happens, it seems, is that most will not even know this last stage, going in and out of the 7^th stage of darkness as the reverse process of taking gross form takes its course – all driven by our karmic winds or imprints of past volitional actions.

The in-between state

While one is in the in-between state, one is embodied in ghostlike body effected by the imagery of the mind.

The important lesson I find most useful is to train our mind to go through these process in our meditation and to sharpen our awareness of them and to remain fully aware as they occur.

If this is of any help, visualizing the process and developing mindfulness and lucidity of our dream state is a good suggestion for practice. The Dalai Lama said that he practices this dissolution and generation 6 times daily.

Dream practice appears to be most useful and is a very useful tool. The process of sleep, it is said, contains all the experiences of death and being lucid of these stages helps one to understand the dying process.

It is a conjecture on my part but I believe that the traditional vipassana or awareness meditation also works in the same direction. The deeper levels of calm and awareness practices offers us opportunities of being familiar with our mind states as we go through the meditative states besides honing our insight into the Buddha’s four noble truths.

All errors are mine.

Tarot Cards Images

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 of worn out Aladdins which had seen better days discarded by a group of carpenters. You can imagine the attachment I had for them!

Naturally, playing cards can never match the real thing. The major arcana, those 22 mysterious cards that bring forth vivid imageries were absent. And a Tarot is just not a tarot without them! But like they say, if you can’t have fish, prawns will do.

Without the major arcana, you may think that they are incomplete. Well, I once had the benefit of a reading from a Mrs Bak, who to this day I recall as a true seer. Her reading was accurate and she told me things which only I knew. The future she told from her deck of playing cards was proven correct. All she accepted as payment were some apples. Strictly no money. Many politicians and royalty flock to her for advice albeit secretly.

As things turn out, from that obsession of owning one deck, I now have too many! It gives great pleasure to just feel them but somehow, the favorite has always been the Rider deck. Next follows the Mythic Tarot. But having said that, I am also fascinated by the simplicity of ‘Tarot of the Witches’ and the ‘Ukiyoe’.

Most modern decks try but somehow most do not meet the mark. Somehting or other is always missing. I guess each and everyone will have different affinities so it is very much up to the individual.

There are many ways of summoning the secrets from the tarot. The accepted way is through spreads. By far the most common seem to be the Celtic Cross. Ah..that alone is mystic sounding enough. The Celts are filled with so much mythology and the Cross harps back to medieval times. They summon images of gypsies and omen-bearing woman in cloaks and frocks. Add a broomstick and the picture is complete!

I started doing Tarot just like everyone else. Memorising and learning their meanings. Then in Australia, deep in the jungles of Dandenong, a master showed his unique way of summoning the secrets. This master whom I shall for now not name allows the free forces to show us the way. No spreads are involved. He allows the deck to fall and uses his inner intuition to read the cards as they appear.

How unconventional. When he first taught it, I said to myself, he is just trying to be different. He was an ultra, if I may say, but over the years, I am beginning to see the logic and the relevance of what he did.

The Tarot, conventional Tarot that is, comprises 72 cards. 22 from the major arcana and 50 suit cards. I like to look at the major arcana as pointers to our spiritual journey. The minor arcana (those 50 other cards) are the physical side of our lives, the goings and comings of everyday affairs and activities.

If you have the need to use a Tarot, try to get one. Own one. Keep it as your own personal friend and in time, you may agree with me that they slowly become a part of you. Learning the various spreads and meanings of course helps but I believe in keeping that initial learning process to a limit. Learn them, yes, but up to a point and then stop. Being too technical arrests that special quality, that special intuition and psychic talent from manifesting.

One way taught to me by Mama is to take out 3 cards from the deck at random. Prepare the deck in any which way one chooses, clear your mind of all thoughts and then remove 3 cards. Look at them and allow whatever feelings and thoughts to surface.

The key is to allow our mind and inner senses to flow with the cards. I find that the same card may come up on different readings but their portents are always different. Just like dreams, they tell me of my inner self and they are a wonderful tool into my inner being. They point the way.

It may appear overwhelming in the beginning but eventually the tarot will become a friend. There are no rules and there is no right or wrong way of calling up the Tarot.

India Milk Tea and Pakorra

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 sweetest sounds on any long train ride. All train rides are long. Chaiwallas, yes, them young ‘uns who lug pails of tea, tiny glasses (real glass not plastic) coin pouch and the ubiquitous towel for wiping is that one part of the trainscape of India you will carry home with you.

Train chai is, I must say, cannot be compared to the road side ones. They are bit too sweet and the tea rather thin. No clouds in the tea as they say.

The long wait makes the tea taste better

My favorite this time round is the same chai but with a difference. I call a “special”, cinnamon and a teaspoon scoop of cream. It makes wonders to the tea. Come 4 in the evening, I will begin to fantasize and within the half hour I will have begun walking that dusty stretch to my favorite chai stall. In fact, I think that the North Indian winter and hot chai stands at the top of India’s delight.

Another wonder of Northern India is Pakorra. It is dhal bean paste mixed with onions and deep fried in oil. The best so far is in Biharigal a short hour out of Dehra Dun on the downhill route to New Delhi. My driver , Solu, took me to what he says is the best.

