Goodbye 2009

Here are the highlights of 2009. May 2010 be a better year...

Merry Christmas with a Silent Night

Enjoy the angelic voice of Susan Boyd singing "Silent Night"

Merry Christmas to all and may there be peace on earth everywhere!

Have a Blessed Christmas

As we celebrate the holidays, with an abundant of food, good cheer and peace towards our fellow men, please spare a thought for the less fortunate amongst us.

The above video shows that there are still a lot of poor people around. These people will spend their Christmas shivering in the cold streets with pangs of hunger their constant companion.

Can you provide a match for them like "The Little Match Girl" so that they can also have some warmth and food during this holiday season?

Open your hearts to them and share your abundance with these poor people. And you will be blessed with more abundance in the days to come.

The Universe operates on a very simple law : - The more you give, the more you will receive.

So, open your hearts and your wallets and give, give, give...

May you have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with an abundance of happiness, prosperity and good health...

Taking Delight in Others Misfortunes

Have you not, on certain occasions, felt a tinge of pleasure when you hear some bad news or misfortunes happening to your friends or even family members?

The French philosopher, Francois de La Rochefoucauld once wrote :
"In the misfortunes of even our greatest friends, we take a certain pleasure."

This is part of our human nature, that we are apt to experience a tinge of satisfaction or pleasure whenever we hear about the failures, misfortunes and humiliations of others - even those that are close to us whom we bear no ill will.

Why is that so?

Part of it is because of our own individual egos, that celebrate the fact that other people who took a risk had failed, some times spectacularly.

Our ego, safe in its comfort zone of familiarity, does not like other people who push their limits to achieve something better. It jars us that we are not moving beyond our comfort zone. It holds up a mirror to our adversity to risks.

Therefore, when these people fails in their new endeavors, our hearts make a small leap of happiness. We privately gloat over the failures of others. Some even go to the extend to spreading the "good" news around the neighbourhood to bring more shame to these risk-takers.

The German's have a word to describe this - "Schadenfreude" ie, "shameful joy", pleasure derived from others' misfortunes.

A related emotion consists of deriving sorrow from others' good fortune - this is "Freudenschade".

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche offer a possible insight on schadenfreude in his 1882 work, The Gay Science :

"Schadenfreude originates in the fact, that in certain respects of which he is aware, everyone feels unwell - is oppressed by care, envy or sorrow. The harm that befalls another man makes him our equal and it appeases our envy."

"If, on the other hand, he happens to feel perfectly well, he nonetheless gathers up his neighbour's misfortune in his consciousness as a capital upon which to draw when he himself faces misfortunes - thus he too experiences schadenfreude."

Usually, it is people who suffers from low self-esteem, who are more likely to experience schadenfreude than people who has more self-love. It is even felt more intensely when it is directed at those people that they envy most.

However, we must guard against having such feelings.

There is nothing good in feeling schadenfreude. In fact, you should reflect deeply on yourself and search within your ego why you have these feelings and work towards eliminating it or addressing those issues that are buried deep within you.

"To feel envy is human, to savour schadenfreude is devilish."
- German philosopher Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860).

Letter From Jesus About Christmas

LETTER FROM JESUS ABOUT CHRISTMAS

From Marion Smith
December 8, 2009

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 – 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up… It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5 Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference. *

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary – especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here’s a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don’t know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine. Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I’ll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I’ll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember.

I LOVE YOU,

JESUS

How Long? Not Long!!

"How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever.

How long? Not long, because you shall reap what you sow.

How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand

“To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”

~ William Blake.

It's All Your Fault

The Universe is perfect in and of Itself. It follows the universal principles that govern everything, from gravity to the cycle of day and night.

The world around us reflects this order - even in chaos, there is a beauty in its unpredictability. Sure, we may want to control and tame Mother Nature but doing so always comes with a price.

People also wish that they are perfection too. Yes, in many ways, we are perfection because we are made in God's image.

If we are are all perfect, why are there so many flawed people around us?

Why are there so much sufferings and unhappiness the world around us?

Part of the reason is that we live a life of illusions.

We delude ourselves that we are perfect. And in doing so, we think that we do not have to improve in any areas of our lives.

When things go wrong, it is not our fault. It is always the other people's fault.

When you are late for work, you blame the trains for running late when it is actually because you overslept.

When you are caught in a thunderstorm, it is such an inconvenient that you are wet - it is not because you did not plan your trip to take into account the adverse weather.

