Christmas Morning 2008

It is a beautiful Christmas morning. All is at peace today.

All over the world, there is goodwill amongst men as people everywhere celebrates the holiday seasons with family and friends.

As 2008 draws to an end, it is perhaps timely to reflect about the major events of the year.

For the most part, 2008 has been a very challenging year. The subprime crisis caused the collapsed of the financial sectors all over the whole. No country has escaped the fallout.

Major companies have failed, from the big banks to the smaller neighbourhood stores. Some companies have been swallowed by its competitors while others have declared bankruptcy.

Hedge funds have been caught with their pants down, suffering huge loses. Frauds have been exposed with Bernie Madoff US$50 Billion loss the most shocking. Some people have killed themselves over the loss of their savings or their clients' money.

The wars still rage on in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many people grieved over the deaths of their loved ones. Widows face a bleak future while many children are growing up without their families.

Natural calamities claimed thousand of lives. Earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, floods and freak weather systems provides clear indications that Mother Gaia is suffering from all the explotations of her rich resources.

The ice-caps are melting and the ocean level is rising. Many animals are dying as they struggled to survive in a changing environment.

Through all this, it is timely for each of us to reflect how we have reached this point in time. Whast caused all these events to occured with increased frequency?

It can all be summarised with one word - GREED.

It is because of our greed that we plundered the earth in our unceasing need to consume more and possess more. It is greed of money, chasing after million dollars of bonus and salary that caused the meltdown in Wall Street. Our craving for more of everything pushed up the prices of all commodities worldwide.

When will it ever be enough?

Perhaps it is time for us to realize that the emptiness in our soul cannot be fulfilled by consuming more. Perhaps, we need to orientate our search towards the simple things in life - a beautiful sunset, the laughter of a child or the serenity of Mother Nature.

We HAVE to start now. We have to start respecting the abundant blessings of Gaia and live in harmony with all life.

We have to realize that all our needs and wants will never be satisfied. We need to live simply with just enough and find other means towards the road to happiness.

"Even if a man acquired a pile of gold as high as the highest mountain, he would not be satisfied. That is why the wise man views gold and rock as the same."

A Man Chosen By Fate

So it has come to pass - Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America.

For the past months, Obama has traversed the whole country selling his vision, his commitment to the people and his passion to serve them. It has been a tough journey with a lot of personal sacrifices to himself as well as to his family. It is fitting that he has finally won the battle to be the next Commander-In-Chief.

Yet, the outcome of this election has never been in doubt. Months ago, for those who are more self-aware and in touch with the Universe, it has been very obvious that Obama would emerge victorious.

Why?

Because the Universe has always prepare the way and the means for the realization of what It needs. With the deterioration of the USA, in its economic and military power as well as its leadership in the world, the Universe knows that there is a need for a special leader who can take over from President George Bush, so as to actualize a new beginning for the country.

The Universe's preparation for the Chosen One has been long and thorough.

It is no accident that Obama was born to a progressive set of parents so that he could have the special cultural foundation for him to understand his fellow human beings of diverse backgrounds. It is also no accident that he grew up in Indonesia as well as Hawaii. And of course, the Universe planned for Obama to meet the perfect mate in Michelle Obama, who can help him on his journey through the tough political road.

Obama's grandmother also has a role to play in instilling in him the values and life principles that will serve him in the coming days as the President of the United States of America. It is timely that she returns to the Universe, having completed her life's work, to look down proudly on his grandson ascending the highest office in the land. And you can rest assure that she will be guiding Obama spiritually and giving him the strength to face the enormous challenges ahead.

And the road ahead will be long, difficult and filled with a lot of uncertainties. However, the Universe does not do anything arbitrary. It has chosen the most appropriate and the right person in Barack Obama to provide the leadership in this trying times.

In this, you can take comfort that the future will continue to be unfolding in all its wonder and grandeur... And you are invited to travel this road together with hearts full of hope and courage.

A Beautiful Day

Just a simple picture of God's work to get you through the day.

Looking at how beautiful the clouds are, you believe that life is great...

Wisdom In The Silence

We may think that we need to be surrounded by distractions, activities and noise to be truly alive.

