From the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra (http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln260/Vimalakirti.htm) are lesser known but some very surprising and illuminating teachings: ‘… Then the Licchavi Vimalakirti said to the patriarch Mahakasyapa, “Reverend Mahakasyapa, the Maras who play the devil in the innumerable universes of the ten directions are all bodhisattvas dwelling in the inconceivable liberation, who are playing the devil [...]

I remember when I first visited a primary school built by Tzu Chi Foundation many years ago, the Buddhist volunteer who guided us around the wonderful buildings in the compound shared something intriguing with us. He said that if we might have noticed, there are no sharp edges in any structures of the building. All [...]

Despite a domestic flight delay at Delhi airport towards Dharmashala, we accidentally but surely, karmically ‘bumped’ into His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who was also taking the same plane as us. The delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise! Everyone was excited, as most of us, from various countries, were taking the [...]

Om Mani Padme Hung a – a Buddhist mantra to generate great compassion. Such stone cravings are seen placed around the premises of many temples as an offering, as act of devotion to remind passers-by of the mantra and what it represents. And it’s a local tradition to circumambulate temples as many times as possible. [...]

Question: Though it is wrong to kill animals for meat, isn’t it the karma of these animals to be killed? Answer: Though it is the negative karma of some of animals to be killed for human consumption or otherwise, none of us have to purposely play a part in being conditions for their deaths by [...]

Some espouse this idea – ‘…他是真的欺骗我们，我们随他…’ (If they really bully or cheat us, we let them do it.) The idea is to let them express our negative karma, so as to wear it out, and to just accept the suffering they inflict on us graciously. This doesn’t seem healthy, because it allows evil-doers to go [...]

From ‘The Art of Meditation’ by Matthieu Ricard We have all, to varying degrees, had the experience of profound altruistic love, of a feeling of all-encompassing benevolence, of intense compassion for those who are suffering. Some of us are naturally more altruistic than others, sometimes to the point of heroism. Others are more turned in [...]

Q: I have always thought that the Buddha’s Parinirvana was the end and that he would not be subjected to rebirth upon achieving it. I was surprising that you mentioned that the Buddha still exists. And that he and all other Buddhas are still working hard to guide beings to Nirvana A: Yes, you can [...]

(Thank you, Scorpio East, for the premiere tickets!) Though ‘Aftershock’ retells the terrible tragedy of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake which killed 240,000, it is not a typical disaster movie. Its focus is on its tear-jerking aftermath – of the subtle yet sure spiritual aftershocks, of how it tore one family apart, before reuniting them. Bereaved [...]

Q: I was not aware that the purpose of life is to realise True Happiness (via enlightenment). I thought all along that our purpose here is to work out our karma and to aspire to go to Pure Land. A: Actually, karma doesn’t really need working out in terms of living it out totally (which is [...]

These ideas came to mind on which leadership model to use for Buddhist organisations… 1. We should use the Dharma as the main guiding framework. 2. We don’t just want followers; we need to nurture leaders – to lead with/out title – to be the best in their respective fields. 3. We need leadership that [...]

I find it tough to review books – because to do so fairly is to read and digest them entirely, and to give a summary of what is good or not so agreeable about what was written. As such, I usually quote excerpts from books, which I see to be shiny examples of what is [...]

These thoughts came to mind while visiting the Taipei Palace Museum: That exhibited is more that the stuff itself. What represented in more than that seen. What it all means might never be fully realised. We can only make calculated guesses. In the future, all things now, no matter how trivial, become relics, works of [...]

Question: Can I set up a shrine of Guanyin Bodhisattva in my living/dining room if my family isn’t vegetarian? I’m trying to be more vegetarian myself though. Answer: Perhaps you can try placing the shrine elsewhere. Even if this is not possible, it is still good to have the shrine in the living room, as it will [...]

In ‘Green Hulk/Red Hulk’ by Jeph Loeb, one of the most mysterious yet useless characters in the Marvel comics universe, ‘The Watcher’, says pompously, ‘I am Uata, the Watcher. It is my sworn duty to witness the potentially critical moments of any race across the galaxies, known or unknown. And to never interfere – despite [...]