Question: A friend sent me a video documentary of the historical battle of China against the Japanese’s invasion during WWII, saying every Chinese ought to watch it. What do you think? Should I watch it? Answer: Different parties have different ways of portraying different facets of...

The below is a set of answers I helped to write for Makan Sutra (MS) upon request via a friend. MS is not to be mistaken as an actual spiritual sutra. In fact, it’s a very worldly guide for indulgence in all kinds of foods, including animals. It’s kind of an abuse of the word...

Super Short Story (171): Wonder She wondered why she was ignored… Was it because he hated her? Was it because he was interested (but didn’t know how to approach)? Was it because he just doesn’t give a hoot either way? She decided why she wondered… Was it because she...

Review of ‘Walking The Tiger’s Path – A Soldier’s Spiritual Journey in Iraq’ By Paul M. Kendel The war genre for books has never been my cup of tea. To me, there is just too much stupidity and hurting in war. My first contact on the subject of war was through...

Struck me that Elmo is the opposite of Emo! Emo: One who has negative emotions often. Elmo: One who has positive emotions often,  such has loving-kindness, compassion, rejoice and equanimity.  If Oscar’s the snobbish grouch, then Elmo’s the cheery! The littlest but best monster...

轮回路险，生生世世， 反目成仇，反仇成目。 何不大家厌离娑婆，欣求极乐， 与诸上善人，俱会一处， 修菩萨道，共成佛道？ 阿弥陀佛！ The rounds of rebirth are dangerous. From life to life, love becomes hate, hate becomes love. Why not,...

The above is Faith Yang’s (楊乃文) song ‘Proof’ (證據). The video depicts mildly voodoo-ish scenes, and the words sing of vengeance for an ‘unfairly’ broken heart. The most interesting scene is the last though, when she sings the following and finally smiles...

Question: My friend’s business partner cheated her of her money. She wants to send him to jail. Answer: If the culprit is unrepentant, this might be the only way. Question: As an alternative, my friend could consider settling the matter privately than go to the police. Answer: If...

It’s hard to know for how long animals’ consciousness can linger after being slaughtered. If an animal is attached to his own dead body, and does not depart in time, he or she might even feel the magnified pain of being cut and cooked. If the consciousness is not in the carcass, it can...

Learnt and expanded from a Dharma talk: 放下不是放弃。 Right ‘letting go’ is not ‘giving up’; it is acceptance of things as they are for now, till they can be bettered later. 放下贪嗔痴；提起菩提心。 Let go of greed, hate and delusion; Embrace...

‘Independence Day’ re-screening on TV tonight reminds me of how simplistic the idea is, of being able to write a computer virus to disable alien invaders’ spaceships. (What programming language do they use anyway?) That said, alien or human, we suffer from the same triple...

Someone attending an interfaith event on violence emailed to as about the Buddhist perspective of the subject. This was my reply: There is much to say on this… which can be googled online. Some short thoughts on violence… Violence does not bring peace but keeps it at bay. To...

The film ‘Monga’ is unnerving because it is realistic – as what featured could really happen in real life, if not already… many times over. Of how innocence can easily become deviousness. What happens when a group of boys befriend one another with a strong sense of...

The most enlightening part of ‘The Losers’ was when the cornered Jensen uttered something ‘true to bluff’ those pointing guns at him… (Yes, it’s paradoxical) - ‘In the words of Ancient Tibetan [Buddhist] masters, “Don’t start none…...

A Tit for a Tat (109) Tit: What is True Love? Tat: That which does not become hate. Tit: Huh? Tat: Love that is not true enough easily becomes hate. Tit: How can love become hate? Tat: Because it is based on attachment, when it is unrequited, it can become aversion! Tit: What about True...

Lawrence: [Seeing gun and bullets] I didn’t know you hunted monsters. Singh: Sometimes monsters hunt you. ‘The Wolfman’, like all good monster movies, be they remakes or not, remains a cautionary tale. If we take the wolf half of a wolfman (aka. werewolf) to represent the...

Yah: I’m apolitical. Jat: More like apathetic. Yah: Apathetic to politics… yes! Jat: How so? Yah: Because politics has too many shades of grey. So I would rather spend time on something more real, like studying the Pureland sutras. Jat: And Pureland is more real than our...

We jail and fine those who abuse and torture pets, but isn’t culling harmless animals the extreme form of abuse and torture? A good friend sent an email asking signatures for an on-going petition to help stop the extermination of all stray cats in Singapore. It is really sad to know...

No one wants to be unhappy due to being greedy. Some might not know how to be content. Why not generously share how with them, best you can? No one wants to be unhappy due to being unkind. Some might not know how to be kind. Why not kindly share how with them, best you can? No one wants to be...

Jat: What do you think of people who can’t take jokes? Yah: Why? Who had you offended? Jat: That petty client I told you before. Yah: Haha, someone who can’t take jokes is still better than someone who turns everything into competition. Jat: Goodness, did I mention she’s into that...