When your friends tell you that your skin look bad, they are just jealous bitches out to hurt you.

When your boss said that your work performance is not up to par, well, what does that jerk know about quality work in the first place?

So, it is always easier to blame others for your imperfection - after all, in our mind, we are perfect in every way.

It is so much easier to blame others to protect our fragile ego and self-image.

Such delusions causes all the problems in the world. All the unhappiness, all the sufferings and all the conflicts...

So, take a stand and be accountable for yourself and all the consequences of your actions.

Do not blame others.

Instead, look into yourself and take responsibility to do better and change for the better.

The path towards perfection is filled with pot-holes. So, as you traverse down this path, look out for the pot-holes and if you step into one, it is your fault for not paying attention to the pot-holes of life.

No point blaming others - just be courageous and own up for the mistakes in your life and strive to improve for the better.

The Baggages Of The Past

All of us, having lived our lives, have our own personal histories, memories and pasts.

Each life has its ups and downs. Some of the memories are of good times while others are of the bad.

Some of the past experiences help define who we are today. They shape our perspective, our values and our sense of who we are now.

Some of us would rather forget the bad experiences of events in our lives. And mercifully, the passing of time has that effect of helping us to forget some of those bad memories.

However, there are some people who can never forget the bad experiences of their pasts. They carry these baggages with them everywhere they go.

And it colour the way that they behave today.

They cannot get past some of these bad experiences. They project "what ifs" of these bad memories into their current lives.

Because of this, some of them are afraid to take risks, afraid to live fully in the present today.

They are afraid that the end result will be the same - the same bad experiences, that they had experienced previously, will occur again.

Why? Why is there such a need to treat yourself with so little faith?

Have faith in yourself that you had learnt from your past experiences and that you have the wisdom to deal with the event so that you will come out better.

So, put down those heavy baggages and feel lighter. Let all of it go and be here now, living fully in the present...

Take Action on Your Dreams

The ancient Greek and Roman sculptors worked with big blocks of marble.

Before they even start to cut and carve the block of marble, they visualize in their mind what the finished sculpture will be.

They have to hold the image in their mind, carefully chipping away and manifesting the image that they see inside the block of marble.

Michealangelo is said to have remarked that the beautiful David already exists inside the marble. His job was just to chip away the marble to reveal it in all its glory.

So it is with our dreams. It is not enough to just dream. We need to take courageous action and focus all our energy to bring the dream to reality.

With no action, your dreams will not come true. It will not manifest itself.

It will just exists in the void, the what-ifs, the dream-world.

It is only when you work on it that you can bring your dream to fruition.

So, dream big and more important, take action with laser-like focus to make it real....

If you have built castles in the air,

Your work need not be lost;

There is where they should be.

Now, put foundations under them.

- Henry David Thoreau, author

The Power of Thoughts

Thought is the original source of all wealth,
All success, all material gain,
All great discoveries and inventions,
And all achievements.

- Claude M. Bristol, Author

You need to dream to create the successes and the life that you want. It is through thought that you create your destiny and your reality.

A lot of people just live their lives everyday, filled with routines and habits. They do not dream what they actually want out of their lives. They do not visualize the reality that they can actualize.

So, it is important that you take time to dream - for it is through dreams and what your mind can create that the reality will be created.

All Labels Are Useless

As people, we need to categorise and label the things, people and the environment around us.

Doing so helps our brain to wrap around various concepts that we encounter and the things that we see in our daily lives.

However, all labels are actually useless.

Why? Because everything that you see, hear, feel or experience and give a name or label is based on your sense perceptions.

Someone may say that this space is small. Another may say that it is really huge.

Why is there the difference when they are both referring to the same space?

It is because each of them perceived the space with different sense perceptions, different values and different context.

A person used to living in an environment of huge, open space would find a house small. Yet, a poor person who lived in a small space and shared it with 10 people would find the same house to be huge.

So, who is right?

Neither one is right. The space exists just as it is. Big or small is meaningless to the space.

It is because human kind has such different perceptions that a lot of disagreements and arguments arise because each person defends his labelling and his perception to be absolutely correct.

This is the danger of labelling and naming things. It restricts our view and perception of its true nature.

We go running around, chasing our feelings and having opinions of everything and yet we fail to see the truth that lies within each of us.

Self and No-Self

As recorded in the Ananda Sutta, a wanderer called Vacchagotta once asked the Buddha if there is a self, to which the Buddha remained silent.

Next, he asked if there is no self, to which the Buddha also remained silent.

