Super Short Story (186): Victim Her continual refusal to talk about what happened to her relationship gave the impression that she was the poor victim, eager to put her bad experience all behind. However, she was the victimiser, who refused to delve into details because of her overwhelming...

Super Short Story (113): Guilt Her overseas Aunt asked her to visit Grandpa more, since he is already so old. Not that she has any objection to taking this guilt trip, she replied with this to jog her guilt in turn - ‘Aunt, perhaps you should return to live with your Father, since he...

A relative had a nightmare, where many people leapt in to a fire, as a ‘gift for god’. They claim it will be painless. She just stood there with the family and watched, and saw a familiar face wanting to throw her son into the fire, whom she saved in time. I was there to tell...

A lesson learnt from ‘Anya’s Ghost’ by Vera Brosgol. There is an unseen ghost behind every seen or unseen ghost - the real ghost, the real ‘demon’ behind the ghost, that ghost of attachment or aversion that binds the ghost, keeps the being being a ghost. Every...

A ‘root guru’ is the main teacher you learn from, or the root teacher of your lineage of teachers. My root guru is the main teacher I learn from – the Buddha (Shakyamuni), the root teacher of the lineage of all teachers – the Buddha. My guru devotion is to Amitabha...

Empathy instead of disgust arises when one realises that another’s horrible behaviour, could have arisen from horrible suffering. - Stonepeace In the movie ‘Confessions’, a mother meticulously plots to exact vengeance on the two killers of her daughter. It is surely ...

Something learnt from ‘American Pie: The Naked Mile’ is that there is no such thing as a guilt-free trip without consequences.. even if others offer you a chance to take one, even if you give yourself a chance to take one, because everyone has the propensity of guilt, because...

(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...

Language is an interesting tool. As much as it expresses, it can also limit… when words seem to be in want to say what you really want to say. As Alan Wallace mentioned recently, language can illuminate or obscure experience. Just because there is no word for guilt in...

Question: I contributed money for a group gift, but later realised that it wasn’t an animal-friendly gift. Do I create negative karma because of this? Answer: About pooling of money for the hamper, if it wasn’t intentional to neglect asking, it’s okay. It’s just unmindfulness. You...

Love is the only shocking act left on the planet. – Reed Bennett If you are honest, and would like others to be honest, how would you take it if your otherwise perfectly ‘faithful’ spouse of many years tells you that she once had a very brief affair in your absence a long ...

As I missed the movie ‘Accident’ accidentally when it was screening, I purposely (i.e. ‘not accidentally’) made a point to catch it on a flight. The story tells of a gang which makes money from planning ‘accidents’ to kill those targeted by their clients,...

A Tit for a Tat (75) Tit: What is that suspicious-looking cat doing? Tat: Looking at us suspiciously! Tit: Is it because he thinks we are suspicious? Tat: Or is because he is guilty of something? Tit: How would I know? Tat: So should we look suspiciously at him? Tit: But that might make him...

In the movie ‘Murderer’, the protagonist model detective suffers from lapses in memory (due to an injury and another reason I won’t reveal in case it’s an unforgivable spoiler for you). This is while he investigates for clues on the identity of a serial killer at...

Right after Depeche Mode’s first single ‘Wrong’ (from the ‘Sounds of the Universe’ album), which sings of intense indignation to a disturbing video (see http://moonpointer.com/new/2009/04/whats-wrong-with-wrong) comes the second single – ‘Peace’....

I wrote the below for friends who are in contact with someone, who happened to be the doctor who treated two well-known Buddhist masters just before their passing. This doctor was diagnosed with a terminal illness recently, and is having some guilt over the above…. For the doctor who...

This amazing movie is just 83 minutes long, but is nothing short of incredible. It is one of the few films that I would consider near perfect in all aspects – scripting, acting, editing… Most importantly, the message is driven across in a deeply heartfelt way. I first watched it...

Met up with a rather old friend last night for dinner and chat. As he’s between jobs and since it’s the holiday season, he’s taking his time to text and call up friends individually to catch up with them. He lamented that when he contacted them, most of them would exclaim...

An interesting question was raised during a recent class – ‘Is it okay to feel gratitude for the meat we eat?’ This is sometimes asked for the absolution of guilt, while seeking a way to rationalise or justify meat-eating. I answered that having gratitude is definitely...