MoonCentral (Archive : May 2005)

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Life : Between Taking it Lightly & Seriously



Do not take life too seriously. You'll never get out of it alive. -Elbert Hubbard
Do not take life too lightly. Or you'll come back to life. -zyrius pic:gradiva.com

31/05/05 09:54 PM | |

Survival : Kill for Food?



A friend challenged me with a moral question – Would I kill and eat any sentient beings (animals, fish or insects) if I were stranded on an island... -zlyrica

26/05/05 12:33 AM | |

Stocks : Rise & Fall



In the stock market, you can clearly see delusion, greed and hatred rise and fall with the rise and fall of ever-changing numbers... -zlyrica

26/05/05 11:32 AM | |

Bikinis : Appropriate or Impolite?



This piece of news on scantily-clad beauty pageant contestants posing before a Buddhist monument in Thailand, with all due respect, is a little funny personally. Both parties cling on to forms - it seems the bikinis are important to one side and "non-bikinis" are important to the other. But that aside, it is important to respect the culture of the country one is in, be it religious or otherwise. But whatever it is, the Buddhas smile on in the land of smiles, as the debate carries on. -zyrius

25/05/05 01:35 PM | |

Gender : Status & Spirituality



Is status a necessary worldly evil for the bigger picture of society? Perhaps status has to be fought for since society places so much value on status, even when it comes to spiritual matters, which are supposed to renounce status? The leader of a Thai Buddhist group which is trying to reinstate the order of nuns, Ven. Dhammananda, said: "Why is the door for women to be ordained locked but the door for women to go into prostitution so wide open? (Prostitution is a rampant problem in Thailand.)... If we open up the door for women to be ordained, would it help to uplift women's status?" Will not females who have less chance to be good spiritually choose to be more "evil" worldly, through occupations like prostituition?

If the Buddha allowed female clergy to be established from nothing, should we not revive it, to live up to His spirit of equality of respect for the sexes' search for Enlightenment? What would the Buddha do? Does the male clergy's decision reflect His decision, or some unenlightened male-chauvinism? Which is more important? To be politically correct - in not restarting the Theravada lineage of nuns which died out, or to be correct - in giving blessings and guidance to the sincere, who wish to give females the recognised chance to practise Buddhism full-time? Unofficial "nuns" called "Maechis" are generally treated as second-class spiritual practitioners in Thailand. This is sad. The gender divide of forms should not cause the spiritual divide, especially since spiritual attainments are beyond forms. -shiqin

25/05/05 01:50 PM | |

Worthy : Just Go For It



Kamada : So hard it is to go, Lord, on this path that gets so rough!
Buddha : Still nobles, Kamada, proceed on paths both rough and hard to take. Those who are less than noble fall on their heads when the path gets rough. But for nobles the path is smooth - for nobles smooth out what is rough! (Excerpt of Kamada's Lament)

There's nothing more worthy than seeking the most worthy.
All the difficulties along the way are thus inconsequential. -stonepeace

25/05/05 01:24 PM | |

Seasickness : Prevention Tips



You can prevent seasickness either by focusing on the fixed - the horizon, or by focusing on nothing in particular - just physically go with the flow (the rolling and pitching of the tides) with no mental resistance. Is this almost meditation? -shian

25/05/05 01:03 PM | |

Cruelty : See It



We can stand cruelty to animals, as long as we do not see it in action, as long as we do not hear the screams, as long as we think we think animals were not horribly killed at our demand, as long as we do not have to inflict the suffering ourselves. So... why not go see and hear the cruelty done to farm animals? Have you not realised that you are an accomplice by paying others to breed and slaughter countless animals for you?

How can we ever stand cruelty to animals? We can't. We just lie to ourselves, over and over again, with every piece of animal flesh we eat, as we shy from the slaughterhouses, and pretend we are infinite degrees separate from the deaths of the animals we eat. Our supply of "deceased animals" on our plates comes from nothing less than our demand. We are only that one or two degrees away.

