‘King of Comedy’ (starring Stephen Chow) is the first movie that made me laugh till I cried till I had stitches in my sides… many years ago. (For your information, the second is ‘Zoolander’, which starred Ben Stiller.) I watched the DVD version of the first to rediscover why it was so funny. Though the [...]

No one wants to be unhappy due to being greedy. Some might not know how to be content. Why not generously share how with them, best you can? No one wants to be unhappy due to being unkind. Some might not know how to be kind. Why not kindly share how with them, best you [...]

There are 25 Word files to edit. There are 8 emails to reply. There are 2 PDF files to read. There are 3 web browsers, with 9 tabs to surf. There is Dreamweaver awaiting some uploading. My mission today… is to speed through the work above, to do them all, before shutting down my computer, [...]

What does it mean… that I’m not sure what it all means? that I’m not sure how I’ll figure it out? What does it mean… when I’m born into a life of uncertainty? when I’ll die a certain death? What does it mean… when the birds sing a foreign language? when the skies have different [...]

A Tit for a Tat (49) Tit: If you meet someone exactly like you, would you like you? Tat: I’m not sure… Tit: Well? Tat: I think I will dislike myself. Tit: You should change yourself now then… for the better. Tat: Wait… I think I will like myself. Tit: You should still change yourself [...]

A Tit for a Tat (48) Tit: Why is it that we seem more clear-minded that others? Tat: Is it so? It’s no big deal because we are more clear-minded on some matters only. Tit: What do you mean? Tat: There are other matters we are so unclear of, that we don’t even know we [...]

Anicca… is the truth of impermanence. From the perspective of time, nothing is unchanging, while Nirvana is timeless. Dukkha… is the truth of dissatisfaction. From the perspective of experience, nothing is truly fulfilling, while Nirvana is bliss. Anatta… is the truth of insubstantiality. From the perspective of space, nothing has self-nature, while Nirvana is true [...]

Unless there is loving-kindness in our speech, it’s going to come out wrong. – Ayya Khema Unless there is loving-kindness in our mental speech, it’s going to come out wrong. Unless there is loving-kindness in our thoughts, it’s going to come out wrong, in speech and action.

Ren: Are you a Mahayanist? Yah: Yes and no. Ren: Meaning? Yah: Yes, because I believe in the Mahayana sutras and strive to uphold the spirit of their teachings in my everyday life. No, because I believe all the Buddhist traditions are interconnected with not one less, and I strive to live up to them [...]

Worldly friendship becomes truer friendship when it transforms to be spiritual friendship. – Stonepeace A colleague (who is a friend) lamented to me of how difficult it is for her to work with another colleague, who is also a friend. Knowing that I experienced similar difficulties in the past, she asked for some advice. My [...]

Recently, we visited a friend’s house, and noticed that he bought a new TV. Teasing him, I said that from a guy who used to have no TV, he now has a big and branded one. Sheepishly, he smiled and replied that since he’s not net-savvy, it’s his window to connect to the world. At [...]

‘…Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.’ – Stephen King Monsters are empty, and ghosts are unsubstantial too – when they are realised as so, vanquished within us. That is how we win them all – inside out, conquering our inner Mara before  the external one. When our [...]

The film ‘Thirst’ (which won the 2009 Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival) is another story that uses the vampire genre to address interesting issues. The personification of evil in Buddhist cosmology is Mara, who is synonymous with desire and death… which is in turn synonymous with indulgence in sex (as the melting pot [...]

Last evening was the second time I watched ‘A Full Bright Moon’ (Yilun Mingyue) – as the opening film of T.H.I.S Buddhist Film Festival (www.thisfilmfest.com), which tells the biography of the great Venerable Hongyi. I had already seen the video version of it, but I wanted to see it on the big screen – because [...]

I saw her holding the catalogue like a new found treasure. As she sat down in the train, happily, she started to flip through the catalogue of Death. But Death is cunning, he portrayed death in the nicest way possible, with no blood or gore, but with utmost exquisite beauty. Death (another name for the [...]