But are you really HERE when you are in that kind of environment? Can you really think and contemplate the essences of life when you are surrounded with all these "busy-ness"? We delude ourselves by thinking that these thoughts and the inner commentary in our minds show that we know the world and we are therefore alive.

It is only when you are able to quiet down your mind that you realize that in the silence is where the true wisdom will arise.

If you seek the Truth, you should value the silence and be aware of the magnificence of the reality of NOW.

So, be silent... be still. And know the inner beauty that arises with the true wisdom in the silence.

KIVA - A Force for Good

I would like to introduce you to Kiva (http://www.kiva.com/), an organization that is helping to change the world by doing good.

First of all, a disclaimer : - I personally do not have any financial interest or business share in Kiva. I merely donate some money there to support the good work that they do.

What exactly does Kiva do?

Kiva allows you to provide interest-free loans to poor people around the world to set up small businesses so that they can provide for and support their family and/or community from the revenue that they generate.

It provides a platform for you to lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world and thereby empowering them to get out of poverty and be economically productive.

What you do is this - you look at the profiles of each of these entrepreneurs, who will state how much money they want to borrow and for what purpose. They will also indicate when they will repay the loan, the likely time-frame.

You decide how much you want to contribute - US$25, US$50 etc and this will be credited to the entrepreneur's account.

For example, an entrepreneur may ask for US$1,000 to launch a business to preserve the indigenous weaving traditions and provide jobs to the women in her community. You may want to loan her US$100 and this means that she will see 10% of her loan has been fulfilled. Other people will donate various amounts and when it reached 100%, you can no longer donate to this entrepreneur.

You just used your credit card or PayPal in the secured site to donate the amount that you want.

When the entrepreneur repays the loan in various amounts, the money will be automatically credited back into your account. And then, you can re-use this loan amount that is credited to your account to give another loan to another deserving entrepreneur.

Please go to Kiva's page for a detailed description of how they loan money to these entrepreneurs : - http://www.kiva.org/about/how

There is a real-time display of how much loan he had already repaid and how much the balance of the loan is.

So far, their success rate has been great as almost all of these entrepreneurs have returned the loans that they had taken out.

This is essentially micro-financing or micro-credit, like Muhammad Yunnus' Grameen Bank, who won the Noble Peace Prize in 2006 for his work to help eliminate poverty in the poorer countries.

So, do some good and be a force for positive changes in the world. These poor people in the developing countries are not looking for a hand-out - they are just looking for a hand-up, the opportunity to help themselves.

Rather than leaving your money in the bank earning a small interest, please do some good by donating whatever amount that you can. So, go to Kiva and donate generously!! http://www.kiva.com/

And the merits that you accumulated will be great indeed...

Olympic Dreams And Hopes

Well, now that the Beijing Olympics is over, everybody is going back to their mundane lives.

After 3 weeks of living vicariously through the feats and achievements of the world's best athletes in the sporting world, marveling at their perfections and performances, life goes on. We are back to our routines of living our daily lives, waking up, going to work and all the mundane stuff.

However, please do give this thoughts some contemplation : - Did you feel inspired by all that you have seen and felt watching the Olympics? Did you not feel the commitments, the dedications and sacrifices of the participants chasing a medal in their respective sports? Did you not root for your heroes and felt the highs when they achieved the gold medal and the lows when they failed?

Think back those 3 weeks when you were really Present, caught up in the Olympics fever and the sporting spirit and fair-play that the Olympics represents. Did you not feel very alive?

Wouldn't it be good if you can bottle these feelings so that you can get access to it when you are stressed in your daily lives, challenged by problems and the burdens of living, when you felt like you really need a break?

Yes, you can. You can file away these experiences and feelings that you had felt when you were watching your Olympics heroes achieved their greatest dreams. And access them when you need it most - the feelings of exhalations, the highs and the good-will. Just close your eyes, breath deeply and access your memories...

And do not forget the Olympics spirits, the dreams and hopes that were shared with the world during that short period of time.