I prefer to call meat "deceased animals", because it at least restores some dignity to the animals, instead of being seen as items rightful for our selfish consumption. Don't you tell me at length about your love for nature, the green cause and animal rights if you are not already a vegetarian or vegan. It is hypocrisy. Am not belittling the truth of your convictions - just beseeching you to be more true - to yourself and the animals. -shian

25/05/05 12:59 PM | |

Half-Truths : Hidden Lies



I think those who teach half-truths are the most devious and deadly - because half-truths have the appealing flavour of truth, yet tainted with invisible poison. Cults of personality usually thrive on delivering half-truths, mixing the good with the evil to make it less conspicuous, and more readily accepted. -zeph

25/05/05 12:46 PM | |

Winter : Invincible Summer



"And in the midst of winter, I found within myself an invincible summer." -Albert Camus

"And in the midst of dying, may I find myself mustering all the determination and courage ever, with all my being concentrated on my aspiration to be born in Pureland - not just for myself, but for the sake of returning from it enlightened, so as to be able to so much more skilfully help enlighten all beings left behind in Samarsa. This is my most important mission ever - to live well, to die well, to be reborn well, to return well, to make things well." -zeph

25/05/05 12:32 PM | |

Dust : Inside & Outside



The small specks of dust under the phone's screen are eyesores. They get in the way of the screen's display. It is natural to be unable to stand them, to want them out as soon as possible. But even so, there is invisible dust that is worse - dust that maintains our spiritual blindness, delusions within our minds that obscures our vision of reality. These dusts more urgently need our removal. Maybe I'll keep the dust in the phone as a reminder to make peace with external imperfections, and to do something to rectify my internal ones. -shian

25/05/05 12:18 PM | |

Quotable (1) : Pieces from Stonepeace



~ When you are true to oneself, you are true to yourself and everyone else.
    This is true honesty - no self-rationalisation and no pretense.

~ The classic existential "dark night of the soul" is good for one thing -
    the realisation that there is no soul experiencing it.

~ Our existential crisis is reluctance to wake up or see the light when it is time,
    reluctance to sleep or die when it is time.

~ When we are dead to the world in unmindfulness, we live in a dead world.
    When we awaken, everything around us springs to life.

~ Ignorance is bliss... for the time being only...
    as it ticks away like an invisible time-bomb,
    set to blow with at an unknown time with unknown devastation.

~ Time is on our side only when we lose track of it,
    as we transcend it... in meditation and Enlightenment.

~ The ignorant mourn the deaths of loved ones.
    The wise mourn that they are still alive and in love with their illusory "selves."

~ It is a matter of fact that the ignorant miss the truth just as the wise get it.
    It is a matter of fact that the onus lies on the wise to help the ignorant see the truth.
    This is compassion in action, the sharing of wisdom.

~ If you hurry, you live in the future.
    If you procrastinate, you live in the past.
    Live sharply this moment only -
    even as you reflect on the past and plan for the future. -stonepeace

24/05/05 03:54 PM | |

Bath : External Cleansing Vs Internal Purification



Bathing images of baby Prince Siddhartha (the Buddha-to-be) during Vesak means different things to different folks. To those not spiritually inclined enough, they might take it to mean the "washing away of ill fortune", though its true significance is to remind us to "purify our own defilements of attachment, aversion and delusion (the true cause of all our misfortune), which sullies our inner unborn Buddha." Happy belated Vesak - always a good time to reflect on why we aren't celebrated yet - as Buddhas! -shiqin

24/05/05 03:30 PM | |

Flesh : Eating It Demands Deaths



J: If I were to tell you that the delicious meat that you have been eating is human flesh, I guess you would feel so disgusted. But what's the difference between human flesh versus that of animals'? If one is to eat the meat of animals without feeling a sense of disgust, why should one be, upon tasting human flesh? To what extent have we not become "cannibals" in some way or another? So, don't just talk about compassion and liberation. On one hand, one might preach fluently about the need to care and reach out (to humans only?) and on the other hand, one might consume the flesh of other beings?

Q: There was a movie in 1993 - "Alive". Its synopsis says, "A moral dilemma of a most gruesome sort is confronted when a team of rugby players is stranded in the Andes after a plane crash. In order to survive, they must decide whether or not to … eat their own dead..." Is it until that moment, that we are considered choiceless, to have to eat for survival's sake? Or should we gracefully refuse and die as a result?

