A reflection on states(wo)men quoted via Wikileaks: Though it’s true that one said what one said, having said it doesn’t necessarily make it true. Just because one is caught having said something secretly doesn’t make that said the truth. This is common sense, but commonly...

Nothing is more surreal than the shimmering lights of the city, and its colourful cars and people fleeting by. Nothing is more surreal than reality itself, than this scene of swift change. Thank goodness this is seen as such, for I wouldn’t want any hard and harsh ‘reality’...

Something written a long time ago… (Facebook has changed much since) Checking if a friend sees me as a friend, I clicked ‘add as friend’, and waited. ‘Awaiting friend confirmation’, says Facebook still, days later. Am I actually secretly ignored already, or left...

How far away must I be to not be at the coast? A metre, ten, a hundred, more, or what? Or is it where I… see the sea not, hear the waves not, smell the tang not, taste the salt not, feel the breeze not, think about it not at all. The hardest is the last, that lingering nature, that is...

In the ‘brutal’ game that is Survivor in one of the recent seasons, Fabio, seemingly a simple-minded goofball at first, eventually won the game. This seemed pretty amazing because he was the youngest winner yet, and he won without double-crossing anyone. The thing is, if you...

I heard a parent order a dish of pasta for his kid. He asked if there is prawn in it, because his kid is allergic to prawn. I figure he must do this every time eating out. Why not simply order vegetarian food for peace of mind? While prawns might be demonised as an allergy, all prawns and...

What happens when a guru blesses you? Does he or she passes over some special force of goodness or merits, that is so special, so subtle, that it can’t be seen, or even felt? Maybe, sometimes? But the truest blessing is one that is heartfelt, that you are mindful of, that transforms...

Walking in the Evolution Garden of Singapore Botanic Gardens, it was a journey through the evolution of flora. On the ground were name plates of the eras we were walking into. Exiting the garden, welcome to ‘Present Day’. Down to Earth. Come back to the here and now. Me too, have...

A participant who completed Project Rebirth (Round 2) asked me what would be three key takeaway tips to sum up the whole course. This is my reply: 1. What we all truly want is True Happiness and that is Buddhahood. 2. The path to True Happiness (Buddhahood) comes from bringing happiness to...

Part 1: It is amazing… how a total stranger on the street can be all smiles, greeting you, offering a hand to shake. Then again, it’s expected, as she is just a salesperson out to be nice, only to solicit a sale from you. Part 2: It is amazing… how the same...

I’ve no intentions of being a killjoy when it comes to others’ gastronomical pleasures. But I do find it as jaw-dropping as it is bizarre, when Buddhist friends post photos of their ‘catch of the day’, the meaty dishes they are about to tuck into, in their Facebook...

I heard a Mother scolding her child for folding across a page of a library book. She said, ‘Don’t spoil the book! You can just fold a little dog ear like so!’ Hmmm… Is a little evil more okay, more permissible? How about using a bookmark? What if more readers fold more...

Having read the first book of ‘American Vampire’ by Scott Synder, Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King, I thought… The real horror is not being attacked by the horrible, but to have become the horrible, to become horror personified, to be poisoned by the Three Poisons, to...

From ‘Batman: Lovers and Madmen’ by Michael Green… Gordon: Damnest thing. Like there’s motive. Batman: There’s always a motive. What makes the Joker particularly dangerous is his unpredictability. Even though Batman is very unpredictable too, Batman is more...

In ‘Saya (Scabbards’) by Stan Sakai (of Usagi Yojimbo), a folk singer is first heard singing, The rain will rust its edge, and the sheen will fade away! The keenest blades are sheathed, and that’s where they should stay. So please, Mr. Samurai, don’t draw your sword...

In ‘Pride of Baghdad’ by Brian K. Vaughan and Nikko Henrichon, this posed question is central to the story - ‘True meaning of freedom - can it be given, or earned only through determination and sacrifice?’ The Buddhist take on this is unique… True freedom must...

How do we recognise a Buddha image to be a Buddha image? Is it the twirls of hair? But where is the ‘Buddha-ness’ in that? Is it the calm smile, or the kindly look in the eyes? Is it the posture of the body, the gesture of graceful hands? Is it all of that together? Perhaps it...

Was asked to circulate an event about mindfulness via the www.TheDailyEnlightenment.com newsletter. S: Hmmm… TDE publicises only Buddhism-related events. Mindfulness events are good, but if they don’t connect clearly to the bigger message of the Buddha, they’re...

Friedrich Nietzsche wrote… “What if a demon were to creep after you one night, in your loneliest loneliness, and say, ‘This life which you live must be lived by you once again and innumerable times more; and every pain and joy and thought and sigh must come again to you,...

Day or Birthday or Rebirthday or Re-birthday or Rebirth-day or…