And finally, see if, by your action and contributions, you can share these dreams and hopes with the next generation of children, so that they will have a goal, a dream to aspire towards. Inspire them to strive for a higher goal, a meaning in their lives and to live vibrantly...

Be Well, Happy and Peaceful

May All Sentient Beings In The Ten Directions

Be Well, Happy and Peaceful

The above dedication of merits benefits all sentient beings everywhere.

Making such a dedication helps all sentient beings to live a happy and peaceful life. It is done out of compassion and love.

Sending out such good intentions to the universe will also ensure that your environment will be happy and peaceful.

And you will also find that your relationships with people and animals will be good as they can feel your vibrations of good intention emanating from you. Therefore, you will find that they will also return the same feelings and intentions towards you.

You can do the above dedication from anywhere. You can do it after saying your prayers, in church, in front of your altar or even when you are walking.

When you feel unsafe and insecure in a strange place, you can also make such dedications to ensure that evil does not touch you.

So, be well, be happy and be peaceful

Whatever You Have, Don't Have It

A lot of times, we become very attached to things to such an extend that we become identified with the things that we possessed.

We like this, we love that, we cannot live without all of these...

Stop for a moment and think - "Why am I so attached to these things?"

Are you defined by what you own, by the physical possessions that you have, by your status and title?

What if you lose all these in the blink of an eye?

You will suffer a huge blow, lose sleep obsessing about your lost and even become depressed when you cannot reconcile the fact that the thing that you love is gone.

Why is this so? It is because of your ego, the "I" within you that has developed strong attachments. The ego cannot let go...

Since the very basic law of the universe is change, there is no way you will not suffer from losing something that you possess or love in your life time.

The only way to avoid these sufferings is not to be too attached to your things. Remember, in life, everything is transient - that is the DNA of life.

Everything changes - not for better or worse as what you perceived it to be. Everything changes just because it is so. There is no changes for the better or changes for the worse - it is how you perceives these changes to be. The changes are just as the universe is.

Therefore, do not have too much attachments. Whatever you have, just do not have it....

And you will live a happier life with full awakening...

How Can I Serve?

Everyday, we are always so involved in our daily lifes, routines, challenges and problems that we just filled up the hours in our day with a lot of activities and events. At the end of the day, we feel exhausted and think, "What did I do today? What did I achieved today?"

Often, the answer would be "Not much." You were just so busy filling up the hours that you are awake with work, studies, chit-chat and other busy activities.

And so, slowly, the days turn into months and the months turn into years. And pretty soon, you will reach a time when you hit some life stage like your 40th or 50th birthday and you look back and wondered what you have done with your life.

Then, you are hit with a deep fear of not having lived the life that you have dreamed of when you were young. Where were the big dreams that you wanted for yourself? The things that you wanted to achieve for yourself?

Maybe it is to build a great home for your family. Maybe it is to do something for your community. Maybe it is to discover a new invention. Or to build a business that will provide for your family's financial independence? Or to change the world in your own small ways?

But, often we looked back with regret that we did not do anything like that. We did not live the dreams that we dreamed of when we were young? Why? Because life gets in the way....

However, perhaps it is time for you to Awaken to all that you can be. Perhaps, it is time for you to live outside of yourself. Instead of wanting and needing endlessly, perhaps you should ask : -

"How can I serve? How can I be used for a higher good? What can I be to do good for the world? God, how do you want to use me to achieve greatness for my fellow human beings?"

Once you send out your intentions to the Universe, the Ultimate Consciousness or God (however you may conceive Him to be), be opened and receptive of an answer. For an answer will certainly come when you have sent out your cry for being of service to the world. Just wait patiently, hopefully and reverently.

And when the Ultimate Consciousness answers, be courageous and take action. Plunge right in with no doubt in your heart. No hesitations or reservations and self-doubt.

This is the right thing for you - the Ultimate Consciousness will not give you a task that it does not know that you are ready for. It will know that it has prepared you for this responsibility. All your past experiences, skills and strengths have prepared you for this - so, have no fear. Just take action and Do It.

I am sure that many of the great people of today has gone through the same process. From Oprah Winfrey to Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. All of them has asked : -

"How May I Serve? What Can I Do For the Benefit of Mankind?"

