Capital Tower* catching the setting sun, glowing like a pillar of gold. Reminds me of Amituofo, that supreme beacon of golden light which shines in all directions, even in broad daylight! Are you mindful enough, pure enough, to see it yet? * Amituofo’s Pureland is likened to the ‘Capital’ of all Buddhas’ Purelands, which is [...]

Thank goodness that we can only have one thought at a time. Imagine if 84,000 thoughts assault you at the same time! It would be impossible to cultivate the mind, to train single-mindedness. Fickle the monkey mind is, jumping rapidly from one stray thought to another. Even when our mind seems scattered or distracted, there [...]

Yup, Depeche Mode does slow and sentimental songs too. The above is the moving studio version of ‘Come Back’ from their new ‘Sounds of the Universe’ album (which some say is better than the album version). It is angsty yet calming at the same time, with the element of dark majesty that DM is renown [...]

I once had an acquaintance in school. She had long straight flowing hair and big round eyes. The usual attributes that would make one a classic beauty, as many might feel? Within my clique, many would call her Miss Candy (Xiao Tian Tian), and that would please her very much. Little did she know, they [...]

If only the winds can chime and carry the name of Amituofo But it takes the compassionate to be mindful of Buddha, to share the Buddha’s wisdom But maybe it could work like the winds spread the blessings of fluttering prayer flags?

是日已过命已随减, 如少水鱼斯有何乐, 大众！ 常勤精进如救头燃, 但念无常慎勿放逸。 The above verse was chanted just before we concluded our 1-day Pureland retreat at Dharma Drum Singapore yesterday. For the first time, it was really an admonition to me. Yes indeed, a day has passed and my lifespan had decreased by a day. Yes indeed, I felt like a fish [...]

Photo: On Nicoll Highway, while strolling to a bus-stop after Coldplaying The Buddhadharma is… a path lit with smaller lamps of wisdom which lead to the destination of perfect enlightenment. The Pureland Buddhaharma is… the expressway to perfect liberation guided by the brightest light of Amitabha Buddha!

< Click to enlarge The Three Saints of Western Paradise (L-R): Mahastamaprapta Bodhisattva, Amitabha Buddha, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva A Purelander friend brought to my attention this less popular but nevertheless important Pureland Sutra. It’s so important that I decided to spend one and a half off-days to translate it. I hope it inspires you as much, [...]

Walking near Stirling Road, strange blue lights on a long and incredibly zig-zag walkway in the dark caught my eye. (My phone camera couldn’t capture the whole of it.) I went forward to take a closer look, for a moment forgetting that I’m in the area to attend to a friend’s Mother’s wake. Will I [...]

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 belief or practice!) Zag: Nay, I don’t need [...]

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, especially in our day and age. So who is Amitabha Buddha [...]

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 of cultural shocks [...]

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 Nights’. While watching that film, I was [...]

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 that? Haw: Do you prefer [...]

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 short aspiration prayer, which was read for [...]