The Picture of Sai Baba is just behind the Boss

It is on the north bound side of the road. The stall owner is a Muslim and I can only suggest you look for the water standpipe and a picture of Sai Baba on the wall. Not much help perhaps but trust your luck. Try the water too. It comes straight off the ground. I don’t really know how deep they sink those pipes but everyone I look at seems hale and hearty.

Talking about altitude sickness. It usually starts with a slight throbbing of the head and if not taken care of, burst into a full blown migraine. It can start at any time and you should stop and rest. Further physical exertion will only make it worse. Some get hit so bad they throw out every three steps. This is no joke.

The herbal preparation Hong Jing Tian which you can get at the Tibetan drug shop seems to help but they advise that you should take it a week or two before your departure. It costs me about 40 yuan for a one week pack. It is a general tonic and apparently is ok for daily consumption but check your blood pressure for any misfires.

The scientific name of the main herb is Rhodiola Rosea. It is said to increase mental and physical stamina so maybe that is the reason why it helps with altitude sickness. I read somewhere that it is also used to promote hormonal balance which could also mean that your libido may get a boost  .. nice..

I had a glance at the Chinese herbs on my packet and noticed that it also contains a variety of ginseng as well. That would account for some people saying that they get ‘hot’ after taking the drug. A nun who was travelling with us had this complaint but I think it was because she was not taking in sufficient water. She was, you see, trying to avoid too many pee stops along the long journey.

This next one is very important. Try to avoid baths and getting yourself exposed when in areas of high altitude. Washing your hair is a definite no. The air is very thin and dry so it is very easy to catch a cold. This cold is not like the common cold but is more like a reaction to the different climate. Tibetan medicine would call it an imbalance of the body energies. This is a malady which is better to avoid than to try to cure.

Have a safe trip!

I attended a Tibetan language course and my teachers were very “official’ in the sense that they thought the official Lhasa Tibetan. It was the Tibetan which is used in official scripts and documents.
It is a great language to learn and it helped me to decipher some of the strange looking characters in Tibetan pechas or sadhanas (those texts that consists of strips of paper that Tibetan monks used in their daily practice and chants). However, I discovered that the words I learnt were never heard when I eavesdropped into their daily conversations.
I soon discovered the reasons for this. First, the Tibetans speak many dialects and it is impossible for the novice to understand anything since words are pronounced differently.
Second, the colloquial Tibetan is often corrupted with the local language. For example in China, Chinese words have crept in. Similarly in India, Hindi words are commonly used. Words like badam, aloo, deema karab are so much a part of the spoken Tibatan that to understand anything, one will need to know some Hindi as well!
In despair I sought the help of my teacher’s wife and charming colleague. I was warned that what I am about to learn cannot be found in the books. I was going to learn corrupted speak. In golf lingo, I was going to slice and hook instead of learning to hit the ball straight.
Know what? Learning to slice was much easier. In a few short lessons, enlightenment dawned. I finally could get little snippets of stolen conversation (not that I understand them)
In conclusion, it is easier to learn to hear how people talk even though it is “unorthodox” language. Like golf, the slice may not be correct golf but it gets the ball going. In fact, it may be more natural. And learning becomes even more fun.

Bus Ride in India..Hanging On

This morning I discovered a great way to keep fit and those muscles warmed up.

It is not yoga. Actually it is the ride on an Indian bus.

All India buses are by and large fully packed as they chug along stopping at each stop picking up and dropping off passengers as they go. I discovered that hanging on to the rails as the bus swings and jerks stops and starts is a great way to stretch and bring blood to the muscles.

By hanging on and adjusting to each and every swerve, many muscles are given a workout. Each movement calls many muscles into action, stretching and contracting in turns.

I noticed that these were isometric exercises as the muscles were held for several seconds just like what happens in yoga. It was good too as there was very little strain and I hopped off the bus rather fresh from my “standing room” only ride.

So, next time you are in India, take the bus. It is a great workout and beats the toot toot as it is safer. And cheaper too.

I saw Jack today. It is a movie starring Robin Williams and the lovely Jennifer Lopez.

It was the last scene that made me think. This show is about a boy who ages four times faster than normal kids.  So by the time he graduated from high school he was like 70.

Having the honor of giving the speech at the graduation ceremony, he said life is short. So we should not waste too much time. Look at me, he said.

The point struck. For the better part of our busy lives, we tend not to realize that time is so precious. We procrastinate and push things off to another day. Before we realize it, we are on the way down. Our body aches more and in more places too. We could not do the things of youth anymore.

Believe me, this is true because it is happening to me. It is better to get out there and do the things that matters and not wait.

As to what it is that matters, each one of us differs. But to me, it means finding that elusive meaning in life. And also to me, it means being able to be happy for with happiness nothing else matters.

Just like the story of three people who were given one wish each. The first wished for lots of money yet wanted more. He was not happy. The second wished for wealth and fame but with that he was not happy because he had no one to share it with. A lovely understanding wife was missing.

Would the third learn from their error and wished for wealth, fame and wives. No he did not. Or did he wish for more wishes? He did not.

He made the wisest choice. He wished for happiness.

Happiness is the ultimate. With that, there is nothing more. If you lack a certain thing, the power of your wish will ensure you get it since if you do not have that, you cannot be happy and your wish would not be fulfilled.

We may not get real wishes like that in the story but then I feel happiness is related to contentment. It is also not about the degree of happiness. Happiness either is there or it is not. There are many ways but I read that the first step lies in understanding craving. I think that is true.