The truth is the truth.
What does it matter…
that someone said it?*

The truth is the truth.
What does it matter…
that someone else said it?*

The truth is the truth.
What does it matter…
that someone didn’t say it?**

* Unless it is to harm
** Unless it is to protect
~~
Truth be told.
Truth is precious.
Truth revealed with compassion is even more precious.
Truth realised is wisdom that will change the world.

Related Link:
About Wikileaks
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/WikiLeaks:About

Read this in a mailing list: ‘Speaking for myself, I’ve always thought that the impossible task of the Bodhisattva to save all sentient beings is perfectly portrayed in Camus’ ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’. The famous last sentence of that book article reads – “The struggle itself is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”‘ Sisyphus is a mythological character condemned to roll a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll down, to need to roll it back up again. But the short respite that Sisyphus periodically gets as the boulder rolls down is better than none at all.

And if Sisyphus learns to accept the toil, he rises above it. His task no longer becomes punishing. He can even learn to enjoy it – even while rolling up the boulder. Bodhisattvas’ mission to help all beings isn’t punishing; it is rewarding as they do what they wish to voluntarily. I wouldn’t say that Bodhisattvas’ mission to help all beings is endless or futile, though some beings do re-enter realms of suffering after being rescued from them. It can take many a detour before reaching the final destination.

Related Article:
An Alternative Myth of Sisyphus : Bearing the Unbearable
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zeph/message/464

Q: If my boss asks me to comment on a colleague’s work, should I tell the truth, when I know stuff that may not paint a good picture, which may create bias in his mind? Should I suggest reasons why the colleague made work decisions which may seem bad at first?

A: Tough as it might be, I think you should say it as it is – the good and bad points – without prejudice or favourtism. (To feign ignorance is a form of lying. When your boss asks you, it means he trusts that you will deliver the truth… unless he has another agenda.) But of course, if you are the superior (e.g. manager), you should have been encouraging the person to improve all along. If you are not the superior and/or are not sure of the person’s work, you can just say you are not sure. If you know someone else can give a fairer picture, and who is willing to do so, you can refer your boss to that person. I think there is no need to imagine reasons to help someone rationalise why he or she decided so and so – because when the reasons are not real, it is a form of lying or speculation. You can just ask your boss to ask that person in person?

Q: Isn’t it so that nothing is permanent and definite; that only impermance is definite? Perhaps the so-called truth as I see it now will no longer be true in the future?

A: There are two kinds of truths – conventional truth and absolute truth. The first kind changes (i.e. is impermanent). E.g. One has a bigger car than another person. But the second person can have a bigger car later. Absolute truth does not change (i.e. is permanent). E.g. No cars last forever, as they change and wear out in time. Likewise, our judgements of people are really only conventional truths. Even if they are accurate in one moment, they are not necessarily valid in the next moment – as people change – sometimes for better and sometimes for worse, and often in cycles. However, for matters such as staff appraisals, we have to judge a person’s performance based on the past and the present, and not based on a speculated future (e.g. perhaps the person promises to improve). If one is unsure about someone, one should refrain from judging, and investigate further in person if needed, instead of making unsound judgements.

A friend had cultivated such powerful sensitivity
to the slightest relatively unhealthy foods,
that we often take for granted,
that a mere bite or two,
is enough to create side-effects like a mouth ulcer.

For some time, I had wondered about the value of such sensitivity.
Isn’t it too self-punishing?
His reply was that what he has is proper sensitivity,
while most of the others have lost it,
which is why we continue eating junk food without enough regard for health!

He wasn’t oversensitive but properly sensitive!
Now, that’s one great counter-intuitive lesson for me!
Reminds me of how the unenlightened in Buddhismå
are often called ‘inverted sentient beings’,
who have upside-down perceptions of reality.