Therefore, ask yourself the same question and go forth to serve.... And discover your courageous self in the process.

Awaken the Compassion Within

Today, the 19th day of the 6 lunar month is a day that celebrates the enlightenment of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (He Who Hears the Sounds of the World), also known as Kuan Shi Yin Pusa in Chinese or Goddess of Mercy.

Kuan Yin Pusa made a powerful bodhisattva vow to save all sentient beings from sufferings and deliver them to salvation. He is the personification of compassion and mercy, as it is out of his compassion for all beings who are suffering in all the worlds, that he made the above bodhisattva vows.

Kuan Yin Pusa will come and save any sentient beings who sincerely call his name when they are in difficulties or in dire straits. He rescues all beings by hearing their voices of suffering and cries for help.

All religions of the world preaches the elimination of sufferings and pains. Therefore, if you meet someone or any sentient beings who it suffering, you should try help minimise their sufferings or eliminate the pain. That is what compassionate living is all about.

You cannot be Awaken without awakening your compassion within.

Why? This is because to be truly Awaken, you would have to live in the Present. And if you encounter someone who is suffering in the Present, can you truly turn your back and not help the person?

Deciding not to help alleviate someone's suffering shows that you are not Present and in touch with the essence of the Being that is in all of us. Your selfishness would cut you off from being close to the Being. Therefore, lend a hand and render help to the best of your ability.

Doing so would make the world a more beautiful place to live in - for every sentient being. As without suffering, this world can also be a paradise.

May all sentient beings in the ten directions be well, happy and peaceful...

Speak Only The Truth With Thoughtful Words

If you know anything that is hurtful and untrue,

Do not say it.

If you know anything that is helpful but untrue,

Do not say it.

If you know anything that is hurtful but true,

Do not say it.

If you know anything that is both helpful and true,

Find the right time.

"The Shakyamuni Buddha"

No Good, No Bad and No Me, No You

I have been asked "How do you keep yourself in the Present? My mind has many thoughts and it seems to wander off even though I try very hard to be mindful and stay in the Present."

Yes, it is not easy when you are not trained in the beginning. Just don't obsess over it and worry about it.

Just try to keep your mind in the Present. Whatever arises in the mind, just watch it and let go of it. Don't even wish to be rid of these thoughts. As you practise this, the mind will go back to its peaceful, natural state.

Let there be no discrimination - no good, no bad. No me and no you - no self at all. Just let it be.

There is no need to cling to anything. Wherever you are, know yourself by being natural and watching. If doubts arise, watch them come and go - do not grasp it. It is very simple - hold on to nothing.

Stick to the Present. Do not worry about the past and the future. Do not be concern about where you were and where you are going.

Everything is changing. Whatever you pass, don't cling to it. Eventually, the mind will reach its natural balance and you realize that there is peace in the Present.

Living In A Grateful World

Be grateful to those who have hurt or harmed you,

for they have reinforced your determination.

Be grateful to those who have deceived you,

for they have deepened your insight.

Be grateful to those who have hit you,

for they have reduced your karmic obstacles.

Be grateful to those who have abandoned you,

for they have taught you to be independent.

Be grateful to those who have made you stumble,

for they have strengthened your ability.

Be grateful to those who have denounced you,

for they have increase yor wisdom and concentration.

Be grateful to those who have made you firm and resolute

and helped in your achievements.

From the teachings of Ven. Master Chin Kung

Appointment With Life

All of us have only 24-hours a day, regardless of who we are. From themost powerful person on earth or the richest man to the poorest, all of us are given the same 24-hours a day.

Yet, how many of us really treasure these limitations? And how is it that some people can achieve so much with this same 24-hour day and become rich and powerful while others remain poor and helpless?

There is only one moment when life is available and that is the Present moment. Your Appointment with Life is in the Present moment.

If you are not able to touch the Present moment, you miss your Appointment with Life. All these is very simple and not difficult to understand at all.

Therefore, all our energies and time should be focused in the Present moment. The past is already gone and the future is not yet here...

Everyone should do the same - living each moment of our daily life deeply, dwell in it and establish ourselves in the Present moment.

