佛光山新加坡成果展2010

成果展2010 @ FGS has successfully brought to a close but I believe its a great way to charge up the year, with prosperity and kinship in the participants' life. The world has not really successfully buck itself up of the economic malstrom. Religion itself will prove to provide emotional support as well as gearing people towards having a more meaning life.

This annual event in FGS is one of the greatest higlight of the year where preparation alone takes up lots of time, effort and co-operations among all participants. Below are some smiles taken on the event :)


This is no scene from some charity show or large scale Chinese New Year live telecast but our very own theme for the event.

成果展 as the name suggests its a day where we showcase what we have learnt throughout the past year as well as a way to give back to the temple for the classes that had benefited us. As it usually coincides with CNY, we will make it an event to celebrate the New Year as well. 威德福海is this year's theme that ven master XinYun has given to us. It matches well to the upcoming year of the Tiger as well as the vigor we need to face upcoming challenges in life and our spiritual pursue.

This is our temple's very own Youthianz heating up the atmosphere with their jamming. They indeed spent lots of effort in this and from what I know they do not really have a teacher to lead them. From dancing and singing, this jamming really give us a surprise on how united and capable they are.

Its rather hard nowadays to expect the younger gen to celebration the traditional festival together with harmony and laughters. In FGS, it is a rather common sight and family values are an important emphasis in the temple's activity. But I do observe younger parents nowadays tend to have lesser barrier with their child and family ties seems get stronger.

Kidz in the temple are very obedient yet very smart. They dance, sing and could even do recital, not forgetting chantings and rituals as well. Would be interesting to see how these buds of our future bloom into beautiful flowers sharing their frangrance to our community.

This is our very own choir group that has been my main activities I engaged in, in the temple. All thanks to our teacher Kellyn, tuning our coarse vocals into enchanting musics as well as being our "busy" image consultant. Our glamorous outfit was her credit and the kinship was the result of our contribution towards the choir group. It is just like a small family where it injects some passion and life into our cold working life. The choir comprise of mainly working adults and its definitely very hard to get everyone together for performance.

Involving in the temple's events indeed steal personal time and sleeps for some. But I believe its all worth it. Instead of being the "loyal supporter" of the shopping malls or crouch potatoes infront of the soup operas, helping out in the temple makes the weekend more anticipating and living life with more colours and warmth.

"With regard to external factors, I don't envision any other single factor like friendship with admirable people as doing so much for a monk in training, who has not attained the heart's goal but remains intent on the unsurpassed safety from bondage. A monk who is a friend with admirable people abandons what is unskillful and develops what is skillful."

— Iti 17

Killing my loyal servants!

Morning starts with heart pounding and restlessness. Unable to concentrate well due to the thought of visiting the dentist for extraction. Mind not really cluttered with fear but more like the anticipation of something thats going to happen and must happen.

Visiting my dentist at VictoriaDental, at their new branch in rivervale mall which was rather accesible from my place. But I have to say I still prefer the cosy feel at Shenton Way. Greeted by friendly staff and Dr Chye just seat me down to prepare for the "battle". The price I thought was damn cheap! Extraction, scaling and polishing just sum to about $130!! It definitely was not the market rate! But service was never discounted.

I describe the extraction as easy as cutting my toe nail. Pain was only during the administering of anesthesia but just a slight pinching feel. A trainee dentist just whole my head still while Dr Chye just use a piler to shake it out! And all I feel was slight pressure and both tooth came out consecutively.

Something struck me when I observe the process. There is a feeling of lost. A voidness that something that has been with me for life was removed. It was doing well in the mouth and it was pulled out just because my mouth need space for adjustment. Now to amplify the same feeling decorated with immense love, was that how a mum will feel when a developing and moving baby just being removed from her womb? :)

I suppose human being, a habitual animal creates attachments to anyone and anything. The feeling of lost does happen even to dead objects like the teeth. Or for me, its just a gratitude to how these 2 loyal tooth had served me well with no problems. I symbolised the profusing bleeding happening now as my mouth sobbing for the departure of their close ones.

Not a pleasant day but definitely a memorable one :) Ouching now my head is heavy. Maybe now my head is starting to feel sad too.

Debugging "Financial Freedom"

Before the "debugging" process lets look at another term that people comes up with to just feel different. Financial independence is the word but I find it even harder to comprehend. Then how can we succeed base on a condition that can never happen.

To be financially independent means you no longer need to depend on money. But is it possible? Warren Buffett, a billionaire is just a man with no money if you ask him to give up every single cent he has. Anyone that still receives salary is dependent on salary and anyone that relies on investment dividends, interest or any form of revenue is still dependent on that income.