S: The deceased is deceased, not of our choice - why not eat when there is no alternative? In the mean time, the eating of animals is a choice we can avoid, as it contributes to the demand for deaths. -From Zeph&Frens

24/05/05 03:15 PM | |

Serve : Sharing the Dharma with as Many as Possible



Sent : Thank you for the teachings, the opportunity to teach, and the trust given to teach. It has been a privilege. Amituofo!

Reply : Thanks for the kind consideration and support. I have learnt much from you. I admire your keen interest in Dharma work. Hope you will meet more inspiring teachers, learn from their strengths, and not be put off by some of their weaknesses. Every one of us has shortcomings, including many masters, on some personal behaviour and preferences. I always take Sakyamuni Buddha as my Teacher, but as I progress, I understand that there are many Buddhas existing now and there are also great Teachers. There are also many great Bodhisattvas and Dharma Dieties around to guide us. In spite of our shortcomings, we can still "Serve to be perfect, be perfect to serve."

24/05/05 02:46 PM | |

What to Do? : The Right Thing



What can you do?
Do the right thing - do whatever you can whenever you can.
Do whatever you cannot too - by bettering yourself to be able to. -shiqin

24/05/05 02:18 PM | |

Self-Reflection : 30,000 + 3000,000 Killed


While about 30,000 were killed by the Japanese's invasion in WWII, in China's Nanjing Massacre, about 3 million Chinese died in China's self-created Cultural Revolution. The first fact is not properly recorded in Japan's school history books while the latter not in China's. Many Chinese are enraged of the first fact, and demand Japan to amend their books. Japan then highlighted that the Chinese's books were in lack about the revolution too.

This is childish really - national pride at play, refusal to give way even when oneself is wrong, while demanding others to give way for their mistakes. Both sides should practise self-reflection before asking each other to self-reflect. True remorse is without pride. Wars and communist revolutions are evil. Let's get this fact straight, and cast it in stone in the books to warn future generations not to repeat ugly history. With the riots and all over this history book issue, it would be ridiculous if some form of greater violence or war breaks out due to not acknowledging the evil of war. We do not need another chapter of human stupidity to document in the world's history books. When both parties refuse to budge, while wanting each other to give in by doing the right thing first, things can escalate to a lose-lose situation, or be an ongoing stalemate of needless tension. The first to do the right thing is the winner actually, not loser..-zyrius

24/05/05 01:18 PM | |

Bruxism : You Can't Hear Yourself When Asleep



It is humbling to remember that we do not know what we do not know... yet. I once wrote at length about hearing others snoring. Yet I'd just realised recently that I grind my teeth at night horrendously at times, keeping others awake. The greatest ignorance is ignorance of our ignorance. It probably sounds more disturbing than snoring. -zeph

16/05/05 04:20 PM | |

Phone : Switching Mindfulness



Isn't it interesting that many talk loudly on phone, becoming oblivious to others around who can hear every spoken word? Maybe it's because they are unknowingly trying to match the volume they hear on the line. Maybe they got too "mindfully" caught up in their tele-conversational world, "unmindfully" forgetting the larger world they were in. When the conversation ends, their "volume" resumes to normal. Ironical that the supposedly private becomes broadcast. What other worlds do we get lost in? -zyrius

16/05/05 04:11 PM | |

Longevity : Live Long & Benefit Many



Longevity to enjoy life is seriously overrated among the worldly, while living a meaningful life (even if it turned out short) is just as seriously underrated. Of course, it is best to live both a long and meaningful life and teach others how to do the same. Anyway, long life or short life, you get reborn as long as you are not yet enlightened. -zyrius

16/05/05 03:46 PM | |

Nudity : Before the Buddha



Is it disrepectful to strut around religious images and shrines dressed not so discreetly? I think the intention is the most important. If one does it in disrespect, that's not good for one's own spirituality. If one walks around the house naked with a Buddha image in the living room, while seeing the nude body as a natural thing, is it not okay? But the tricky thing is - we must bear in mind that there might be unseen beings around who think we are disrespectful, who might feel anger at our "disrespect." -shiqin pic:shanghaimuseum.net

16/05/05 03:46 PM | |

Eroticism : Buddhism?