An ex-celebrity’s online testimonial of how she gave up Buddhism says, ‘… The six levels of the wheel of reincarnation are: hell, all the lost souls, the animals, human, deity and the Buddha. You have to work hard for millions of years. For instance, if you are a pig, then in the next life you become a human, and then in the next life you become something else…’ With due respect (if any), what rubbish! First, the six realms of existence are not sequential levels to be ascended in order or in cycles in the manner of a wheel turning. Beings rise and fall according to their karma. Second, reincarnation is not a Buddhist teaching, which does not teach the existence of unchanging souls, lost or not. (Buddhism teaches rebirth.) Third, the six realms are hell-beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras and gods – the Buddha is not one of them. There are more misrepresentations in her article.

So-called ‘ex-Buddhists’ should stop claiming to have been ‘Buddhists’ when they were not proper Buddhists in the first place. I often say I went through ten years of schooling in a Catholic environment, and it is true – but not once did I ever say I was a Catholic, because I don’t subscribe to Catholic teachings, and even if I did, I clearly know I do not know enough of it to comment. When you come across folks saying they are ex-Buddhists when they were never proper Buddhists, please tell them to stop saying so – and if possible, point them to materials where they can learn about what Buddhism is really about. This is a way to protect Buddhism. (For a concise summary on the rebirth, please see http://tinyurl.com/bealamp )

Related Articles:

Was He Ever Really a Buddhist?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thedailyenlightenment-realisation/message/328
Some Misleading Testimonials
http://moonpointer.com/new/2010/02/clarifications-of-misconceptions-in-pastor-rony-tan’s-videos-on-‘buddhism’

To know if a masked vigilante
is really who he is supposed to be,
he needs to unmask regularly,
for others to check the consistency
of the identity beneath the mask.

But if the identity of a masked vigilante
has to be checked regularly,
there is no point of him wearing a mask.
Anyway, the deeds of the vigilante then
are more important than the identity – even if it changes.

Related Article:
Kick-ass Kicks Ass!
http://moonpointer.com/new/2010/04/kick-ass-kicks-ass

The girl standing, chatting with her friend at the bus-stop
stamps her feet once a while,
because ants crawl up them.

She does this again and again,
interrupting her conversation.
Bizarre!

Why not move out of the ants’ way?
Why intrude into their space?
Why punish them and the ants needlessly?

Do we do the same at times too?
Do we put others and ourselves in harm’s way,
and stay put?

From Wikipedia is a description of the video of Owl City’s ‘Vanilla Twilight’ – ‘Various people and a dog witness and revere swirling mammatus cloud formation associated with a squall line. It has a well-defined vortex which is lit by a veiled Sun on an overcast day after a snowfall has blanketed the area, hence vanilla twilight…’

Sounds technical? Watch the video! But what does the sky colour mean to the entranced folks? Is is anything good or bad, or neutral? (I recall seeing the night sky turn purple right before an earthquake in ‘Aftershock’ though.)

No matter how real reality is,
No matter how unreal reality might seem,
It is never about what it really means,
but about what it really means to you… there and then?

Related Articles:

Deep Blue Day
http://moonpointer.com/new/2010/05/sea-song-deep-blue-day
‘Aftershock’ of the Human Heart
http://moonpointer.com/new/2010/07/aftershock-of-the-human-heart

It’s quite scary,
when I find myself
ordering the same old dishes,
as I did the last time I was here,
even after scrutinising the menu thoroughly.

I thought I’m here
to make new decisions,
to choose new food,
but I’m still not beyond
the power of habit.

Made me wonder
how much of my past lives
am I repeating in this life,
how much of the illusion of freedom I have
when I’m still bound by habit.

(Thank goodness habits can be changed with increase in mindfulness.)

I’m reminded that
it is good
to leave my email address
when I comment online…
so that I can receive replies
to my comments.

I mustn’t imagine that
I have the last word,
as I might not.
Humility is good,
for it keeps me learning,
for it keeps things real.

And if someone posts an unsound rebuttal,
I should know it,
and clarify it.
The truth must prevail.
Right?