In ‘Fables: Animal Farm’ by Bill Willingham et al, Weyland Smith fashions a key to help unlock Snow White’s shackle. Due to a spell cast on him, he cannot, however make a key to unlock his own shackle, or even suggest how it can be made. It turned out that the key that unlocked Snow’s [...]

You might stumble upon what you think is another’s ‘deep dark secret’. But if you leave it unclarified, the true ‘deep dark secret’ might be yours – that ‘you are deluded about the truth.’ A secret so truly deep and dark that you will never know it as delusion, because you already see it as the [...]

All interpersonal and organisational problems arise from people with different extents of delusion interacting with one another. It is usually the initiative of those who have less delusion to help those with more delusion to realise any problematic issues at hand. But another problem arises when these people (with less delusion on the issues) are [...]

Question: Based on the Alagaddupama Sutta, the snake and the raft represent all Dharma teachings as taught by Buddha. The snake parable teaches that if one understands the Dharma wrongly, it’s like catching the snake by the tail, letting it turn around to bite one. In other words, there must be Right Understanding (based on the Noble [...]

Featured in the ‘G.I. Joe’ movie are nanomites, which are super-microscopic robots measuring in nanometres. They are used in missile warheads, which are fired to start plagues of remote-controlled metal-eating frenzies – capable of causing the Eiffel Tower to ‘rot’, and rendering tanks and planes to metal dust within a few instants. The scary thing [...]

A Tit for a Tat (35) Tit: Just to let you know, in case you are losing patience with him… Tat: Aha? Tit: He is actually suffering from a mental condition. Tat: That explains so much! Tit: On him appearing to be difficult? Tat: Yes! Tit: I thought letting you know this would help you [...]

It is partly due to the ‘endless’ clinging to self-delusion, to constant wondering about the nature of the ‘self’, which is really an illusion, that perpetuates our rebirths in Samsara (via attachment to this non-existent ‘self’). The subtlest attachment we have to the idea of ‘self’ will lead to rebirth because rebirth is due to [...]

Catch the new single from Depeche Mode’s new album ‘Sounds of the Universe’ (performed live in Berlin). After the lyrics below are my reflections on them. Wrong I was born with the wrong sign In the wrong house With the wrong ascendancy I took the wrong road That led to the wrong tendencies I was [...]

In a ‘post-Lehman Brothers’ world, an investment ad in the subway ironically reads, ‘Be humble, the stock market is probably smarter than you.’ This seems to speak of the so-called ‘wisdom of the masses’. But are the masses necessarily wise? What about the ‘delusion of the masses’? If the masses are so wise, why is [...]

Are you in the shadows or are you a silhouette on the brink of illumination?

Lamp light A midnight sun One is not enough to pierce the darkness of space Dharma light An eternal sun One Truth is enough to break the darkness of ignorance

In the movie ‘Suspect X’, a brilliant mathematician plans an elaborate scheme that involves murder to help his love interest get away with manslaughter. When one is driven so much by love that it involves killing another, is such love still healthy? Is such love ‘lovely’ or lovable? Would it be more touching or disturbing? Is [...]

Q: If a child makes a mistake out of ignorance or delusion, that he is not aware of as wrong in the first place, the child will suffer from negative karma to a lesser degree, right? A: Whether driven by ignorance/delusion or not, the intensity of (un)wholesome karma created is determined by the intensity of [...]

Wrathful flames of Wisdom burning away raging passions, Acala is the Immovable Wisdom King. (不动明王) The fearsome Destroyer of Delusion.* The compassionate Protector of Dharma.* * The Immovable Dharma is the Truth and path of Wisdom that destroys Delusion.

The Cintamani*… fulfills any wish in concord with the Dharma, represents the boundless power of the Dharma, reminds us to perfect practice of the Dharma. *Wish-fulfilling jewel Lotus Shadow The lotus** and its shadow… Are we basking in the light of purity, or still in its contrasting darkness?*** **The lotus is symbolic of purity, as [...]