Ten always meet in a bar. One day, one came with a gun. There were six chances (for a six-shooter) of being shot. Fearing this, the next day, all came with guns. There are now 60 chances of being shot… when it could had been no chance. Insecurity breeds insecurity. The real security...

Super Short Story (136): Friendliness The shop has a sign saying friendly dogs are welcomed. But who decides if a dog is friendly? a dog-friendly shopkeeper, a dog-unfriendly staff, a dog-friendly customer, a dog-unfriendly customer, a dog-friendly dog-owner, or the...

From ‘The Avengers’ movie: Steve Rogers: Doc… I think now is the perfect time for you to get angry.  Bruce Banner: That’s my secret, Cap[tain America], I’m always angry. Cap was suggesting Banner to transform into the Hulk there and then to help save the day....

A name I came up with some years ago. Happy to see it still being in use… MaitriPals – Pals for friendship, with universal love and compassion. ‘Maitri’ is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘friendship of universal love and compassion’ (Think ‘Maitreya Buddha’ – The...

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...

I’m interpreting ‘You’ve Got The Love’ by Florence + the Machine my way, with ‘Lord’ standing for Lord Buddha, and even Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo). Electric ‘spiritual’ beginning to the song at the concert in the video above! In a way, the...

Question: How do I cultivate loving-kindness for someone I dislike? Answer: It helps to remember that just as you suffer from disliking the person, the person might suffer from being disliked, not just by you, but by many others too. Since no one wants to dislike or be disliked, both you and...

May I be free from enmity and danger May I be free from mental suffering (e.g. fear, hatred, jealousy) May I be free from physical suffering (e.g. discomfort, illness) May I be well and happy May I take care of myself happily May my mother and father (brothers and sisters…) be free from...

Question: Would you say that reciting Om Mani Padme Hung is similar to the practice of metta meditation in that it develops loving-kindness and compassion? Answer: A friend’s wife, at the end of an Om Mani Padme Hum retreat, turned vegetarian upon hearing the heartfelt advice of...

K: We don’t smile as much to strangers when we’re not travelling overseas. S: If we realise we’re all travellers passing through this life, wherever we are, with only short moments to spare, and that we might not pass by where we are again, or meet who we do again, may we...

‘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...

Question: I was having a practical test and there was a candidate who did very badly. Immediately, I chanted silently, dedicating it to him, hoping it will help him calm down and do better. But no matter how hard I tried, I just could not focus. My thoughts strayed, and out of the blue,...

This graph is funny yet generally true! Perhaps the Buddha already knew this, which is why he specifically used the number of legs of an animal/insect to remind us of how our loving-kindness (metta) should encompass all! May I have metta toward the footless [eg. snakes and worms] And toward...

We know that Oscar’s the Grouch, but hey, it makes no marketing sense to scare the kiddies away, if you want them to slot in a coin to take the ride. So let’s give him a smile! We know that Barney’s always friendly, so it makes much marketing sense to keep the kiddies...

From Hurts’ ‘Blood, Tears and Gold’: Love goes cold Blood, tears and gold Won’t make it any better My interpretation: All the vented violence, with self-inflicted pain, sorrow and wealth won’t heal a broken heart. What’s needed then? Some love itself, for...

Q: I have tried to avoid the killing of insects but realise that this is impossible. I therefore consider that the results of such killings could give minor results such as the little sufferings we get from insect bites. A: Have you tried the path of Metta (Loving-kindness) to avoid...

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...

(From a friend to her Mother) Never knew the loss is so painful, never knew you are so important in my life, never knew your support was so vital to the wholeness of me, never so deeply appreciated and touched by the things you did for us, never discovered the jewel of ‘Buddha’ within...

Some ‘random’ advice that came to mind to dissuade someone from having an abortion - 1. She shouldn’t kill as it’s her ‘mistake’ to conceive the child ‘accidentally’. 2. Why punish one’s own innocent child for one’s mistake? 3. All...

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…...