Walking past a specialised funeral accessory shop, Zig jokingly asked Zag to choose a paper shirt design for his funeral. (Some Chinese burn paper items of everyday necessities for the deceased, believing they will manifest in the underworld, where all are reborn. This is neither a Buddhist...

Understanding Amituofo via the Amitabha Sutra We often hear Buddhists greet each other with ‘Amituofo’ and aspiring to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. We also hear that this practice is a powerful and equalitarian way for most people to advance towards enlightenment,...

Who would not like to travel around the world? I would! When we have friends sharing their travel experiences and photos, most of us would be enviously thinking of our next trip. Each year, we would try to go different places, out of the claustrophobic office cubicle into the vast world full...

This is the first photo I snapped with my iPhone… with the protective film on. It looked nice enough to be set as wallpaper. How ironic, a common accidental effect that turned out good enough. It remind me of the cinematographic style of Wong Kar Wai’s ‘My Blueberry...

Hem: Should I go for a pilgrimage to ‘Buddha’s India’ or attend a Pure Land retreat?  Haw: Both are excellent! Why not go for both? Hem: I would love to, but I have limited annual leave to spare! Haw: Then you should decide based on your priorities. Hem: How should I do...

At 2 am of new year’s day as part of a post ‘Spiritual Countdown’ to 2009 celebration program, I helped to lead a chanting session at the largest temple in Singapore. We practised mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo) by reciting his name. For the occasion, I wrote a...

Now, Life is Living You?  When you walk by Higashi Honganji, you will see a huge billboard with these words on it – “Now, Life is living you.” When you enter the temple’s reception centre and bookshop, you can get a flyer which explains these words. The slogan is the...