Financial freedom makes more sense. To be financially free means you have the freedom to spend when you want to. That means after taking care of all liabilities and expenses, every excess dollar is freedom for spending. That also means any possible liabilties that have the potential to incur, for example planning for a marriage.

But if financial freedom depends on amount of liabities, then the equation makes more sense if we were to control expenses and liabilities then how much we earn. Just imagine sudddenly someone received a fortune and had a million in his pocket, can we safely say the 1 million will always be 1 million? Is the 1 million going to last forever.

Financial freedom being something that is rather numerical, I see it more as a perspective or a mental state. If that man having a sudden wind fall and has a million and because having that million picks up habits like playing with sports car, he's fortune will run dry just as quickly as someone with only a $100 but spends his time lazing around.

And if simply lumping financial freedom to being able to be happy then happiness can just run dry just like spending the million. When we are a child, what makes us happy? A dollar note or just being able to have milk to satify the hunger?

How about next time when someone ask you whether you want to be financially free, try asking back what he means by financially free and has he achieve that?

Bo gehing soon :(

Ouch! My dentist asked to extract 2 of my loyal precious teeth that has serve me for 25yrs!!

Even when its still there the fear sets in already :( Will I loss my appetite?? Will I be in long intense pain?? Will I loss the ability to sing or even talk!!?? Oh no!!

But seeing the change happening, I can say I can only trust the dentist. When the extraction is done, more space for movement, I believe changes will be even more obvious! Yeh!!

Now just have to prepare mentally for the day to come by!! Having a buddhist dentist is rather interesting. To remove my fear and minimise pain he told me to stay mindful throughout the process.......but he also says maybe my fear arise from being too mindful....haha

Something I believe in :)

As passed down by the wise teacher, a wholesome decision made is a decision that is not selfish, ill-willed, wise and not out of fear. Satisfying all these criteria, a decision made are worthy of praise and works not just for personal happiness and gratification.

Often then not, we made decisions ranging from what clothes to wear to making life's decision and we often heard of people trusting their gut feel. But these gut feel to me is an accumulation of experience dictated by habits in how we perceive problems.

And gut feel to a pessimistic person or procrastinator will usually fall into their own habitual comfort zone, depriving them courage to step forward. Also, even upon making our mind on a well thought of decision, we procrastinated by analysing in circles.

Be brave and move forward! Dare to change and get your hand busy. If you think something is worth fighting for, brings happiness to yourself and your love ones, it is the best decision made. Worst decision can only happen when you give yourself up :)

Avatar!

Great movie great companion! First time watching a movie where I can say I feel enlightening! Suspecting the director is the same "gang" as me!! muhaha. Any way here's my movie review! I give 5 popcorns out of 5!!

The first thing that strike me is upon wearing the 3D goggle the pics just jump on your face! Slight remembrance of the past where I visit the omnitheathre at Science Centre! But hmmm.....usually movie effects do not hold my interest for long. Just call me a born critics.

The first phrase that caught my eye was "You are such a baby. You never learn." We maybe the "smartest" of all sentient beings on earth but animals flee in face of danger but we create our on doom! We burn the ozone, wipe out the forest, poison our water and cuts eat others throat. Now we indeed never learn a single bit since ancient times.

The show depicts how our future world was ruled by powerful yet greedy capitalist and in order to mine a special mineral, decided to rob the forest from the natives "alien". In an unfortunate attacks from the wild animals, the lead in his avatar body infiltrate the alien "hometree". Later did the lead find himself turning from a macho Navy seal into learning how to appreciate the woods from the eyes of the native. The eyes tearing part happens when the human decided to drive their bull dozer in and later on turning their arm power in full force against the natives. The lead leads the natives in an afford to drive these "aliens" which is the humans out of the planet.

A very short intro as you need to catch the show to know how good it is. There is several scene where the seed of the holy tree will rest on the one with a true and strong heart. Thinking back, since when is the last time we ever let ourselves go and let nature embrace us.

The natives communicate with nature and animals not just by talking but also feeling them with their special probe like hair. We do not have probes sticking out but trust me, touch a dog and a cat, look into their eyes and you can feel their feelings and they will understand you too! Tried that, done that and results guaranteed.

We all have eyes that can not see the truth and ears that can not hear the truth too. All our interpersonal relationship ends up arguing due to not properly listening to what others said and feel. Words are cold and meaningless, what truely communicates are thoughts and feeling.

