In the movie ‘Premium Rush’, there is the pseudo-cool idea that changeable (instead of fixed) gears and ‘brakes are death’ for messenger bikers dashing from one place to another on the super-busy streets of New York. This is based on the assumption that ‘The bike...

Those who hold their liquor well think they are always in control but all it takes is a moment of lapse in alcohol-induced mindfulness to break the other precepts. (E.g. drunk-driving and killing someone on the road, followed by lying to cover up…) Is it a risk worth...

The Middle Path means not to take extremes, while it is often mistaken to mean one should be moderate in everything, including observation of moral guidelines (precepts). But to be so is to be half good and half evil - which is not very good at all. E.g. there is no such thing as moderate...

Question: If I have committed observe the Five Precepts but repeatedly break one of them despite having practised repentance, can I still repent again effectively? Answer: To answer the question, I need to know how many times more the precept is intended to be broken! You need to remember...

Q: Does a meat-seller (not a butcher), say a chicken rice hawker break the First Precept of not killing? He doesn’t kill any chicken though he buys dead chickens from a butcher. What about a poultry-seller who sells live chickens for customers to slaughter by themselves? A: Technically,...

Q: Abortion is against the First Precept of not killing. But due to great advance in medical science, doctors are now able to tell whether a child will be born physically or mentally disabled.  In such cases, is it better to abort the child, as bringing the child into this world will not ...

Q: How do I convince my father to observe the Five Precepts, when they don’t ‘buy’ karma readily? A: The ‘simple’ solution is this. You must learn and practise the Dharma better, so that you will be able to touch and influence him more deeply through your...

What if you said what you really want to say? What if you did what you really want to do? Will the world become a better place? If the world will not become a better place, there is something wrong with what you are thinking of saying and doing. If so, why not change your mind now? If the...

(Pic: Kites flying by Buangkok train station) A kite without a guiding string is a dangerous kite, that endangers itself (when it crashes), that endangers others too. A car without working brakes is a useless car, that cannot be slowed down, that cannot be stopped either. The moral...

Part 1: http://moonpointer.com/new/2009/11/appeal-to-drop-appeal Part 2: http://buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=22,8764,0,0,1,0 (as below): In reply to the letter ‘Buddhism not damaged by wayward monastics, but lay support for their misdeeds’...

My parents finally took the Threefold Refuge and the Five Precepts last Sunday. (There’s quite a crowd. Well, it’s National Day, a Sunday and Guanyin Bodhisattva’s birthday – a triply convenient day for more ‘refugees’ to come! Then again, refuge should not...

JX: I think these days, it’s okay for monastics to handle some money (but not too ridiculously much to spur greed) for what’s needed (unless they absolutely don’t need to, which cuts the hassle) – but all accounts in terms of pay and funds should be made transparent to...

If there is no car around, would you wait for the light to turn green before crossing? As a pedestrian of course! What if it takes ‘forever’? Do you follow the letter of the precepts blindly or do you live the spirit of the precepts wisely? Not that it’s a precept to always...

Here is an analysis of the poll question ‘Should All Taking the Three Refuges Commit to the Five Precepts Too?’ As of today, the results are: 66% : Yes 20% : Doesn’t matter 07% : No 07% : Dunno In the Theravada tradition, the 5 precepts are taken with refuge. In the Mahayana...

The billboard in the photo seems to be that of a distorted beer bottle, which blurly reflects the traffic… which is appropriate for what I wish to share here. Recently, a friend was driving past a deserted part of Singapore one night, after drinking with some friends to celebrate his...

As inspired by the film ‘The Dhamma Brothers‘ , here’s a simple poem, in tribute to those who seek spiritual freedom within their physical prisons: More than just a killer… More than just a thief… More than just a liar… More that just a rapist… More...

Japan Adventures (12) : The Soup of Intoxication & Addiction Koyasan (Mount Koya) is a large seminary of Shingon (Japanese Vajrayana) Buddhism founded in 861 with some 117 temples. Today, there are some 53 shukubos (temples that provide lodging accommodations and dining). These shukubos...