Upon his departure, the Buddha's attendant disciple Ananda asked why didn't he answer either questions.

The Buddha replied that if he were to say there is a self, that would conform to eternalism, which is the mistaken view that there is an eternal unchanging soul.

If he were to say there is no self, that would conform to annihilationism, which is the mistaken view that with death is the annihilation of consciousness.

And if he were to say there is a self, that would not be aligned with the realisation that all phenomena (mind and matter) are not-self.

And if he were to say there is no self, the bewildered Vacchagotta would have become more bewildered as to whether the self he used to have does not exist now.

Eternalism proposes that there is a part of our being that does not change from life to life. This the Buddha clearly did not endorse, as he had analysed our being into the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousnesses) in the Anattalakkhana Sutta - all of which are fluxing and dissatisfactory, thus unsuited to be a substantial self.

Annihilationism proposes that there is no part of our being (aggregates) that remains from life to life. This the Buddha also did not endorse, because the aggregates do exist - in terms of change. That is to say, though our forms, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousnesses are not fixed from one moment to another, they exist in the moment.

In this sense, there is ultimately no fixed self (Anatta) to speak of, while conventionally speaking, there is a self that we need to relate to practically; albeit not cling to, since it changes.

The Buddha taught a subtle 'Middle Way' truth between the erroneous extremes of eternalism and annihilationism, as based upon the truth of impermanence (Anicca).

Though we have body and mind (conventional self), we have no fixed body and mind; we are ultimately not-self.

As such, the questions of whether there is a self or not could not be answered simplistically.

Perhaps the Buddha didn't explain the above to Vacchagotta because he was too attached to wanting yes or no answers despite the complexity of the truth.

As such, even if the Buddha elaborated on the meaning of his silence to him, it wouldn't be useful - which is why silence became the best answer - for him to contemplate its intention.

Vacchagotta was probably not sharp enough to discern and reconcile differences between the relative truth of a conventional self and the absolute truth of ultimate non-self.

Are you like Vacchagotta too? - Shen Shi'an


Right speech includes appropriate silence; not just appropriate words.

- Stonepeace

The End Of The World?

Last week, a complete solar eclipse covered major parts of India and China.

In ancient days, such an event would fill the people with fear and terror that the sun has been swallowed. In fact, ancient Chinese legends have it that it is the heavenly dog that is devouring the sun when an eclipse happens.

From a fengshui point of view, a solar eclipse is an omninous event as it portends a period of bad things happening in the world. Since the sun is the source of Yang Qi, when it is covered by the moon and the whole world becomes dark, the event is generally regarded as not very good.

However, this solar eclipse provides you with an opportunity to reflect on the true insight of impermanence.

Just as the solar eclipse is not permanent, it also holds true that everything changes and nothing is permanent.

Even the sun will die one day. So, why are we so attached to all the transient things on earth?

Therefore, take courage when you experience a solar eclipse and meditate on the truth of impermanence.

Time Is Our Present Breath

Many people who are born and died lived a mindless and unexamined life.

They are so busy "living life" that they forget the very fundamental things about themselves.

Their egos obscured who they really are.

Yes, they can buy beautiful things to make themselves feel good and indulge in activities that supposedly bring them happiness.

And yet, many of them are never even aware of their breath going in and out of their bodies.

That is how far away they are from their true selves. That is how mindless they are.

Think about it a little bit. What is more important than your own breath?

Without it, you are no longer alive.

With every breath that you take, you consciously mark every second of your time. Every breath is time and the Present.

So, breath in and out consciously. Meditate on your breath in the quiet moments of your "busy" lives. Find the Truth within you.

Give thanks for the breath going in and out of your bodies.

Be grateful that your breath is giving you life.

Rejoice in the simple activity of breathing...

Happy All The Time...

If you were to ask anybody around you, one of their life goals is to be happy. Some may define their dreams as to achieve happiness in their lives.

Even if you achieve happiness, can you truly say that you are happy all the time?

No, that would be impossible.

Why?

It is very simple. Life moves in cycles. There are times when you are happy and times when you are not. That is the duality of all human existence.

It is as natural as daylight and night-time. There can be no darkness without the light. There can be no up if there is no down. There can be no right if there is no wrong. This is the principle of duality.

Happiness is a state of our mind. It is the mind that tells you when you are happy.

Certain events or occurrences that happen in your life and your mind interprets the event that this should make you happy. So, the body will release the various "happy" hormones in your body and you will feel a sense of happiness.

