If there is
no karma and no luck,
there would be total chaos.

If there is
no karma and only luck,
there would be total chaos.

If there is
karma and luck,
there would be clash of causality and chance.

If there is
only karma and no luck,
there would be total order.

If there is such thing as bad luck,
it would be a law of nature.

But if it is a law of nature,
there would be no chance left to it.

And if there is no chance left to it,
there would be no such thing as bad luck.

There is no rainbow without rain.
There is no rainbow without sun.

- Stonepeace

There is no rainbow without sight?
There is no rainbow without naming?

Reflection after watching ‘Troy’:

Achilles is better known more for his weak heel
despite his near superhuman skills.

Interesting how our perception is slanted.

Achilles’ skills are no match for his heel.
What is your Achilles’ heel?

Possibly more potentially troubling
than a thought troubling you now
is what is not troubling you now.

For example, you might have something stuck between teeth,
that goes undetected, that leads to decay.
Ignorance in the long run isn’t bliss.

Worse than undetected physical trouble
is undetected mental trouble,
the delusion that keeps us from liberation.

Something a little funny at the end but nevertheless true…

How I explained why hardcopy books on shelves are still important in the age of the net and e-books:

The internet is a deep and often unfathomable sea of information. Out of sight and some essential knowledge might be out of mind. That’s what books are for. They might be part of the sea, but they are the titled, the labelled floating logs on the surface of the sea, remaining visible and accessible, letting us know what lies deeper within them, to have and to hold on to without drowning beneath.

They also remind us of knowledge once cherished enough to be purchased and collected, but now forgotten, that deserve second reads. While they might also be in the net, they might not be archived yet. And even if there are updated editions online, they are primary in reminding us to search for them.]

All thanks to my housekeeper, who was lamenting during spring-cleaning, of me having way ‘too many’ books, who didn’t understand, who helped me to come up with the above, which also helped myself further understand why I love books. To her aghast, I said I will now gather more!

(A problem with hardcopy books is high cost and lack of immediacy in revision. Unfortunately, storage space is still a tangible concern despite my post! On the state of the net, much credit to content-providers online, such as the voluntary editors of Wikipedia, history’s largest and free encyclopedia, that is increasingly substantiated with proper cross-checking references. Much knowledge is available online already. What we need next is wisdom to navigate the waters with discernment, instead of being distracted, led astray by seductive siren songs on dangerous shores.)

Reflection after watching ‘Attack the Block’:

Those who have done great wrong
should redeem themselves
by doing great right.

- Stonepeace

Thoughts from watching ‘The Shinjuku Incident’:

The problem with going over to the dark side,
is that if you are not dark enough a shade,
you will get swallowed by darker shades.
It’s almost always a matter of time.

It is easier not to go to the dark side at all,
to always stay safe in the light,
because you will always know it is not of the darkness,
and need not worry that you are not dark enough.

Question: How do you know if a webhosting company’s service is poor, that they serve themselves before their customers’?

Answer: When your customers complain that your website hosted by them keeps getting down, while their company’s website is always okay – for selling their poor webhosting services to more customers.

From the movie ‘Che’:

Castro: What if I say we will wait for you? We’ll do it together. Trust me.
Che: But the revolution is bigger than one man. I don’t want you to wait for me.
Castro: Revolution is made by one man, and another man and another.

How many does it take to start a revolution?

One – to have the revolutionary vision?
Two – to be revolutionary partners?
As many as possible – to be the revolution.

A true revolution requires one yet everyone.

A Tit for a Tat (349)

Tat: Why are you walking this roundabout way?
Tit: Why are you straightforwardly following my way?

Previous aT4aT: http://moonpointer.com/new/2012/01/tell-that-to-the-pig
About aT4aT: http://moonpointer.com/new/2010/02/logo-for-a-tit-for-a-tat-series

As the game had
no time-out,
no lasting rewards,
no lasting consequences,
I decided it was game over for me.

It was pointless and meaningless,
a waste of time, energy
and most of all,
life.

A Tit for a Tat (348)

Tet: BBQ pork anyone? (Waves a slice before Tat in the crowd)
Tat: (Turns away)
Tet: Oh, so sorry… (As he forgot Tat is vegan)
Tat: (Turns back) Tell that to the pig.

Next aT4aT: http://moonpointer.com/new/2012/01/tit-for-tat-349-my-way
Previous aT4aT: http://moonpointer.com/new/2012/01/more-or-less-deluded
About aT4aT: http://moonpointer.com/new/2010/02/logo-for-a-tit-for-a-tat-series

The best teachers
must eventually teach
ultimate Compassion and Wisdom.

To encourage perfect Compassion,
they must eventually advocate veganism, which is not just a way of consumption,
but a way of life, of being helpful and harmless.

To encourage perfect Wisdom,
they must eventually advocate the Pure Land teachings,
as the most efficient path towards Buddhahood.

The best examples of those
who have done the above perfectly and continue doing so
are the great Bodhisattvas and Buddhas.

Pic: Infinite Knot — symbolic of the enlightened mind’s endless compassion and wisdom

When do kids grow up
and lose their lovablity?
Or do some never,
and only become more lovable?

No matter how old we are,
we seem on the brink
of becoming…
less or more lovable.

What is true lovability?
It is being truly loving
that makes one truly lovely,
truly lovable.