personality cults

How would blindly worshipping figures of authority be it from the religious,entertainment and political establishment blinds us to their personal agendas/

The risk is when blind adulation cause one to lose critical judgement on sense of right and wrong when we surrender to the obedience to such figures of authority,we have submitted our self will to be under the command of another.
 
  total submission may be seen as a sign of unity but the risk is it might threaten the independent judgement of the individual and their inner sense of ethics.Look before you leap would be a warning to those before they give up their sense of self control.

paradox

It seems ironical that the insight on truisms in love and relationship or the nature of it comes from one who has carried out a renunciation of desires -how can a monk like Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Norbu give advice like a love guru-probably because he understands non attachment in his sprititual practice that he sees through how passion brings dukkha  as emotionally delusioned and entangled we are,the less we can achieve his level of objectivity.
             He talks about the :burden of being nice all the time in a relationship and the way couples choke each other with their possessiveness and exclusive rights to the deeds and speech of the other.In a way passion is pain as it's not liberating us so much as it ensnares us  from the path of Moksha.

Raga /Passion

There is no fire like passion
no grip like hatred
no net like delusion
no river like craving

I feel the Thais have a higher emotional quotient as they reflect the buddhist philosophy in their everyday lives from the appreciation of the fragile beauty of flowers to their awareness of sentient beings in very old trees.
         But the most dumbass philosophical words of wisdom came on the door of the toilet cubicle.Reminds one sitting on the toilet bowl and hogging the cubicle could be a meditative retreat to shut out the stress of the hustle bustle of urban lives.Some smoke away for hours on the shitty throne to destress whilst some get rid of all that shit in their lives by meditating on the toilet seat in lieu of the mediation cushion.After reading this on the door of the cubicle,I achieved satori  or instant awakening by getting rid of all the defilements whether bodily or mentally.

Please remember to FLUSH to get rid of all the shit in your Life.Don't pass your shit to others.

Words of wisdom

" Falling in love is easy"
"Staying in love is hard"
"Letting go is hard"
"Moving on is the hardest"

All this bullshit is hard to swallow when you have trouble letting go.

Love is blind,deaf and dumb

Love is blind to your faults,deaf to your rants and dumb enough to love you despite the
aforementioned traits in you.

moved by hospitality of Thais

This trip was exhausting as we were hunting for apartments with the traffic jams and the crazy extreme heat and heavy monsoon rains so tiring.
Thank goodness we found somewhere within his budget and wonderful Thai couple impressed me with their warm hospitality.The wife went back home to get two coconut from their garden to give us refreshing drinks and when I told the wife I was terrified to run across the road with whizzing motorbikes and tuk tuk,she literally grabbed my hand and guided me and Jun to the MRT station and gave me a warm hug when I thanked her profusely.This morning I went to a bakery and chatted with the lady boss who was born in Penang and migrated to Thailand to escape the second world war.She was so kind as to take me to eat Teochew duck noodles for breakfast despite leaving her bakery.No wonder Jun loves being In Thailand.

Awakening

Awakening from a dream called Life.

Most days,we move on auto pilot,from waking up,getting ready for school or work,carrying out our responsibilities,fulfilling expectations of others on us as a child,worker,parent,a citizen until one day Life gives us a rude awakening as a certain health crisis that threatens to immobilize us or a sudden accident or crime or divorce that destroys our sense of security and makes us reexamine our priorities in life.
   As midlife existential angst make some people do out of the usual thing like buy a new sports car to revive long forgotten dreams ,get into an affair or sell off their businesses to pursue childhood passions,these moments make us reflect on who we are and what is the meaning of Life.       

Some have found love beyond the physical attachment but in their passion for their cause be it for the environment,

the fulfillment of their dreams,the love for animals,other human beings

There is a law in nature that for every action,there will be a reaction.

That which you practise grows -when seeds of hate are sown,we reap the garden of hatred,

when seeds of kindness are sown ,it blossoms into the garden of love. 

Today as  I was walking past the street,I came across the wise sayings pasted outside a florist shop.It was like what I was reflecting on in listening till the wee hours of the morning to Jamyang Khentse Norbu's talk at University Of  New South Wales on the buddhist path to seek within and not without.

I felt a sense of serendepity when I saw the words plastered outside.Seek and You shall find.

Love is not a matter of counting the years but making that year count....

Sometimes we let affection..go..unspoken.

sometimes we let our love..go..unexpressed..

sometimes we can't find words...to tell..our feelings

especially towards....someone we love most!

You may only be one person to the world

but you are the world to one person.......

Inside the shop were two artificial blooms of white orchids

outside on the glass window the words

Where there is love,there is Life   Gandhi

I must go back to find out who the proprietor of that florist shop is . 

kudzu kiri noodles in clear clam broth-Macrobiotic food

Asians share a love for ramen which Italians have for their pasta.The variety and ingredients are mind boggling.I had a warm  penchant for this comforting  Japanese kudzu kiri noodles or arrowroot noodles in clear clam broth topped with a poached egg so that the yolk oozes out when i slurp on it.
It seems hard to purchase these noodles from normal supermarts as it's mostly used by organic health food store that follow the macrobiotic diet.I keep powdered kombu stock,bonito flakes,miso and soba as stock in larder but I can't seem to find arrow root noodles like the tang hoon noodles but nicer as it has a chewy texture.The restaurant chain I patronize has changed its chef and the one I ate was below standard as the egg was overcooked,the clams became rubbery and the noodles soft unlike the previous chef.i will try to cook it myself to save money and recreate the texture through the right timing of the boiling process as overcooked ramen is so unappetising to taste.Macrobiotic diet harmonizes the yin and yang forces.

next life

Id it time to prepare for the next life.After reading Ajarn Sumano bhikku's booklet the enlightened mind,I slowly think I know the Universal Mind.But to know is different from to act.
       How as a disciple of Ajarn Chah,he continues to give his dharmma from his cave retreat.I would hope he gives retreat as he walks the talk-no fanciful monastery or whatever modern comforts but a solar powered laptop.From the trappings of the military,to a university researcher to a businessman,he may have tasted the materialism of American society and to give it all up and let go of it all is his remarkable karma.
      How should I prepare for the next life? Time to seek his advice but I shouldn't disturb his privacy.After watching Arbat,I see the difficulties of conquering one's desires.How could he do that and still take care of a sick anddying Ajarn Chah who is not even from his own family shows the depth of his compassionate nature.Time to make a retreat to Thailand-leave this world of dust.
       

when rivers and mountain calls

Laos is a place of serenity almost like Bhutan in its lack of commercialization- a natural haven of water,mountains and peace.My heart is calm here.A

  A child of nature.