But this state of happiness will not last. As like everything in life, it is transient. So, after that feeling of happiness has passed, you will feel no-more-happy. This is the dual state of being happy.

An enlightened sage will know that it is futile to grasp at happiness. You just cannot make happiness stay in your life due to the changing conditions of life.

So, the wise sage will just maintain a state of equanmity. If happiness comes, he recognizes it, holds it for a while and let it go with no attachment. If sorrow comes, he would do the same thing.

Therefore, if you experienced happiness, be thankful for the grace of that happy occurrence. Do not chase after it and try to prolong its presence. It cannnot be done.

Enjoy the small episodes of happiness that comes into your life and be grateful for the opportunity to feel the happiness...

You Don't Have To Do The Big Things

How many times have we felt the need to take action but held back or hesitated because we were afraid that we would be embarrassed or we think that the results would be insignificant?

How many times have we turned away from addressing a problem or resolving an issue because we think that we are inadequate to the task or think that what you do is inconsequential.?

How many time have we thought that we cannot contribute to society because we are too poor, we do not have the power or we are just a nobody?

Please don't!!

Be courageous and take concrete actions. Do not think that what you do will be of no consequences.

Just like a pebble thrown into the pond, the ripples will spread far from the centre of where the pebble enters the water. You do not know how far-reaching are the results of your actions.

You do not need to do the BIG things.

Why? Because not everybody have the capability or capacity to do the BIG things.

BIG things like President Obama changing a country for the better. BIG things like Oprah building schools for the poor in Africa. BIG things like a scientist discovering a cure for cancer.

You can start by doing the smaller things.

How about giving freedom to a caged bird so that it can fly and sing its beautiful songs? How about a word of kindness to someone who needs it desperately? How about nurturing a child by reading a book or sharing your time with him.

As long as you do it with the goodness of your heart, the Universe will register your intentions and create good karmas down the line.

So, do not hesitate. Each small things will slowly accummulate into BIG things. You may not know the impact your small gestures may have in the lives of someone else.

So, please be brave and just throw as many pebbles as you can into the pond....

Believe That You Can

In each of our life's journey, the most important thing that we possess is the ability to think and discern between what is right and wrong.

Our mind, the life experiences that we have and the values that we were exposed to help us develop our belief systems.

What we believe help shape our responses and actions to the world around us.

We set goals and dreams that we want to achieve.

But how many of us can truly say that we have achieved all that we dreamt?

Why is it that some people seem to be able to fulfilled their dreams and live a fulfilled life of success and happiness?

It is because these people simply believe that they can. They believe that they can achieve all that they set out to do.

Life's battles do not alway go the strongest, the fastest or the richest.

It goes to the person who thinks he can and believes it in every fibre of his being...

The Beggar Woman

Once, there lived a beggar woman in ancient India.

Nobody really knew how old she was - she was old beyond her real age.

Her sufferings showed in the lines of her face, the lack of food has shrunken her body frame until you can see the ribs and the weight of her existence hung on her shoulders until she can barely walk.

She was dirty, smelly and nearly blind. She shuffled in her torn shoes, with a sturdy stick that she depended on to support her fragile frame. Her teeth was rotted and her hands were all withered and diseased.

People avoided her when they saw her. They ignored her and her tragic presence.

Some kind souls would some times give her some food, some water and a coin or two.

One day, this beggar woman walked past a temple. Usually, she would keep on walking pass the temple but on that day, something stopped her. She heard beautiful chants and music coming from within the temple.

She stepped through the doorway and made her way slowly towards the altar which has a statue of Amitabha Buddha.

The chanting stopped when she entered the temple. Everybody looked at her to see what she was doing.

When she stepped into the temple, she felt a sense of peace and a lightness in her heart. When she came to the altar, she knelt in front of the statue of Amitabha Buddha.

From her tattered pocket, she took out a beautiful flower that she had plucked from outside and offered it to the Buddha. She bowed respectfully and muttered something quietly under her breath.

After that, she got up, shuffled slowly to the donation box and drop in a coin. Then she sat down on the bare floor to rest and to behold the beautiful face of Amitabha Buddha.

At the side of the temple, there was a gathering of monks. All the monks of the temple were present and kneeling respectfully in front of a raised platform.

On the platform sat a serene and kind-faced person with a majestic air about him. He was Sakyamuni Buddha, the Enlightened One.

He spoke "Did all of you see what the beggar woman did?"

One monk replied "Yes, my lord. She made an offering to Amitabha Buddha."