Practise to be mindful in our daily life and its every moment. Learn to go back to the Present moment and live deeply and treasure every moment of our daily life.

In that Present moment, you will find the most beautiful thing - peace, joy, love, abundance, the kingdom of God and the Pure Land.

All these things can only be touched and found only in the Present moment...

Forget Oneself

To learn the Truth is to learn about oneself

To learn about oneself is to forget oneself

To forget oneself is to perceive oneself as all things

.

All things are interconnected. Wisdom is gained through the realization that all things are inseparably linked.

.

Knowing that, you developed compassion for all sentient beings. You realize that as our compassion flows, we become more cheerful and open.

Wisdom and compassion must exist together. One without the other would be incomplete.

A person with wisdom and no compassion will only act out of his own self-interest. A person with compassion but without wisdom will do foolish things because of wrong perceptions and assumptions.

Therefore, develop both wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Letting Go To Be Awaken

"I am an Investment Banker working in a prestigeous Wall Streets firm."

"She is a high-power Lawyer."

"My father is a Millionaire and owns lots of properties."

"Catherine is a stay-at-home Mom with 2 children."

"He is a senator."

"I am a Professor with a PhD in Literature."


All of us are defined by labels that we either placed on ourselves or by others.

That is how an ego works - the "I" needs to clearly identify itself so that it can fit into society's definitions of how you should behave, live or work. Everything is defined by the expectations accorded by the label. You should clearly stay in the boundaries set up by your ego and its labels. Anytime you do not do that, you will be called "Crazy", "Acting Strange", "Not her usual self."

All these are labels, whose primary aim is to fit you into a context defined by the material world, the ego-filled world where every body has their expected place in the world.

Therefore, we are burdened by views and ideas about things, about ourselves, about the world surrounding us. Our minds are filled with opinions about things and some times, delusions of our wisdom. We end up being too clever to listen to others, to be open to new ideas and be receptive of other people's opinions.

In doing that, we find ourselves shut out from the Universe. Being too clever and ego-centric, we never learn. We cannot be open to new experiences and ideas.

Therefore, to be Awaken, you need to get rid of this cleverness. A cup filled to the rim with stale, dirty water will not have room for anything else. Therefore, it is essential that you empty the cup, throw out the dirty water and start with a clean cup. Only when the mind is empty and pristine can you recognize the truth about the "Non-I", the "Being" that exists in all of us, our Buddha-nature.


Being Awaken is letting go of self and the ego. And accept the emptiness, the voidness, the Present...

This Body Is Not Me

This body is not me.

I am not caught by this body.

I am life without boundaries.

I have never been born. I will never die.

Look at me.

Look at the stars and the moon.

All of them are me, are manifestations of me.

So smile to me, take my hand, say goodbye

That we will see each other right away after this.

We will see each other in every walk of life.

We will recognize each other again and again, everywhere.

Thich Nhat Hanh

The Fluttering Flag

There is a famous Zen story : -

Once 2 young monks were arguing about a flag fluttering in the wind. One of the young monk said that it is the wind that is causing the flag to flutter. The other disagreed and said that there is no wind and the flag is fluttering by itself.

They argued for some time, getting more angry and worked up as each try to convince the other that he was right.

A senior monk walked pass and over heard their heated argument. After listening for a minute, he approached them and remarked, "Actually, both of you are not right. It is actually the mind that is moving." He then smiled and walked away.

As the senior monks remark sank in, the 2 young monks realized that what he said was right.

What did he mean by his remark?

The senior monk reminded the 2 young monks that regardless of what is going on in the external world, it is actually the mind that perceived the event. Therefore, one young monk's mind perceived that the wind is moving the flag while the other perceived that the flag is moving by itself as there is no wind.

Regardless of who is right or wrong, all sense perception arises from the mind.

The mind has to register the sense perception of the eyes to register that the flag is moving. Therefore, the mind is moving...

On another level, the senior monk is also reminding the young monks that in having the argument, they have lost control of their mind and became attached to the outcome of the argument. They have become emotional, with each thinking erroneously that they are right. In doing so, they lost sight of the mind and the Present.

