The award-winning graphic novel ‘Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic’ (actually ‘Funeral Home’) is a bittersweet tale, of how the author Alison Bechdel grew up with a father, who seemed distant, yet demanding in expecting obedience from his children – especially in helping out his countless meticulous handcraft projects for ‘improving’ the house. She likened him [...]

‘The Broken (Reflexion Trouble)’ is an unconventional thriller. I was interested in it as it seemed to be about doppelgangers, of how some seem to see doubles of themselves, which foretells of something unfortunate going to happen. It’s hard to comment on whether this strange phenomenon is real, though it seems possible – if the [...]

An imaginary verse on how a Bodhisattva might think:
The only reason my heart is broken
is because so many hearts are broken.
There is no time to indulge in being heartbroken,
when there are so many broken hearts to heal.
From the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra:
Manjusri: Householder, whence came this sickness of yours? How long will it continue? How does [...]

In the movie ‘Fling’, the subject of open relationships is explored. According to Wikipedia, ‘An open relationship is a relationship in which the participants are free to have emotional, spiritual and/or physical relationships with other partners, often within mutually agreed limits. If a couple in an open relationship are married, it can be called an [...]

Meatguy: I think you are too strongly attached to being vegetarian.
Shi’an: I’m not. I’m just aware that animals are attached to their lives, and that my choice of diet prevents more deaths.
Meatguy: Didn’t the Buddha teach that all mind and matter is without self?
Shi’an: Yes, but all the parties involved have not realised non-self yet.
Meatguy: [...]

Time of Your Life (Green Day)
Another turning point;
a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist;
directs you where to go.
Comments: ‘Now’ is always a turning point for the rest of our lives,
that eternal fork between the past and the future.
Time is the river we must flow in.
We must change, but we can change [...]

During the silent prayer of nine religions
during the ‘Voices of Harmony’ concert,
I heard a child cry in the background.
Silence is first prayer, so that you can hear your plea.
Silence is first prayer, so that you can hear others’ pleas.
Silence is first prayer, so that you can hear ‘your divine one’ speak.

Beware of one,
who is slow to apologise,
for one might believe in pride, that under the power of Mara,
more than in karma, that aligned with goodness and truth.
With less faith in moral consequences (karma),
there is less ground for shamefulness and repentance,
there is less ground for virtue (morality),
which leads to less ground for mental development (concentration),
which leads [...]

Daoni and company (my soft toy dogs)
look different from different angles.
They might look sad from one,
but glad from another.
But that’s just physical.
People’s characters too,
look different from different views.
They might seem bad from one,
but good from another.
And they change too… more unpredictably than my dogs.

Part 1:
Shi’an: To the temple please.
Cabbie: Are you a Buddhist?
Shi’an: Yes, are you one too?
Cabbie: Yes. Have you been learning the Dharma long?
Shi’an: I don’t know how long is considered long,
but as long as I’m not yet a Buddha, it’s not long enough!
Part 2:
Cabbie: I think it’s hard to connect some people to the Dharma. [...]