We humans are pathetic creatures, born and live by fear, succumbed by endless sufferings, one after another. We form countries and call ourself nations out of fear of invaders. We created weapon in fear of lossing our lives. We create drugs in fear of death. We amass wealth in fear of powerlessness. We even love and believe our beliefs out of fear. Yet in the show the best way to remove fear is to accept the environment as it is. We can only be victims to our own mind. The same mind can lead mankind to salvation and other lead to wars.

Another part that interest me is when the lead has trouble deciding which is the real world and when is he really awake. Just got a book today call "Joy of living" which says that having a troubled mind while practising mindfulness is good as someone promotes from just a living human into gaining abilities to assess and aware of his own mind. Not the exact word but is talking about inderstanding the world from inside you rather than being the prisoners of our wandering train of thoughts. If this is so, then I think most of the time we were never awake.

I also like the concept that the environment and us were all interconnected and nature knows us! If we were to harm the environment, we will one day fall prey to our ignorance.

Embracing

How embracing love could be?? Does love comes only when passion arises. Then what are the source of passion?? Some fleeting good memories or some fonding characters that makes the heart go wild.

Then what are the extend of embracing. Agreeing to only what we can accept yet how about things that is dearest to your love but you can not accept. How often do we just listen to our head then lends your ears to our love, hearing their voice with our hearts. Love can at moments takes the freedom away yet can also set his love free, free to live her own life, using her own meanings and perspective for life. Only then I believe love is about embarking on a discovering journey, charting to unknown grounds, carrying love to a higher level day by day.

Then when disagreements get more by the day, cares becomes an liability, what holds a love? Memories still or just a waste to let go. Just like a cancer that threatens the life, is treatment the best way out? Love without communication, without understanding for each other and without even a common interest, is the a love to say.

Gummy night so niam ti ti!

Great job gummers! We all like the Kumpung Sakara concept!! We were really puzzled at first why a temple has two place of celebration :)

I was greeted by familiar gummers right at the reception and everyone was chatting and laughing away. Here was I trying to catch hold of the friends that were coming from their previous celebrations!

We were then all assigned with a "job" to work in Sakara town but don't know why I hold 2 job!! muhahaha!! Why they never give present to most hardworking Sakara citizen :( I was a carpenter and a farmer! Reason being a farmer also needs house to stay :S Again, more mingle around with gummers as well as friends! Were asked to draw and cut out food to paste around the place and I think of just cutting a round shape for the bun!! Easy food i guess. Then we were asked to get our "Sakara town IC". Hahahahaha!!!

Performance started by song sharing my “生命中的朋友”，YAC people and a group call "Music graffti (not sure)" muhaha but all were nice. 生命中的朋友 even taught us the dance gesture hahaha!! All pointing moving around like mad!! yaya plus the YAC teaching us the gummers hand gesture!! I still know how to do leh!! Lets gum gum together.

After which, we were led to the open site outside Hall of Great Compassion. Its where the 108 bell gonging happens! The resonating sound from the big bell strike silence and peace in all of us. Everyone with their head bowed and hands on praying sign. I also lit the "wishing candles" shaped like a lotus and kneeled down infront of the giant Buddha Stattue. After the gonging we proceed to do out 88 Buddha chanting and along the way we just wish everyone happy new year!.

The chanting makes me feel old haha coz my knee can not stand kneeling for long! My knee just give way a few times. But the sound of chanting and all voices uniting in one was great!! Peace sets in and the chanting proved a great way to start the new year. As I gazed around with corner of my eyes, kids and teanager in fashion clothes were chanting! Some friends that were non buddhist I presume even bowed their heads and close their eyes throughout the session. I believe they are not sleeping :)

After paying out last respect to our teacher the Buddha we head home so physically drained! haha. Someone told me she chant till she in deep sleep. muhahhaa! And another feel like fainting! But to the deep sleep friend, don't stay up late at night and for the fainting friend, eat more red dates and gou chi zhi! Chanting shows u early health hazards hahahhaa!

Well spent new year where I laid down my goals and objective for the new year and I am holding to it dearly!! Yaya if on that night you raised your head just before the bell gonging, the clouds moved away leaving a hole for the moon to shine through and there is coloured circle surrounding the moon. Believe it as we make our way from our party area to the Main shrine, we are welcomed by gentle wind that felt like cottons on the skin and very slight drizzling that is so gentle that it just get carried around by the wind. I believe its so small that it just vapourise at the heat of our passion!

All in all I feel at peace throughout with joy just like meeting family members. I believe my words are dharmically correct since I believe we had been together in such instance for countless birth, bond so strong to be linked together life time after. As a buddhist seeing a familiar face on someone which is a total sranger is a common thing and just learn to embrace :)