Something written for the press that went unpublished: I refer to the letter ‘Town council right in culling pigeons‘ (Mar 14), which stated that it was right to poison pigeons which dirtied HDB blocks. However, since pigeons naturally flock to where humans leave food, it is...

Something written for a magazine: Q: Why do Buddha images differ? What do different poses and expressions reflect? A: Buddha images in different countries evolved according to the cultural preferences of each. For instance, images in China came to resemble the Chinese. Chinese images of...

In the latest movie depiction of the most turbulent years in the life of ‘Confucius’, there was a scene where Confucius spoke up for a sacrificial bird in court. There was a discussion over whether the bird, who bit off its main tail feather, ought to be killed as scheduled for...

‘Pride and Prejudice’ tells the tale of how the aloof Mr. Darcy came to be with the feisty Ms. Elizabeth Bennet. As usual, for classic romances, it would be wrong to call it wholly a love story per se, because theirs was a love-hate relationship before they finally decide to...

With close reference to Buddhist scriptures, here are three interesting articles with the Buddha’s perspectives on the origin of humans and their belief in a creator ‘God’: Can a ‘Creator God’ be ‘Created’? Unless out of Bodhicitta, wanting to create...

Question: A temple is promoting beliefs that some Buddhas and Bodhisattvas protect people born in certain years. They have booklets in print and online on such ideas too. Are these beliefs Buddhist? Answer: The short answer is that these beliefs are not Buddhist. Here is an analysis of a...

Alternative Alice (2): What is Not Cat about the Cheshire Cat? Cheshire Cat: Which part of me is not like a cat? Alice: You tell me! Cheshire Cat: Let me fade away part by part, to help you decide which is the non-cat part. (He fades… till his grin remains) Alice: That’s...

A dialogue inspired by the writing style of Lewis Carroll. I’ve been wanting to write a book called ‘The Alternative Alice’. Guess this is a start, as a random episode! Alternative Alice (1): Is the Cheshire Cat a Cat? Cheshire Cat: Greetings! Alice: Are you a cat? Cheshire...

Based on the book, the ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ movie reminds me of a phase of growing up that is probably more terrifying than being smack in the middle of the adolescent years. When is that? It’s the beginning of the above – that awkward transition when one tries...

A friend is getting married. But like many non-vegetarians, she’s offering a feast of many sentient beings. Me being the only vegan in her entourage, has special arrangements prepared for. It was very nice of her to call to go through the vegetarian menu with me (as I don’t take many...

Only Buddhas, who are perfect teachers, do not require [constructive] criticism from their students. - Stonepeace What do you do when you encounter a Dharma teacher who teaches in ways far from perfect? I used to slap an invisible label of ‘lousy’ on him or her, and shun his or...

A line from ‘Flash Forward’ session two goes – ‘It’s not fate versus free will; it’s fate and free will.’ Someone asked me if the protagonists can’t really change anything. I replied that of course they can. If not, what kind of am engaging TV...

A friend came across these phrases in a Buddhist website – ‘Who is Buddha?’ and ‘Buddha’s teachings’. He asked whether they ought to be ‘Who is the Buddha?’ and ‘The Buddha’s teachings’. He remarked that it’s ironical...

A Tit for a Tat (123) Tit: Hey! Don’t lean on the train pole! Tat: Why not? Tit: It’s a grab bar! Tat: So? Tit: It’s for grabbing! Give some space for others to grab! Tat: But no one else is around, and I’m grabbing it too! Tit: How so? Tat: With my whole body! Next...

In the award-winning ‘The Rabbi’s Cat’ (Le Chat du Rabbin) by Joann Sfar, which ‘The Boston Globe’ calls, ‘An affecting, fraught, and yes – sometimes hilarious tour de force about the complexities of living faithfully in a godless world’, a rabbi’s cat begins to talk after...

In ‘Green Lantern: Secret Origin’ by Geoff Johns, Sinestro teaches Hal Jordan on how to use his power ring, which can manifest any form he visualises to rescue or defend beings in need – ‘Your constructs are weak. They’re laced with anger. And although the...

Here’s my Dharma interpretation of a song by Coldplay to share: A Message My song is love Love to the loveless shown And it goes on You don’t have to be alone Your heavy heart Is made of stone And it’s so hard to see you clearly You don’t have to be on your own You ...

A young nephew didn’t understand the rationale of sharing, and became distressed when it was suggested to him that the iPhone lent to him for playing games should be passed in turn to other kids in the house too. Took me a while to conceive of how to share the value of sharing with him....

A Tit for a Tat (122) Tit: Be responsible and put the extra fork you took back! Tat: You be responsible! Tit: Huh? Tat: Be responsible by showing me how to be responsible! Tit: My responsibility is just to remind you to be responsible! Tat: Action speaks louder than words! Tit: Your action...

A Tit for a Tat (121) Tit: Why didn’t you finish reading the book? Tat: I read only the parts that interest me. Tit: Why buy the encyclopedia (about graphic novels) then? Tat: You mean you read encyclopedias back to back? Tit: Ya. Tat: What encyclopedias have you bought and read...