A Tit for a Tat (302) Tit: How do you know there are enough clues, to use reasoning to solve the puzzle? Tat: I don’t. Tit: How do you know when to stop using reasoning, and to use trial-and-error instead? Tat: I don’t. Tit: How do you solve it then? Tat: Somehow, in some way, [...]
Want to Solve It
By Shen Shi'an under TitTatTot |
Your Comment | Tags: aspiration, diligence, truth
Shelter & Sustenance
By Shen Shi'an under Quotations |
1 Comment | Tags: aspiration
An interesting saying shared by a friend: 道心之中有衣食,衣食之中无道心. There is (spiritual) clothing and food (shelter and sustenance) within the heart that seeks the way; there is no heart that seeks the way within (physical) clothing and food (per se).
Pilgrimage to Pure Land
By zweiya under Odds & Ends |
2 Comments | Tags: Amitabha Buddha, aspiration, faith, practice, Pure Land
Venerable Faxian is one of the great pilgrim translators who travelled from China to India to retrieve many precious sutras. King of Bi: Have the Venerables come to be in Bi or are you just passing through? Ven. Faxian: Faxian and these few Venerables are neither staying in your esteemed country or going to any [...]
Thinking Seriously About Waking Up
By Shen Shi'an under Movies/TV |
Your Comment | Tags: aspiration, enlightenment
A delightful short dialogue from the movie ‘Spanglish’: Dad: (Open’s son’s door) You don’t have to get up yet, but are you thinking seriously about it? Son: Yes. Dad: Okay. (A few minutes lapse, before he opens door again) Son: Now? Dad: Yes, actual up. Being lazybones myself, I like the idea of being preempted [...]
Careful What You Wish For
By Shen Shi'an under Comics & Graphic Novels |
Your Comment | Tags: aspiration, vow
‘The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch’ by Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli and Todd Klein is a fantasy tale that cautions us to ‘be careful what you wish for – because you might get it’. Many might dismiss this ‘law of attraction’ concept to be nonsensical, but it’s not exactly so [...]
What’s Your Death Star?
By Shen Shi'an under Movies/TV |
Your Comment | Tags: Amitabha Buddha, aspiration, Pure Land
From the movie ‘Fanboys’ is the dialogue below. The guys were planning to steal a copy of Star Wars Episode 1 before its release – to fulfill their friend’s last wish of watching it before he dies of cancer. Hutch: You gotta find your Death Star. Eric: Okay, I’ll bite. Hutch: Greatest deed Luke Skywalker [...]
Proof that We All Want to Go Pureland
By Shen Shi'an under Odds & Ends |
2 Comments | Tags: aspiration, Pure Land, rebirth, refuge
A friend remarked that he was feeling angry during the day, but when he arrived at the temple in the evening, where we were having our Pureland class (http://moonpointer.com/new/2009/06/understanding-amituofo-via-the-amitabha-sutra), his anger seemed to have mysteriously dissipated. Replacing the trouble in mind was not just the absence of frustration but peace of mind instead. He wondered [...]
Adventures : Japan Tales (21)
By Shen Shi'an under Travelogue |
16 Comments | Tags: aspiration, faith, practice, Pure Land
Reflections on Shinran’s Pure Land Teachings I just finished viewing an animated film titled ‘Shinran-sama: His Wish & Light’, which is a summarised biography of Shinran, the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (True Pure Land School – the most widely practised Buddhist tradition in Japan today). It was created in commemoration of the 750th anniversary [...]
Smile : Buddha & Bodhisattva
By Shen Shi'an under Odds & Ends |
5 Comments | Tags: Amitabha Buddha, appearance, aspiration, Bodhisattva, Buddha, Buddha-nature, humility, mindfulness, mystery, perception, Pure Land, smile, stress, virtues
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 [...]
