Therefore, do not become too attached to what your senses tell you. Remember that everything arises from the mind. And when the mind is under control, you will not become attached to anything and will be at peace.

And you will become awaken...

Practising Through Being Present In Life

We are always in a hurry. Every day, it seems that there is not enough time in a day to enable us to complete all the things that we have planned for.

Therefore, the mind is always churning - thinking, planning and doing. With all these activities, you experience extremes of happiness, sufferings and defilements.

Even in times of boredom, you may think that you are doing nothing but actually, your mind is still active.

It is when you consciously be mindful about this chaotic mind will you realize that you are not living fully in the Present. Therefore, take a deep breath, bring your mind to stillness and experience fully the moment.

Always practise bringing the mind to stillness and Present in any activity that you are involved in.

When you are doing your daily chores, like washing and cleaning up after a meal, do these chores mindfully and gracefully - not banging the plates and washing the bowls while your mind is somewhere a million miles away. These can help you develop concentration and make your practice easier.

The concentration practices amid the mundane things will show you whether you have really established mindfulness or your mind is still jumping around lost in defilement.

So, practise, practise, practise every every and every moment... And you will awake to a richer life.

No Attachments to the Past

Eckhart Tolle, in his teachings, keep emphasizing that you have to leave the past behind and not get attached to all the good and the bad things or events that you have experienced.

Why? Simply because when you are focused on the past, you will miss out on the Present.

You would also realize that Eckhart did not promise you a final destination, the achieving of Nirvana. Doing so would have made you focus on the future - how to get there, how to achieve it, what you need to do to arrive there. Instead, he emphasized the process, that the journey is more important. And that journey is to be Present, to experience the Now.

Many teachers speak so often of attaining Nirvana, achieving enlightenment, of its special bliss and its importance in their practise. However, it is more important to be aware of the mundane things in your daily life.


Some people will savor a good meal and then go around praising the merits of the meal, the excellent service and the talent of the cook to everyone that they meet. In doing so, their mind is jumping to that past experience of having the meal and forming attachments to it.



Others will eat the meal, savour every morsel and every bite but once through, will feel no need to go around telling others of a meal already eaten. This is the essence of non-attachment - no attachment to events that have already happened in the past.

Just be Present now...

Why Practise?

Living fully aware and Present in this moment is to live an awaken life, where you treasure and savour every minute that is given to you. There is no living in the past or anticipating the future. The Present is all you have now.

But it is so difficult to do that, isn't it?

To be fully Present, you need to be aware that your mind is here in the now. However, our "monkey" mind is difficult to tame - it darts around, from thinking about the past to making plans for the future. In doing that, we miss and waste the Present.

So, you must constantly be aware of your mind.

Take a moment to have deep breaths and as you breathe in and out, consciously tame your mind and bring it back to the silence. It takes a lot of practice to consciously subdue the "monkey" mind so that it is at peace and no longer jumping around.

A disciple once asked his Master, "Why do I need to practise? How do I practise? What is the result of my practice?"

The Master smile at him and asked him, "Why do you sleep? How do you sleep? And what is the result of having slept?"

The disciple thanked the Master for his advice, bowed and left the room.

What did the disciple realise from the answer given by his Master? Did the Master really answer his disciple's questions by posing back 3 questions to him?

What the Master did was to direct the disciple back to his own inner wisdom. Rather than searching for the answers from outside, he should instead contemplate and find the answers within himself.

Practice should be as natural as breathing, eating or sleeping.

When you examine the "I", the restless mind, you should be conscious of it every moment that you are awake. Every minute, you must be fully mindful and be disciplined that your thoughts do not wander beyond the "Now", the Present. Initially, it is difficult to control your thoughts. Over time, this practice will become as natural as breathing and as natural as when you sleep.

When you know how to do this, you will know the result of having tame the monkey mind - you will find yourself more alive, more present and more thankful for everything that you have now.

So, there is really no need to seek for answers from other people, from the outside.

The answer is always within you, if only you can still your mind and be aware of the Present...

From Autopilot to Mindful Awareness

Every day, most of us live our lives on autopilot.