Sakyamuni Buddha said "Yes, she did. And do you know the merits that she had earned by her simple deed?"

Another monk replied, "No, my lord."

Sakyamuni Buddha said, "By her giving from a sincere heart, she has earned so many merits that even if the king should come here and offered his kingdom and all his riches, it would pale besides her offerings."

"Her offerings is so immeasurable that if all the money, gold and jewels in the world would be piled high until it reach Mount Sumeru, it would still not be equal."

Sakyamuni Buddha proclaimed, "My disciples, do not look down on this beggar woman. She is suffering in this life because of her bad karmas from her previous lives."

"By her generous act of making an offering of a flower to Amitabha Buddha, she has generated immeasurable merits and good karmas. In many kalpas to come, she will become a Buddha and help deliver sentient beings from all sufferings!!"

Ananda, the Buddha's personal assistant, got up and walked across the temple to the beggar woman. He bowed before her, lifted her up and asked her if she would want to become a disciple of the Buddha.

When she agreed, she was given clean clothes, food and she joined the monks to listen to Sakyamuni Buddha preaching the Dharma.

And for the first time in her life, she was happy and a sense of serenity descended on her heart...

The Dharma that she heard filled her soul with a fullness that she had never felt before.

The above Dharma story has a very simple message :

It is not how much you give, it is how sincere your heart is when you do give. Even the smallest kindness will generate a lot of merit.

So, give. And give with no reservations...

Happiness Is How Much You Give

Why is there so much unhappiness in the world today?

Everywhere you look, you see a lot of people burdened by the trials of earning a living, of making enough to fulfill their desires and numerous wants.

It seems that whatever you have now is never enough.

There is always the need to have more.

The need to accumulate more material things, the need to compare with your neighbours on who is richer, the need to show the world that you are successful with your condos or your BMW.

Even you have all these material things, are you truly happy?

There are many rich people, who front the outside look happy, but in their private moments are in deep despair. Why? Because what they have is never enough.

In the deep of the night, they cannot sleep due to the cravings that they have. Cravings for more material things, riches and other needs.

So, to numb these pain, many turns to drugs, sedatives or destructive life-styles to fill these voids.

When you see these people, you feel compassion and pity arising for them.

They do not realize a very basic principle : -

"Happiness is not how much you have - it is how much you give."

When you give, you feel a lightness of the heart and your spirit soars.

It is not just material things that you can give.

You can give your time, your presence and your energy.

If you do not have a lot of money, a kind word given to a man in deep depression may be more valuable than all the riches in the world.

Time devoted to a lonely child will be remembered in years to come.

By being present for the friends in their time of need will forever showed them how much you value them and they will always treasure your being there.

So, give, give and give.

Give with no expectations of thanks. Give with no hope that the gift will be returned. Give with no expectations of reciprocity.

When you give so generously, the Universe will register your goodness from the heart.

And the Universe will bless you with all that you need - the simple abundance that will bring lots of happiness in your life.

Persistence

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not;

Nothing is more common that unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not;

Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not;

The world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

The slogan "Press On" has solved and will always solve

The problems of the human race."

- Calvin Coolidge

How many times, in the face of a problem, we have given up too prematurely when the battle could have been won if we had only persisted for a while longer?

How many times have success been just out of reach because we gave up too soon?

How many time could we have won the accorlades and the reward if we have just put in more energy and effort to reach the price?

Persistence and determination is everything. It is the muse of success and without it, no person of substance would have achieved anything grand and enduring.

So, do not give up too soon. Take the time and persist in your effort.

The reward would be worth it.

The Importance of Choices

We human kind is unique in the world in one major aspect - we can consciously think.

And one of the gift of being able to think is the freedom to make choices. We can decide what we want to do or the action that we want to take.

That is a basic freedom that many of us do not really appreciate.

But think about it (ah - that freedom again) - without the ability to make choices, we would be no different from the animals that surround us.

We would be no different than the dogs or cats that we have as pets. We would only be driven by our primitive urges. We would only respond to basic instincts that we feel.

With the ability to think and make choices, we are blessed with the ability to plan and decide how we want to live our lives.

We can decide how we want to live, where we want to build a home, what type of career or jobs that we want to pursue. We can decide who we want to be our friends, what kinds of activities that we want to be involved in that brings us pleasure and satisfaction and what we want to do today.

The many choices that we make every day dictate how our lives turn out and the lives that we lead. Where you are today is the result of all the actions and choices that you have made in the past.

