In ‘To Rome With Love’, a man is featured with a powerful voice, with which he sings in the shower. His talent discovered, he was urged to audition for an opera performance. Outside of the bathroom however, he could not sing as well as usual. His talent scout thus proposes adding...

What do you do if you have a horrible boss who is making life hell for you, while you need the job due to complex reasons? ‘Horrible Bosses’ is a slightly dark comedy that paints such a scenario. Three friends each suffer under a horrible boss. So horrid their bosses are that...

Was also sharing ideas with Sunday School Dharma teachers at Pujisi yesterday, on sharing the Dharma with kids. Gave an example of using happening music as an entertaining yet ‘enlightening’ attention-grabbing skilful means to share the Dharma:...

A short review of the movie ‘DMC (Detroit Metal City)’: Acting as a demon from hell, and singing the dark and profane, he unexpectedly draws legions of fans. Yet, what he wanted to do was to sing sweet songs of hope, and gives up his unworldly fame. Upon realising the power of...

Someone asked if I was more left-brained or right brained. Not that I’m no-brained, but I couldn’t really say. Are we mostly left-brained, too logical, too methodical, too rigid? Should we be more right-brained, more intuitive, more ‘random’, more creative? I...

Confidence in sharing the Dharma can be perceived as arrogance by those who don’t understand the Dharma, the real source of the confidence, which reminds us of the importance of sharing the Dharma more skilfully. Some need firmer approaches though, precisely due to arrogance on their...

From the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra (http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln260/Vimalakirti.htm) are lesser known but some very surprising and illuminating teachings: ‘… Then the Licchavi Vimalakirti said to the patriarch Mahakasyapa, “Reverend Mahakasyapa,...

I watched the 2010 version of ‘The Karate Kid’ on the plane to India. It’s better than I expected. (It’s not about Karate; but Kungfu. I guess they wanted to bank on the well-known brand.) The most powerful one-liner in the film is when Mr Han (acted by Jackie...

In ‘Halo: Uprising’ by Brian Michael Bendis, a captured soldier saves the Earth using the key of Osanalian, which is something non-existent, concocted out of fantasy games with his brother when they were kids, that only the duo knew of – as a key to a magical secret. The...

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...

  I just returned from hosting an encore screening session of the multiple-award winning documentary ‘Buddha’s Lost Children’. (The review link is below.) During the discussion session, a lady remarked that it was somewhat disturbing that the abbot featured in the film...