‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’ is a witty documentary about and by Banksy, that prompts good questions about what makes art art, whether ‘illegal’ art (graffiti) is equated to illegitimate art. The irony of his once frowned upon (by the arty-farty) street art becoming...

Question: About these words… ‘Seeing Form itself as Emptiness produces great Wisdom so one does not dwell in birth and death; Seeing Emptiness as equivalent to Form produces great Compassion so one does not dwell in Nirvana.’ - Stonepeace If we are not going to dwell in...

I heard a Dharma teacher saying she encountered another Dharma teacher, who was supposedly an expert in teaching about emptiness, who is however very particular about the tea he drinks. She thought it was ironical, and laughs, as one versed in emptiness should also practise non-attachment to...

I love how this piece of news is flipping perceptions around: http://independent.co.uk/news/science/candles-shine-new-light-on-diamonds-2339499.html Diamond dust forged in candle flames ‘Magical’ transmutation An unlikely haiku. Another wonderful reminder of how forms deemed...

Sunyata (Emptiness) = Anicca (Impermanence) + Anatta (Unsubstantiality; Non-self) Anicca refers to all physical and mental phenomena not being with solid fixed nature at any time as they change from moment to moment. Anicca describes phenomena in terms of nothing physical and mental enduring...

Learnt from Geshe Damdul’s talk tonight, in my own words: Actualisation of Bodhicitta brings about tenderness (an aspect of compassion). Realisation of emptiness brings about fearlessness (an aspect of wisdom)....

In ‘All Star Superman: Volume 1′ by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Superman tries to convince Lois Lane that he is Clark Kent, that he is not different from him. Just as Clark didn’t pretend to be Superman, Superman didn’t pretend to be Clark. They are one and the...

What is the difference between an actual flower and a dream flower? That’s the only difference… The first is an actual flower and the latter a dream flower. That’s all. All conditioned dharmas are like dreams. The actual flower is dream-like, though not a dream. Both flowers...

Question: While the three spheres (of self, other and connecting action) are interdependent of each other, how does emptiness come into this framework? Answer: Here is a simple illustration… First, we need to remember emptiness means being empty of a fixed unchanging self. Next, ...

Koi Cafe’s drinks are becoming very popular these days. (I go only for the vegan ones, once a while, free of dairy stuff.) It struck me that the reason why its drinks are so in demand, that long queues form and ticket numbers have to be issued, is really very simple… Other than...

Upon entering Dharma Drum Mountain’s resource library is an interesting artwork. It’s called 心经影壁 or ‘Wall of Images of the Heart Sutra’. On it are 20 copies of the Heart Sutra inscribed on bronze in various languages. It’s an apt piece of sacred...

Form is emptiness; (色即是空) Emptiness is form. (空即是色) Form is not different from emptiness;（色不异空） Emptiness is not different from form.  (空不异色） So says the Heart Sutra, but what do these lines really say? They speak of that which cannot really be put ...

‘…Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.’ - Stephen King Monsters are empty, and ghosts are unsubstantial too - when they are realised as so, vanquished within us. That is how we win them all – inside out, conquering...

Naked we come Naked we are Naked we go We come empty of possessions. Stripped even of ‘self’. Even our past karma is empty of fixed nature. We live empty of possessions. Stripped even of ‘self’. Even our present karma is empty of fixed nature. We die empty of...

In ‘Superman: Camelot Falls’ by Kurt Busiek, Superman resists a spell by repeating a ‘mantra’ (taught by J’onn Jones) that tries to overpower his will – ‘I know who I am. I know where I am. I think for myself.’ To that, illusory avalanche rocks...

Just finished teaching the last lesson of a series of four weekly classes on the Heart Sutra. This last lesson began an hour earlier at 6.30pm, and ended at 9.30pm. Last week, I had to request the class to grant me another extra hour for this lesson, so as to better pace it, to give a final...

  It’s probably not the best combo to attend a Heart Sutra lesson and watch a rom-com movie (Cape No. 7) later. I was unable to relate to the story, which would usually stir up feelings of yearning and forlornness. I found myself sitting in the dark cinema, predicting the ending and...

Wi: How to love all beings equally? Yi: Before you can achieve that, you have to rid greed, hatred and ignorance. Wi: That would mean I have to be enlightened. Yi: Technically, yes. Wi: I don’t get it… Why all these talk of loving all if we, the unenlightened can’t do it...

Photography as Skilful Means for Those ‘Born into Brothels’ Winner of the Best Documentary Feature (for the 77th Academy Awards), “Born into Brothels”, despite its seemingly depressing tite, is really a rather uplifting film, of how a bunch of poor Indian children, who...

Some sayings on emptiness in the Buddhist sense, from Stonepeace - Emptiness is the nature of being empty of permanence. Emptiness is the nature of being full of change. ~ Sunyata [emptiness] is Anicca [impermanence] and Anatta [insubstantiality]; Dukkha [suffering] due to Sunyata is...