Can you imagine that? Do you get it?

What it means is that regardless of where you are now, you can make a choice to change!! If you don't like your life today, you can decide to change it and have a new life.

Isn't that wonderful?

And yet, many people live in a mindless way.

They do not think that they have the freedom to make choices. They have surrendered their power to decide and to choose.

Isn't that sad? God has given you the ability to make choices.

So, choose what you want to be and take the necessary actions required to reach your goals.

Be bold and take the action to choose...

Michael Jackson - Free and At Peace

Michael Jackson is dead.

Died in the prime of his life, like many other great talents that the world have seen - icons like Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and many others.

I was never an MJ fan. I have never bought a single album of his.

Sure, I have heard his songs, which were played ad nauseam in the airwaves, shopping malls and at parties when his albums were released in the great 80's. I have watched his specials, concerts and performances in various award shows shown on the TV.

But yet, I was not his fan.

Why?

Because I just did not enjoy his songs and his singing. It is as simple as that.

And yet I DID respect him for the great talent that he was blessed with. The talent to reach out to touch people with his songs, his voice and his performances. The magic that he brings to his fervent fans.

I did recognize the greatness that the Universe has put on his shoulder. And I did appreciate the tremendous achievements that he had accomplished since he was a young kid.

Yes, he was truly blessed with a great talent.

However, every blessing is a double-edged sword. With great talents comes great responsibilities.

The responsibilities to share the talents generously. The burden to change the world for the better. The duty to live beyond himself.

Sadly, MJ did not developed the wisdom to do that.

With the successes that he had, he was consumed by the fame, the adoration and the wealth.

Despite all these, I doubt that MJ was ever truly happy.

He sought escape from the pedestal that his fans had put him on by getting addicted to drugs, addicted to the adorations that strokes his ego and addicted to all the material things that money could buy.

He did not have the opportunity to learn that all these will not bring him true happiness. All these will not last - not the fame, the successes and the adoration.

True happiness only comes from within.

Within is the stillness that would have told him about his calling and how he could have served the Universe to make millions of lives improve for the better.

In trying to escape reality, he tried to create his own perfect world. He built Neverland, filled it with toys and imaginative worlds. He surrounded himself with the innocence of kids. He spent a fortune on numerous plastic surgeries to change his face and the image that he saw in the mirror.

Yet, he could not have outrun the emptiness that he felt within his soul. He could not escape the painful Present.

Regretably MJ did not develope the wisdom to know that everything is transient.

He did not have the insights to know the good he could have done with his fame and fortune. He did not have the blessings of families and friends who could have given him good advices that could have grounded him to the Now.

Now MJ is dead.

And even in death, there are fights over his children, his will and his legacy.

In death, he has achieved the status of a legend, becoming an icon of our times.

MJ, wherever you are, I wish you peace and hope that you are now in a happier place. May you find the freedom, the happiness and the wisdom that you were seeking when you were here on earth.

Be well, be happy and be at peace...

Being In The Now

It is so normal for us to be preoccupied with the past and be worried about the future.

In living in the past, we refuse to let go of past experiences, regrets and what-ifs. This too is a type of prison - a prison of the mind that prevents us from living in the present and moving forward.

In worrying about the future, we live in fear and apprehension about what-will-be. There is guilt of what we should be doing, the regret of not doing what we have to do and therefore, miss out on the now.

Hey, please wake up!!

The past is just made up of dead moments piled into our heads.

And when we worry, we neglect the now and all its possibilities. The future is what will come soon enough - it is made up of all the now happening. If we are mindful of what is happening today, the future will manifest itself soon enough.

Be kind to your yourself. Be kind to the now. Be here in the moment. And the moment will stay with you.

Being in the Now is the greatest happiness that you can give yourself. There are no guilt and no worry. We become alive - we are in the reality of the present.

So, be here now.... and be happy...

Energy Vampire

I have a BFF that I love to death.

We have known each other for many years and got along very well. We have shared a lot of our lives - the ups, the downs, the joys and the sorrows.

However, whenever I spent time with her, I felt drained and very tired. Even if I had spent less than an hour with her, doing nothing but just talking over coffee, I still felt that way.

I had always wondered why I felt this way when I am around her.

Over time, as I become wiser, I realized that there are certain people who brings very good energy with them. When you are around these people, you felt very alive, energetic and a lightness. You just enjoyed your time with them.

And there are people like my friend, whom you feel bad after spending time with them.

Why is that so?

