Awaken

Life is Short.
Time is Fleeting.
Uncover the True Nature.
Purify the Mind and the Heart
To Attain True Happiness.
Be Kind; Be Compassionate.
Ge Generous; Do Good.
Concentrate.
Understand.
Awaken...

- The Heart of the Buddha

Great Flood of Queensland

The above shows the great flood surging through the town of Toowoomba, with the flood level peaking beyond 25 meters.

Brisbane, the third largest city in Australia, will face peak flood level tomorrow as the Brisbane River rises to a new record of more than 15 meters. More than 75% of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone.

Everything has been swept away. Mercifully, the death toll has been low, less than a 30 people has died in the floods. Even then, any death in such a situation is unfortunate.

This massive flood is the result of man not respecting Mother Nature.

Queensland has been enjoying a the fruits of a huge economic boom because it has been raping Mother Earth through open mining vast areas for coal, emptying the streams and rivers to grow more produce for export and building towns and villages on flood plains.

Just 2 months ago, in Nov 2010, many farmers in Queensland and New South Wales were up in arms about their water rights when the Federal Government revealed its Water Plan for the Murray-Darling basin. Many faced cuts in their allocations even though there were enough rain at that time to bring the 10-year drought to an end.

Isn't it ironic that Mother Nature has now flooded these areas with more water than they can handle? La Nina has spoken and girl, did she screeched!!

And of course, the State Government of Queensland got a lot of the economic rewards. The pity is that it did not spend these abundance wisely but wasted it on superfluous projects and government spending, thinking that there would be lots of money coming from its vast natural resources.

All this is really karma.

Because of man's selfish actions, it has disrupted the natural order of Mother Nature. With indiscriminate burning of fossil fuels, like coal and oil, the earth has gotten warmer over the years. With that, storms have gotten fiercer and hurricanes are stronger. As a result, the damages have been more serious.

Well, Mother Nature has spoken and it will costs tens of billion dollars to recover from this calamity. Produce will costs more as a lot of top-soil has been washed away in the floods. Many areas may suffer desertification.

In the years to come, many countries which import most of their food will face increasing costs in their food. There will be riots and war over hunger and the lack of water.

May people, who has endured this suffering, be awaken to the consequences of their actions. May they be wiser in their dealings with Mother Nature and be grateful for the blessings of abundance that they have enjoyed for so many years...

Listen For The Quiet

With the holiday seasons upon us, many of us are busy making plans on how to celebrate the coming Christmas and New Year.

There will be many presents to buy, parties to plan and invitations to send.

There will also be the worries of how much money we can afford to splurge during these holidays. And of course, you are also faced with the various challenges of shopping for presents in the crowded malls.

It is at these times that we feel very stressed - stressed with the lack of time, the crowds everywhere, the difficulties finding a parking space.

And also wondering how to maintain the holiday cheers amidst being frazzled with all that needs to be done.

There are unspoken expectations to fulfill - from your spouse, from your children and from your family; expectations that everything will be perfect - the perfect present, the perfect party, the perfect good cheer.

When you are stressed and tense, go somewhere to find 30 seconds of quietness. Spend the time to gather your thoughts and calm yourself.

Let calm thoughts permeate through your mind. Picture calm scenes that you have previously encountered, perhaps a favorite holiday.

Listen for silence in the midst of all the Christmas carols.

Listen for the quiet that you find in unexpected places.

And find your sanity in all these madness.

Awaken to the beauty that money cannot buy in the shopping malls...

Questions in the Heart

“I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart, and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language.

Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them.

The point is to live everything. Live the questions now.

Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”

- Rainer Maria Rilke, 1903


The above philosophy resonates a lot with me.

A lot of times, we plan, we scheme and we act because we want to attain some goals, to reach some objectives or to realize some achievements.

And in the process of doing that, we face failures and inadequacies because we force the outcome that we desired and the results that we want.

However, your time-table for certain things to happen in your life is not the time-table that the Universe is following.

The Universe, in its infinite wisdom, will unfold the events when the time is right.

Therefore, when you feel that things are not going well in your life, perhaps, it is time to step back and put the questions into your heart.

Accept that the timing is not right now for you to realize your ambitions.

Accept that the Universe knows that you are not ready yet to accept the outcome yet.
The Universe knows that, perhaps you do not have the necessary life experiences or skills to deal with the situation now.

So, surrender to the unknown and live your life now, in the Present.

And know deep in your heart that the many questions and yearnings that you have in your heart will manifest the solutions and answers to you when you are at the right place in life and the timing is right.

Feel the freedom of surrendering to a higher power.

And be awaken to all the possibilities...

The Lotus

The lotus (padme) is an important symbol in Tibetan Buddhism and is commonly associated with the process of becoming a buddha.

In Tibetan Buddhist iconography, buddhas are often seated on lotus thrones, indicating their transcendent state. A lotus is born in the muck and mud at the bottom of a swamp, but when it emerges on the surface of the water and opens its petals, a beautiful flower appears, unstained by the mud from which it arose.

Similarly, the compassion and wisdom of buddhas arise from the muck of the ordinary world, which is characterized by fighting, hatred, distrust, anxiety, and other negative emotions. These emotions tend to cause people to become self-centered and lead to suffering and harmful actions.