We go through our routines without any conscious thoughts or awareness of what we are doing at that particular moment. Our minds would usually be somewhere else, be it in the past or the future. But mostly never on the present.

As such, we are living in a world of non-awareness. We wake up in the morning, brush our teeth and shower while planning what we will do for the day. We dress thinking about the meeting that we will have at the office. We eat breakfast with our children quickly to get out of the door so that we will not be late for work. We commute to work with our minds wandering somewhere else. And that happens throughout the whole day until you go to sleep. Being on autopilot is like being a zombie - your mind is not really there with your body.

STOP!!

By living on autopilot, we misses the most important moments - the Present. We deprive ourselves of the magical moments of the Present. We do not see the beautiful colors that Mother Nature has blessed us with. We miss the beautiful songs of the birds and the transient beauty surrounding us.

And because we keep missing the Present, at the end of the day, we wondered what we have accomplished, why there is never enough hours in the day for us to do what we need to do.

So, we need to develop the awareness to live in the Present. Observe your thoughts and make sure that it does not wander aimlessly when you are doing whatever you have on hand. If you are having a shower, be aware of the cool water flowing on your skin. When you are combing your hair, feel the comb running though your hair. When you are eating your breakfast, savour the texture, the taste and the sensation of the food in your mouth.

Be Here Now.

When you do this, you will find the pleasure of really living and being alive during every moment of your life. You will find the wonder of the mundane things that you do and come away with a more indepth appreciation of what you are doing. Your relationships with the people around you, your family and friends will deepen as you are Present for all of them. Consequently, your life will be enriched with many meaningful moments and beauty.

All because you are living in the Present and the Now. Please, live an awakened life...


"The mind is incomprehensible and exceedingly subtle. It wanders wherever it desires. Therefore, let the wise watch over their minds. A well-guarded mind brings contentment."

Being Awakened and Being Enlightened

There are people who use the terms "Being Awakened" and "Being Enlightened" interchangeably. Do the two terms mean the same thing?

No, it certainly does not.

"Being Awakened" is just one of the very initial stages of "Being Enlightened". You become "Awakened" when you realized that there is more than what you are in this life.

You know in the core of your soul that you are not defined by the physical boundaries of your life - the identity, the possessions, the people around you. You find that you are not attached to anything; you know that everything is transient, nothing last forever.

Everything dies, everything decays, everything changes. Nothing is permanent.

You increasingly know that you are not the "You" defined by your name, your title and your status in life.

You find that life is meaningless - it is more than about searching for happiness, accumulating riches and power and chasing the illusions of the "I" and the ego.

Having "Awakened", you feel more connected to the "Spirit", the "Supreme Being" or "God". You begin the search for this connection through being more mindful of who you really are and how you "fit" in the scheme of things.

Many people do this through the established religions of the world, trying to form a relationship with this "Being", "God" or however you defined It. Some people go on a spiritual quest, searching for answers by making pilgrimages to the holy places, studying under some mystic gurus or meditation.

But the Truth is always within you. The Truth is everywhere - from the trees, the flowers to all living sentient beings that exist in this world. There is no need to make any special pilgrimages - the "Buddha" is within you.

The Buddhas said "All of you are Buddhas". This is a powerful statement as it states that all of us WILL be enlightened, just that we are so deluded that we do not realize our own true buddha-nature. All of us will eventually become buddhas...

When you realize your own buddha-nature, you become a Buddha, the Enlightened One. When you are enlightened, there are no longer any boundaries or constraints. Space, time and physical limitations no longer exist to you. You can be everywhere and nowhere, in the past, present and future. You can appear in any physical form that you want. You become omnipresent, omniscient and all-powerful. You are everything and nothing.

So, being "Awakened" and being "Enlightened" is really two very different stages. Awakening is just the start of a long journey towards enlightenment.

By being "Awakened", you find that you will live a more meaningful life, knowing that this life too is transient, that you are on the road towards total enlightenment. Therefore, this knowledge gives you very hopeful purpose in your everyday life - to live life with meaning, with purpose and ultimately with love...