I discovered that these people are actually "Energy Vampires". When you are around them, they literally drained your energy and you end up feeling very tired, depressed, down or melancholy.

I have observed that these "Energy Vampires" share some characteristics : -

• They are generally very self-absorbed individuals that only cared about themselves.
• They also think that their needs and priorities are more important than yours.
• Every incident or events that happened in their lives are filled with dramas.
• And they are quite deluded, in the sense that they do not learn the lessons that the Universe is teaching them and as a consequence, they make the same mistakes again and again.
• They are also not sensitive to the people around them.

When I realized these, I developed a stategy to only meet my friend when I am feeling good.

On those days when I am stressed or not feeling good, I tried to avoid meeting her. I would make some excuses to reschedule our appointment to another day.

When I meet her, I always picture a bright light surrounding me.

I maintain an aura of impenetrable energy around me to ensure that her negative energy does not seep into my being. And with that, I am able to interact with her and not feel drained at the end of the encounter.

You may be asking : - Why not just avoid her altogether?

Well, some times, life gives you the people who challenges you, who teaches you patience and help you to cultivate the path to enlightenment and wisdom.

And therefore, I still keep in touch with her, sharing my wisdom and learnings so that she can become aware about her own dramas and move forward to better experiences.

Everything Is About Feelings

"The Best And Most Beautiful Things In The World

Cannot Be Seen Or Even Touched.

They Must Be Felt With The Heart."

Helen Keller

These days, we live in a mindless way.

We have our goals and objectives to meet. We set our schedules and a list of things to do for the day and results that we have to accomplish. We rush through the day.

In doing so, we forget the rhythm of life. We let the passing seasons go by without really appreciating the beauty and the transient state of time.

Finding one's rhythm is difficult to do amidst all the pressures and expectations from the world outside.

We work too hard, we force things to go according to our plan.

Perhaps, it would be better to find the flow of life. Find the rhythm that fits you.

Find your life flowing in a seamless harmony around you. Be spontateous, powerful and present.

Feel it - the beauty, the resonance and every aspects of life.

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A Beautiful View From Above

Sorry that I have not been posting much as I was in Australia for 2 weeks.

On my way back, I looked outside the plane window and saw this beautiful sight.

It really makes you realize that only the Almighty can make such a phenomenon of clouds all lined up in straight lines.

Looking at the clouds, you also know that the planet earth is a very beautiful place, that is fragile and imperiled by our actions.

The Passage OF Time

"The Secret of Life is Enjoying the Passage of Time"

James Taylor

And yet, how many of you can really say that the above quote applies to you?

How many of us are always so driven towards goals, results and deadlines that we failed to enjoy what we do? How many of us failed to enjoy the time spent with our loved ones, our hobbies or even appreciate the bountiful beauty of Mother Earth?

So, stop!! Be Here Now!! Be Present!

And you will find that your life is filled with an abundant of beauty and blessings...

Meditation Affects Your Brain

Do you know that meditation has a direct impact on your brain cells?

How so?

When you meditate, the frontal cortex of your brain gets activated. This will show up in a MRI scan of your brain - the whole area lights up like fireworks have been set off in that area!!

What does this mean to your brain? It means that the cells of your brain is being stimulated when you meditate. With this stimulation, the brain cells become "stronger" and will not decay and will degenerate at slower rate. This means that your brain cell lasts longer and more neuron pathways are generated.

Meditation is like a spa for your brain. It introduces more nutrients and oxygen into your brain, thereby, making the cells last longer.

If you have the correct equipment, you can also measure your brain-waves. You will find that your brain's alpha-waves will increase significantly.

To start meditating, relax your body completely. Send "loving-kindness" to each of your body parts, starting from your toes and working upwards towards your head. Keep sending "loving-kindness" to each body part until you feel a tingling sensation.

When you send "loving-kindness" to each of your body parts, you activate the natural healing process of your body. Numerous studies have shown that a lot of diseases have an emotional component that cause these diseases to manifest. The act of sending "loving-kindness" to each body parts will release the tension and stress in that part of the body that is blocked, allowing the Qi to flow naturally.

Relaxing your body this way would be helpful in calming your mind so that you can then focus on your breath. Just let your awareness be on your breath - feel your lungs expanding as you draw in a breath through your nostrils. Then feel the lungs collapse gently when you exhale.

Meditating this way, by just gently concentrating on your breath, makes it easy for you to slip into a calm and abiding state.