But just as the world is the locus of destructive emotions, it is also the place in which we can become buddhas, perfected beings who have awakened from the sleep of ignorance and who perceive reality as it is, with absolute clarity and with profound compassion for suffering living beings.

Just as the lotus arises from the bottom of a swamp, so buddhas were former humans, immersed in the negative thoughts and actions in which all ordinary beings engage: the strife, wars, petty jealousies, and hatreds to which all humans, animals, and other creatures are subject.

Through their meditative training, however, buddhas have transcended such things, and like lotuses have risen above their murky origins and look down on them unsullied by the mud and mire below.

The symbolism may be extended still further, because buddhas do not simply escape the world and look down on others with pity or detached amusement; rather, like the lotus, which has roots that still connect it with the bottom of the swamp, buddhas continue to act in the world for the benefit of others, continually manifesting in various forms in order to help them, to make them aware if the reality of their situations, and to indicate the path to the awakening of buddhahood, which can free them from all suffering.

- Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism (John Powers)

Do Not Stand at My Grave

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep,
I am the thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain,
I am the shining star at night,
When you awake to the morning light.

My time has come, I am at rest,
I am the sunset in the west,
I am the clouds that race above,
Where I watch over those I love.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I do not die,
So hear these words that here I say,
I am the love that guides your way.

- Author unknown


It is normal to grieve when a loved one dies.

In the cycle of life, birth and death is as natural as the breath that we draw in.

Without darkness, we would not delight in the sunlight.

Without the exquisite pain, we would not be uplifted by joy.

Without loss, we would not be able to treasure love.

Only when there is duality, can we appreciate the infinite beauty of our lives.

So, when someone departs from our lives, the beautiful memories remain to guide us through our remaining lives.

From a Buddhist point of view, there is no death. We just discard this body that we possess and go to another plane of existence.

So, awaken and live in the present... for that is all we have.

Thoughts

"We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make the world."

- The Buddha


It is through our thoughts that we manifest reality to arise.

If we think happy thoughts, we will find that we live in a state of happiness.

When we dwell on negative and dark thoughts, we find our world become more depressing.

The Buddha said that there is no heaven or hell. Heaven or hell is manifested through our mind.

If you think that you are in hell, you will feel that way even though you may be surrounded by beauty, luxury and abundance.

If you think beautiful thoughts, you will find that even in the worst environments, you will feel that you are in heaven.

So, heaven and hell is actually now on earth. It is how you perceive it through your thoughts.

Therefore, focus on your thoughts and know that you can control how you think and how you feel.

Ultimately, awaken!!

Firework and Buddha Light

There is a beautiful message behind Katy Perry's song Firework.

Yes, regardless of your outer appearances, all of us have "fireworks" in our beings.

All of us a unique individuals with different gifts.

It is usually when love is around that the "Buddha light" will shine out from our hearts. It is when we feel love that the light is manifested for all to see

And what a beautiful sight it is...

So, awaken and let your light shine out to all..

Oneness

These days, with the inevitable decline in fertility, with families growing smaller and moving away from where they are born, many people are increasingly finding that they are spending more time alone.

With more people facing stress in their daily lives, making a living and finding that they do not have enough time to squeeze in all the things that they have to do, we find that we sacrifice the spending of time with our families, friends and other people.

And many people suffer from depression as they no longer have the support of their tribes to help them in terms of need.

A sense of loneliness can engulf you if you are not resilient enough.

However, being alone is not a bad thing.

There is a great difference between being alone and being lonely.

You can choose to be alone and still be happy.

With more time by yourself, you can indulge in your passions. Listen to music whenever you want, read a book all night, invest in the many dreams that you had when you were young - dreams that you have postponed because you have no time.

Nourish your spirituality. Find what brings you peace of mind. The Buddhist believe that the resting place of the mind is in the silence of the heart.

Feed your soul by surrounding yourself with an atmosphere of appreciation of all that is good with your life. Your eyes must see beauty. Turn away from ugliness - people who behave badly, fashion victims who have no sense of style and places of decay and deterioration.

Connect with the people whom you come across. Have a kind word or a smile for the many people that you come across everyday. It is through these connections that you thrive in a village.

Most important of all, love yourself and treat yourself with kindness, respect, understanding and patience. Get to know yourself - what you enjoy, what drives you and what brings you immense pleasures.

Be one with silence - in the nothingness is where everything exists...

Be still... and awaken

Awaken Your Dreams

"Logic can bring you from point A to B;
But imagination can take you everywhere"
- Albert Einstein

We exist in a mundane world where we live our lives very logically, with each action and decisions taken in a practical way.

We see our daily routines as simple as setting goals, figuring the way to reach it and then just taking the action to get there.

However, our lives would be very much richer if we just take some time to dream and let our imagination soar.

It is during these periods of silent, of "Me" time that we can set our minds free and just think about the "What Ifs" and the "Why Nots".

It is these dreams arising from our imaginations that allows for breakthroughs and inventions that changes our lives as well as affect the lives of people around us.

Apple was just an idea that Steve Job imagined in his mind and brought to reality in his garage.

And Facebook was just a big dream of making connections with everybody that has grown to more than 500 million friends around the whole world.

So, do not be afraid to use your imagine. Dream big.

And most important of all, take the necessary actions to awaken your dreams, and manifest a beautiful reality here on earth...

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...