The first picture… the Buddha at rest (with eyes closed?) The Awakened One… always in peaceful repose. The second picture… the Buddha still awake (with eyes open?) The Enlightened One… forever with compassionate vigilance. (The two pictures are different perspectives of the same image.)

The super weight of ‘The (Daily) Planet’ on his super shoulders daily? [This article is somewhat on evolution, and somewhat in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin.] In ‘Superman: Camelot Falls’ by Kurt Busiek, Superman receives a grave warning from Arion the time-traveller, who gives him a stark vision of how humanity will [...]

Three Perspectives of a Fatherly Buddha Image From Chapter Three of the Lotus Sutra: I tell you, Shariputra, I am like this, too, The honored among many sages, The father of the worlds. All living beings Are my children; Deeply attached to worldly pleasures, They have no wise thoughts at all. In the Three Realms [...]

Skanda Bodhisattva faces the Buddha in the main shrine, because he guards the Buddha. Skanda Bodhisattva faces the last page of the Sutras, because he guards the Dharma. Skanda Bodhisattva faces us when we face him, reminding us to guard the Buddha/dharma too. Notes: Skanda (Weituo) Bodhisattva images are usually placed to face the Buddha [...]

Penguin books’ designs are getting really clever and cool these days. Gone are the days of Penguin’s stuffy bookish image. Their designs are becoming increasingly fun. They are even revamping the covers of classics. Take for instance the left picture above, which is Benjamin Walter’s ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’. [...]

A Buddha image on the computer reminding me to blog with compassion and wisdom, reminding me to surf with compassion and wisdom. Related Article: The Back View of ‘iBuddha’ http://moonpointer.com/new/2009/01/i-without-capitals

Last week, we visited the Peranakan Museum for the ‘Serenity in Stone : The Qingzhou Discovery’ exhibition. Featured are 800 years’ worth of buried treasures only unearthed recently. This great discovery is the missing link that connects the evolutionary leap in Buddhist art between the Gandhara and Tang period. (The first is when Buddha images [...]

A Zenny white Buddha image On a Zenny white iMac Makes me think of ‘iBuddha’ Of the Buddha I can be A selfless one with no capital ‘i’ Related Article: The Front View of ‘iBuddha’ http://moonpointer.com/new/2009/02/buddha-gentle-reminder

From ‘Chandni Chowk To China’, Delusion to Realisation http://buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,7665,0,0,1,0 In the first Bollywood-Hollywood action-comedy ‘Chandni Chowk To China’, an Indian cook (Sidhu) who was disgruntled by his humdrum life sought hope in the possibility that he might have had an remarkable previous life, one which he would be able to magically relive, to chase his [...]

As inspired by the film ‘The Dhamma Brothers‘ , here’s a simple poem, in tribute to those who seek spiritual freedom within their physical prisons: More than just a killer… More than just a thief… More than just a liar… More that just a rapist… More than just a junkie… More than just convicts… They [...]

While watching the final instalment of ‘Red Cliff (Part 2)’, I was hoping for the story to impart some major lessons to the general audience… other than the cunning ‘art’ of strategising in war. Thankfully, towards the end, there were two obvious lessons. Here’s the first one… Xiao Qiao warns Cao Cao of his over-confidence [...]

Some time ago, I submitted an old article (from the book ‘The Daily Enlightenment 1′) to a Buddhist magazine. Yesterday, the editor sent me a Chinese translation of it, as below, to check if it’s okay. I read it with a smile. I think this is an excellent example of how some things (e.g. word [...]

In ‘Chickens with Plums’ by Marjane Satrapi is this recounted story where Azrael, the angel of death was commanded by God to take the life of a man in India. But the day before, he bumps into him in Jerusalem. Terrified, the man runs to King Solomon to ask that he be sent far away [...]

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 [...]