Meditate as long as you like. Do not force yourself to meditate for half an hour or 1 hour. This is not something to obsess over. When you feel that you have meditate enough, you will naturally stop and emerge from your abiding state.

How To Be Happy...

When the Buddha was asked this question, he replied that all buddhas teach the same thing : -

The Bad Things, Don't Do Them.

The Good Things, Try To Do Them.

Purify And Subdue Your Own Mind.

That Is The Teaching Of All Buddhas.

Simple advice but not so easy to live it...

The Secret of Happiness

With so many bad news everywhere due to the "financial tsunami" (Warren Buffett's description), where a lot of people are losing their jobs, their homes and their hopes for a good life, it is very easy to fall into a state of despair.

Life is so challenging, with a lot of pressures coming from different directions. Some days, you can feel that it is easier to stay in bed and not have to face the world.

However, that is not an option. All these sufferings are temporary. In the big scheme of things, it does not last.

A lot of these sufferings are because of our cravings. We crave for material things, status and gratifications.

If we are able to quiet these cravings within us, we will see that all these desires of wealth and fame does not bring us true happiness. We search for it outside of ourselves and keep coming up short.

Why?

As long as seek power, happiness and gratification by pursuing fame, money and sex, we will never be happy and we will never be satisfied.

Many of us think that if we have no money, status or fame, we therefore have no power and cannot be truly happy.

However, once our basic material needs for food, water, shelter, saftety and livelihood are met, the path to true happiness is actually very simple.

Only by coming back to ourselves and purifying our minds can we experience true and lasting happiness.

Without attachments to material things, fame and fortune, your happiness is based on your own peace, wisdom and love. The mind forms these attachments, which leads to much sufferings.

You have to train yourselve to see happiness in terms of peace, freedom and compassion. The more generous you are in giving, not just your money and power, the more you will find that you are happy.

Happy to live in the present, with no worries about your diminishing assets in this difficult times. Happy that you are alive and feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin. Happy that you are surrounded by a lot of blessings.

So, live with a grateful spirit - be thankful that you still have your good health, your families and love ones, your mental faculties, your friends and your place in this beautiful world.

Go out there and give as generously as you can...

And you will find that each of your gifts will be as everlasting as the mountains in Tibet...

Start The New Year With Gratitude

With the year 2009 just having began, it is important to start the new year with gratitude.

When we are thankful for all the blessings and abundance, as well as help from those who have helped us in one way or another, we will naturally develop the wish to repay all for the infinite kindness that people have showered on us.

As we meditate on others' kindness with gratitude, there will arise a feeling of fulfilment in our hearts, leading to a lessening in the compulsive desires of our egos.

When we focus on what we have rather than what we lack, we will be filled with contentment, which in turn enhances our self-confidence and our ability to connect with others with a feeling of gratitude and openess. This invariable will cause feelings of loving-kindness and compassion for all sentient beings.

Cultivating gratitude may seem simple but it is not. With all the demands of life and the chaos that surrounds us, carrying a bubble of gratitude in all that we do is not easy.

One way to start is to cultivate gratitude for the kindness and love that our parents have shown us. It is because of their selfless love and caring that we are where we are today - a confident, learned adult with a good value system.

Holding the welfare of others and being mindful of our actions and its consequences when going around our day-to-day activities will bring happiness to oneself and others that we touch.

So, carry with you an air of gratitude this year. How you begin the year will influence the rest of the year.

Therefore, be grateful for all your blessings, little or big and give thanks for all that you have been blessed with.

A New Year Dawns - 2009

Well, the fireworks have exploded in all the major cities of the world. The champagne has flowed and the New Year's Eve parties are over.

Happy New Year Everybody!!

For this year, I wish all of you and your family joy, good health and much happiness. May God's abundant blessings shower on you throughout the year.

With 2009 going to be a very challenging year, I hope that God will grant you grace, serenity and peace.

Your lives should not be just about yourself, your needs and wants. During this year, there will be much adversity and sacrifices as the world's economy deteriorates.

Despite these, please remember to be of service to your fellow human being.

When you see someone who needs help, please extend a helping hand.

When you see a child hungry, dig deep into your pocket and buy her a meal and give her enough money to last her a week.

When you see a father or a mother struggling to provide for their family, lend a ear to listen to their problems and seek out help for them if you are not in a position to help them yourself.

Spread some hope in this challenging time. Spread lots of good will around.

Pay it forward if life has provided you with abundance.

Make 2009 a year of possibilities and hope...

May the coming year bless you with abundance of all good things.