The new Pope called Buddhism "auto-erotic spirituality" that offers "transcendence without imposing concrete religious obligations." Rude, crude and funny, because as long as Buddhist teachings work, what's the problem? Anyway, the bliss from Enlightenment, from becoming more enlightened, is way beyond any erotic pleasure. The Buddha described liberation as more than 16 times more blissful than all the sense pleasures of the world. There are religious obligations too in Buddhism, such as the precepts and Bodhisattva vows. It's a shame. He ought to brush up his understanding of Buddhism, which is the fastest growing religion in the West right now, which came to be at least half a millennium before his religion. Reminds me of the previous Pope's ridiculously incorrect description of Buddhism in a chapter of his "Crossing the Threshold of Hope." Is there some way to send him this link? - "What's the Big Deal about Buddhism?". -zyrius

16/05/05 03:26 PM | |

Throws : Not Good At That



I gave a lame excuse not to change the sofa throws, which needed to be tucked in nicely, "I'm not good at that!" But so what if I'm not good at that? The problem is that I have no wish to be good at that, as I push the task to others. That's bad! Not good. -zeph

16/05/05 03:15 PM | |

Over-blogging : Definition



Over-blogging : Spending too time thinking and recording thoughts of life in vain, at the expense of living it and learning from it. -shiqin

16/05/05 02:59 PM | |

Animals : Freeing Vs Killing

<Animal liberation the right way

With respect wherever it is due,
telling Buddhists not to practise animal liberation at all
is like telling Muslims not to practise animal sacrifice at all. -shiqin

13/05/05 12:47 AM | |

Reverse : Back to Back, Face to Face



The reverse side also has a reverse side. -Japanese Proverb
The enemy of my enemy is me. Our real enemy is enmity. -stonepeace

09/05/05 07:05 PM | |

Light Offering : Save the Panchen Lama



When there is only so much we can do, we can at least dedicate our merits and hope for the best. -shiqin

09/05/05 05:59 PM | |

Reality : The Universal Yet Personal Conspiracy Theory

The universe is a good and evil conspiracy centred around and directed by you. It is a karmically manifested "act" after another. It presents to you countless ups and downs - to tempt you from enlightenment, yet also to urge you to become enlightened. What will be the outcome of the protagonist who is you? As your destiny twists and turns, you decide on the eventual outcome with every thought, word and deed. -shian

09/05/05 05:48 PM | |

But : The Intention Is Love



Affectionately, he carried her up by surprise from behind, running towards the bed, playfully throwing her onto it. "Ouch!" She yelled. He had banged on her leg accidentally. "So sorry!" He said, "But my intention is love. I hope that relieves the pain. Does it help?" In the flash of a moment, love almost became hate. Do we remember others more for their kind intentions or the "unkind" consequences? Which is fair? Anyway, karma is created from intentions of actions, not the results of the actions. -shiqin

03/05/05 03:07 PM | |

Sounds : Regarding Them



I live on the 29th storey, high and away from the noise of the street, though I can still hear the traffic to some extent. I wouldn't want to live in total silence. Not because I crave auditory stimulation, but because the slight noise outside the window reminds me there is a world out there, that there is a bigger picture to take care of, to be compassionate to. The sounds of the world connect me to it. Not that I'm anywhere near, writing this reminds me of the personification of perfect compassion, Guanyin Bodhisattva, whose name means "the Regarder of the Sounds of the World." -shiqin

03/05/05 02:57 PM | |

Confidence : What is Yours Built Upon?



Reading some semi-vanity blogs, especially those with pictures aplenty of oneself grinning and posing away, coupled with irrelevent rants about everything under the sun, it struck me that many bloggers seem to lead very happy confident lives, and their blogs become records of these lives.

But what is the confidence or even occasionally cockiness in life based upon? Looks? Wealth? Status? Fame? Family? Friends? Skills? But if all of the above are of fleeting nature, subject to change, the confidence is actually shaky, not solid at all. The only substantial confidence that can be built is based on merits (by doing good) and wisdom (by realising more and more of the truth) via practising the Dharma. -shiqin

03/05/05 02:45 PM | |

This Is It : What Now?



