By Wakeupnow, on 29th May, 2010 In the Anguttara Nikaya 7.35, the Buddha said this
“He gives what is beautiful, hard to give, does what is hard to do, endures painful, ill-spoken words.
His secrets he tells you, your secrets he keeps.
When misfortunes strike, he doesn’t abandon you; when you’re down & out, doesn’t look down on you.
A person in whom these traits are found, is a friend to be cultivated by anyone wanting a friend.” http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an07/an07.035.than.html
If one wants to have many friends, one should be a friend to many. And one should have qualities of a friend worth associating with!
By Wakeupnow, on 28th May, 2010 Happy Vesak to all!
I had a Peaceful and Busy Vesak day today! How was yours?
PS: If the kind folks at Buddhist Library recorded the short talk I gave today, I will try to post it up here. 
By Wakeupnow, on 26th May, 2010 When I received personal snail-mail yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to see a single page of The Straits Times (dated 21 May 2010) in the envelope. It was page C3, entitled “More people releasing animals into wild” by Grace Chua. The article focuses on the impact of releasing animals into the wild and how “More people are releasing animals into the wild, reversing a downward trend.”
Oh dear, oh my Buddha! We should call in the police to investigate this matter! The limited natural ecosystem is about to be overrun by these animals released by “people tired of their pets or those setting free animals in religious rites”. Take a closer look my friend, there was a drop from 44 cases in 2004 to 1 in 2007 and an INCREASE to 3 in 2008 for animals being released into the parks and reserves. Phew! ok, call off the search party for the culprits.
Now, if you read through the article, you will see various cases of different animals being released and how the very releasing can cause either harm to released animals or to the ecosystem. A group called “Operation No Release” is specifically targeting Buddhists’ religious practice of animal . . . → Read More: Animal Releasing vs Ecosystem Protection: A false dichotomy
By Wakeupnow, on 20th May, 2010 This 23rd of May, come to Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery to learn about “The True Meaning of Vesak: Arising of Buddha? Cessation of Buddha?”. This talk conducted in Chinese by Venerable You Wei, will rouse you with the teachings of the HuaYan school.
http://www.kmspks.org/ch/events/vesaktalk10.htm
By Wakeupnow, on 9th May, 2010 Happy Mothers’ Day to all mothers in the world!
Today, I attended the Geylang Serai Town day at Macpherson (under GS Youth IRCC) in the morning, then joined Bhante Dhammaratna at the Buddhist Library Mothers’ Day Lunch together with my family. Following that my parents went with me to Ngee Ann City under Vesak @ Orchard organised by SBF and I joined in the Streettalk session (3pm ~ 5pm) hosted by 黄文鸿, Radio 1003 DJ, entitled “Next Stop: Happiness”.
Finally I am back at the Buddhist Library and just replied to some emails and am preparing for the 大乘百法明门论 (Mahayana Abhidharma) classes at Metta Welfare Association starting at 7:30pm.
*Phew* Just another day for a monk in Singapore.
So how did you spend your Mothers’ Day?
Again, mummy, Happy Mothers’ Day! 
By Wakeupnow, on 9th May, 2010 Thanks to a question by a student, here’s a short sharing on Dependent Origination & Emptiness that I emailed her.
All phenomena are not independently existing in and of itself. Eg, a table that we use, comprises parts that were not table, and have not “tableness”. If the wooden parts had any “tableness” in them, then the tree from which these parts were made from cannot be made into anything else except a table.
Because the parts do not have any tableness, the ‘table’ that we use, arise dependent on the parts + many other factors as conditions. There is no coming, ie no independent table that exist, created or formed.
When the table is taken apart, there are parts that resemble a table, but do not form a table. So once again, there is no tableness in the parts and without conditions, the table ‘disappears’. It disappears in a sense that no table ceased nor was destroyed. Beyond the parts, there is no table that got taken out and thrown away or ceased.
The last part that even while we are using the table, there is still no inherent table, within the ‘table’, the parts or outside of them.
. . . → Read More: A short sharing on Dependent Origination & Emptiness
By Wakeupnow, on 7th May, 2010 We have spent 127 days of this year, with 238 days left. There were much excitement a few months ago about the Ending of the World in 2012, and with all the reports on earthquakes and other natural disasters, is the world coming to an end?
Within the past 50 years, there were numerous claims to cataclysmic end of the world. None has come true. I’ve got a strange hunch that this one will be no different.
In Buddhism, we also have predictions, a different kind that had more definite and significant impact on all human beings, all sentient beings.
Instead of predicting an end of the world, the Buddha predicted that as long as there is craving and attachment, there will be suffering, and that when there is an end of craving and attachment, there is an End of Suffering, an End of Sorrow, Lamentation, Pain, Despair and Distress.
That much, the Buddha predicted.
So which future are you going to fulfill?
Reference:
http://fora.tv/2010/04/24/David_Morrison_Surviving_2012_and_Other_Cosmic_Disasters#fullprogram
By Wakeupnow, on 4th May, 2010 Just because you are not working in a restaurant, it does not mean you cannot cook like a chef!
EDIT:
So yesterday I was at a neighbourhood eatery with Charles. I commented how the dish would be very different if they had sliced the cucumber thinly. Then we half commented that it is not a restaurant after all. I’m not sure if it is such a mindset or sloppiness that welded the chef’s knife yesterday, but It dawned on me that we can have such fixed mindsets at times.
We box ourselves up into fixed roles that we identify with and become limited by such identification. The only thing that comes from this is that we restrict our own growth.
But we didn’t start off this way mostly. Sometimes, it start off due to external factors. When we were young, or when we first started work, bright-eyed, we may have tried to do things and try things like there are no boundaries to what we are capable of doing. Then we hit our first brickwall. Our first “No”. Our first “rejection”. The first “do what you are SUPPOSED to do”. There. The first block of the impenetrable stronghold of . . . → Read More: Cook like a Chef!
By Wakeupnow, on 2nd May, 2010 Buddhist take refuge in the Triple Gem, that is, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
The Buddha, referring to the historical Buddha who attained to Perfect Enlightenment, Nirvana, to Perfection through humanly possible effort.
The Dharma, the Teachings, the way that the Buddha show to us, through which we too can perfect ourselves.
The Sangha, the community of monks and nuns, who are striving, have strived and those who have attained this very Perfection, Nirvana.
Taking refuge in the Buddha, we aspire to attain the perfection he attained. Taking refuge in the Dharma, we apply the Teachings of the Buddha in our lives to change our negative mental habits that brings rise to much stress and suffering. Taking refuge in the Sangha, we take them as our inspiration and guide, while supporting them in what ways we can.
Buddhist take refuge in this THREE refuges, not two, not four or five.
Just as a pass along the lamp during a candle procession from one to another, this Precious Teachings, the Dharma, was passed down to us from the Buddha through the monks, nuns and lay people till today. Having benefitted from it, it is our duty to preserve this . . . → Read More: I take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha
By Wakeupnow, on 1st May, 2010 http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6400L320100501
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-04/30/content_9794835.htm
The series of attacks on school children in China is a sad reflection of humanity.
I’m a Buddhist monk, but I will say this to anyone reading this. Whatever your belief is, put it to good use in your life so that you bring a net increase of happiness to yourself AND others. If it is not helping, please, please, please look around for help. Don’t punish vulnerable kids with your problems.
Seek help. Today. Please.
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