Seeing Eternity in the form of a Flower

Eckhart Tolle started the first chapter of his book, "A New Earth - Awakening to Your Life's Purpoase" with a very famous story about the Buddha delivering a sermon to his disciples.

When tens of thousands of the Buddha's disciples have sat down reverently to listen to His sermon, the Buddha did not speak. Instead, He just plucked a flower from a nearby flowering bush, held it in His hand, gaze at it and meditate on it. All the assembled disciples were puzzled about what the Buddha was doing.

Only one of his main disciple, Mahakasyapa, who is renowned for his intellectual abilities and wisdom, let a smile slowly formed around his mouth. The Buddha praised him for his smile.

But what does this story really mean? Why would the Buddha praised Mahakasyapa for smiling during His sermon?

The Buddha did that because Mahakasyapa was the only disciple amongst the assembly who was sufficiently advanced in his study to know what the Buddha was trying to teach all of them.

Mahakasyapa realized that the Buddha was showing him that everything is actually impermanent. By seeing the Buddha comtemplating and meditating on the flower, he realized that all forms does not last and therefore, it is useless to be attached to form. Therefore, Mahakasyapa was enlightened to the stage of non-attachement to anything - to the form of the flower, to the sound of the voice of the Buddha himself and to the material universe itself.

He also realized that even beauty is also temporary. Over time, the flower will wither, fade and decay. Therefore, he should also treat his body-form the same way - with the knowledge of impermanence. So, a healthy, beautiful and young body will eventually decay over time. Therefore, it is better not to get attached to the temporary forms and seek enlightenment by understanding the eternal being, the inherent Buddha that resides in all of us.

On another level, by meditating on the flower, the Buddha is showing the assembled monks to be present in the Now, that when you are enlightened, time does not really exist. The universe is represented everywhere and every time and yet, nowhere and no-time (beyond time).

And this is really an enlightening story that you should bring with you. Every time you see a flower, be aware that the whole universe, that eternity itself exists in that beautiful flower that you are seeing...

Oprah's Interactive Web-Casting of "A New Earth"

Do you know that Oprah Winfrey has started a wonderful global event?

She has teamed up with Eckhart Tolle, the author of "A New Earth - Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" to hold an interactive web-cast on the above book, which she has also selected as her Book Club.


The web-cast started on March 3rd, 2008 and on each Monday night at 9/8c, Oprah and Eckhart will discuss a chapter from the book, live.

Viewers can sign-up to participate interactively during the web-cast. They may submit questions or just view the web-casts at a later date and time, when it is more convenient for them.


Click on this link to access all the web-casts.


The web-cast is already in its 4th week. Participants may also prepare for each week's web-cast by doing the Workbook available at Oprah's web-site.


If you have not already taken a look at the web-casts, I would encourage you to do so. You will learn a lot of great wisdom and life-changing perspective that you can apply in your own life situations.

In the coming posts, I will also be talking about some of the topics discussed during the web-casts as well as Eckhart Tolle's books.

Awakening A New Earth

Hello!! Welcome to my blog, Awaken A New Earth.

I have started this blog to share with you my views about living a fully awaken life. I was inspired to start this blog for the following reasons : -

• I wanted to share my experiences in my journey towards a more spiritual, awaken and purpose-driven life.

• I had read many spiritual books and sutras. I have found that there are many key insights in these ancient knowledge that are directly applicble in our everyday-life today.

• I was especially inspired by what Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle had embarked on - which is to share with everybody the wisdom found in Eckhart Toole's books.
  

I had read both Eckhart Tolle's books - "The Power of Now" and "A New Earth - Awakening to Your Life's Purpose".

These two books resonated with what I know from my studies of different religions. There are a lot of real truths in what Eckhart Tolle had written about.

If you have not yet read these 2 books, I would suggest that you do so. You will come away with a new way of seeing life around you and the reasons why you are here in this life.

Both books have been on the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author List.

In the coming days, I will be writing about my insights and experiences. I hope that you will come to this blog frequently and read what I have written. Hopefully, you can pick up some gems of wisdom that you can apply in your life.

This is a journey that I am looking forward to sharing with all of you.

I wish all of you an awaken and abundant life...