This is it.
Everything in the past has led up to the way things are in the moment.
Be it good or bad, it is just like that.
What are you going to do about it? -shiqin

02/05/05 12:52 PM | |

Sentimental : Or Transcendental?



"Samsara is samsaric because of its sentimental value." How do you view that statement? With much sentimentalism? Sentimentalism pulls us back to Samsara. When we do not go beyond, we stay behind. -shiqin

02/05/05 11:59 AM | |

Emotional Dependency : Pros & Cons



Having emotional dependency on anyone or anything is as much a plus and minus. It can be as much a means of support when there, as a means of "falling" when lost. Clutches are for us to learn to be free, to stand and walk on our own, not to use forever. -zyrius

02/05/05 11:50 AM | |

Forgiving : Do It Fully



Forgive others - those whom you feel are unpardonable.
Forgive others for forgiving others - those whom you feel are unpardonable.
Forgive yourself - for having done what you feel to be unpardonable.
Forgive yourself for forgiving yourself - for having done what you feel to be unpardonable.

What is truly unpardonable is not to truly pardon. -stonepeace

02/05/05 11:41 AM | |

Movie-going : Insight-seeking



I caught a movie to take my mind off the issue on my mind. I dive into a film for random lessons, with the excuse of seeking entertainment, that might bring new insights on the issue. Enlightenment through entertainment. -zeph

02/05/05 11:36 AM | |

Anger : Truly Managing It



Real anger management is managing not to let anger arise at all,
but to always abide in loving-kindness instead. -stonepeace

02/05/05 11:30 AM | |

Bad : How Real Is It?



What makes us suffer is not how badly whatever happens, but how badly we take it. There's no need to feel bad when bad things happen, or to think they are bad things in the first place - because no good comes from doing so, especially since bad situations can lead to good ones. -stonepeace

02/05/05 11:23 AM | |

Clearance : Leaving the World a Better Place



I just finished moving office. I was the last to move, taking half a day to sort out stuff to file and recycle. Yet I realised I was the most "thoroughly moved", in the sense that I made sure there was no useless remnants from me left behind. Anything left behind should be in good and usable condition, making the world a better place - or our presence and subsequent absence is just not worth it. -zyrius

02/05/05 11:20 AM | |

Existence : What I Did Last Summer?



It has been a while since I last blogged. Can't really place my existence all this while. Well, if there's any real existence at all. I guess existence only exists when we have them labelled and constantly reviewed as memories, "Ohh, I did this last summer, and that last winter." ..... -zlyrica

02/05/05 11:15 AM | |

Shapeshifting : Changing Form & Perception



Partly because I don't think I look very flattering, I seldom look carefully at my reflection, and when I do, I almost always look different from the last time. Even my reflections don't tally with my photos. Either my form changes very quickly or my perception of it does. I wonder how accurately others see me, when even I can't mentally define my form clearly. Actually I like it this way - this sense of vagueness - because it is true anyway, that our mind and matter changes much faster, even if subtler, than we think. -zeph

02/05/05 11:11 AM | |

Unfair : What Is Really So



There's no need to think it's unfair. It's just the way it is - though it's really fair karmically, whether you know it or not, whether you agree or not. What's really unfair to you is that you keep thinking it is unfair, and that you want it to be fair exactly the way you want, when it might never be. -zyrius

02/05/05 11:05 AM | |

Taxi Stand : A Price for Everything



Because there is an endless queue at the popular taxi tand, there is an endless line of cabs. So you can always get a cab, as much as you always get to wait for it. -shian

02/05/05 11:01 AM | |

Encyclopedia : Of an Unenlightened Life



Saw this interesting book called "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life", somewhat about anything and everything under the sun. It motivated me to compile these blogs from A-Z into a book with occasional pictures strewn here and there. I'll use keywords as titles for each entry, followed by the actual topic. Examples are the entries above. This book will also have super concise popular Dharma terms like "karma" explained with good examples. Yes - an encyclopedia of an unenlightened life. -shian

01/05/05 12:02 AM | |

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