Month: May 2012

Creativity … in Singapore!

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Below is an interesting article by a Swedish writer, an author on creativity, about how Singapore is the best place in the world to be creative.

http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120514-0000008/The-best-place-in-the-world-to-be-creative

But the main reason I live in Singapore is because this city-state, to me, is the one place on earth where it is the easiest to have a globally-creative mindset.

Some people say Singapore is “Asia for beginners”. I do not agree. I think Singapore is “globalisation for beginners”, or rather, “globalisation for early adopters”.

With a diverse mix of races, religions and nationalities, Singapore not only represents the cross-section of the world, it is also a time capsule of what the world will look like in the future.

And I love that. 

Personally, I agree with most of the points he has made.  I’ve met many friends and seen many Singaporeans who are very creative.  Singaporeans are very creative when it comes to circumventing the rules. ^.^

In this respect, I find that in many cases, Singaporean’s creativity is borne more out of need than simply a desire to create, to build, to explore.

The downside of the former type of creativity is that when the environment is too comfortable or too protective, then the fuel for creativity may also dies off.  In contrast, the latter has a curiosity about the world, the desire to explore and create, and so may not be so easily affected by the environment.


Lightning strikes during the eruption of the huge Galunggung volcano, West Java, in 1982. [1]

Another aspect is culture.  Is our culture conducive for and encouraging creativity?

  • Openness to change
  • Non-aversion to failure
  • Curiosity of the world

Openness to change – If an organisation or a society becomes complacent with status quo and becomes too vested in existing ways, then it may not be open to changes.  Stability in a group or society is often seen in contrast to change.  But if we look at nature, the natural world goes through cycles of changes to maintain balance and stability.

There is no unchanging stability, only stability in changes.

“Sabbe sankara aniccati – All formations are impermanent” ~ Buddha.

Non-aversion to failure – No one wants pain or harm, but if the fear of it is disproportionately high, then one lives safely in fear of danger.  Extreme aversion to failure can immobilise us to adopt a “多做多錯” “The more one does, the more errors one (may) make”, leading us to have a “少做少錯” “The less one does, the less errors one (may) make” attitude, concluding in refusal to move altogether “不做不錯” “If one does nothing, then he makes no errors”.

Our attitude and response towards “failure” shapes how we and others may attempt to try things that we have never tried before.  How we define “failure” and deal with it affects our willingness to try.

Humans did not evolve and survive as a species simply by not doing anything or sticking to eating ‘safe’ food.  We explore and tried out unsafe and sometimes potentially dangerous and fatal endeavours to reach where we are.

The Buddha left the safety net of the royal palace and kingdom to find the Truth, so that a Cessation of Suffering may be found.  And he did … not from the confines and shelter of the palace walls, but by venturing out and TRY!

Curiosity for the World – In a way, this should be the primary driving force of creativity, but without the earlier two, one’s curiosity for the world may either be hampered or dulled down.  I once read or heard someone comment that

“The role of a teacher is not simply to teach,
but to inspire the students to learn.”

Teaching is hardest when there is no interest to learn.  And this interest must come from within.  Inspiring students to learn is to spark that interest within the students, and then to give the students the space and tools to explore the world.

With this curiosity for the world, creative can spring forth.


Bachalpsee in the Swiss Alps [1]

Footnote

I sometimes wonder if the brightest minds such as Issac Newton and Einstein will still be as creative if they had to study through all their own discoveries before they are allowed to explore the world and discover. :p

 

References

Happy Mothers Day!

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Happy Mothers Day dear friend!

Today, people all over the world shower their mother with love, cards and flowers to express their love and affection for them.  Tomorrow, please remember the cards, the flowers and affection you expressed.  Remember to love your mother by being considerate to her, being appreciative of her, be loving to her.

 

The Buddha described our mother and father as “Brahma”, as “early teachers” and “those worthy of veneration” [1].

“Living with Brahma are those families where, within the home, mother and father are respected by their children. Living with the early devas are those families where, within the home, mother and father are respected by their children. Living with the early teachers are those families where, within the home, mother and father are respected by their children. Living with those worthy of adoration are those families where, within the home, mother and father are respected by their children. ‘Brahma,’ bhikkhus, is a term for mother and father. ‘Early devas’ and ‘early teachers’ and ‘those worthy of veneration’ are terms for mother and father. For what reason? Because mother and father are very helpful to their children, they take care of them and bring them up and teach them about the world.”

Mother and father are called
“Brahma,” “early teachers”
And “worthy of veneration,”
Being compassionate towards
Their family of children.

Thus the wise should venerate them,
Pay them due honor,
Provide them with food and drink,
Give them clothing and a bed,
Anoint and bathe them
And also wash their feet.

When he performs such service
For his mother and his father,

nThey praise that wise person even here
And hereafter he rejoices in heaven

Care for her.  Pour her a glass of water.  Accompany her when she goes to the market.  Spend time with her.  Listen.  Look at your mother in her eyes, and listen with your eyes and your heart.

Do it today.  Do it tomorrow.  Do it everyday.  Do it for as long as you love your mother.

Happy Mothers Day!

Photo of a mother walking in the rain while her son is sheltered by umbrella [2]

Reference

You Put a Baby in a Crib with an Apple and a Rabbit … …

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“You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit.

If it eats the rabbit and plays with the rabbit* apple,

I’ll buy you a new car.”

~ Harvey Diamond ~

 

Interestingly, I thought of a similar comparison earlier on and wrote a blog entry on http://buddhavacana.net/2012/01/21/which-would-you-eat-carrots-or-rabbit/

* How many of you spotted this?  Thanks to a nice friend who pointed this out! 😮

Happy Vesak Day 2556!

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Tomorrow is Vesak Day 2556!  Yes, you didn’t read it wrong.  It is 2556 years since the Buddha’s final passing into Mahaparinibbana (Sanskrit: Mahaparinirvana) and 2601 years since his Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.

Buddhists around the world celebrate the Birth, Enlightenment and Mahaparinibbana of the Buddha around this period.  Some countries such as Japan has evolved into a flower festival, said to have developed over time with the offering of flowers to Buddha in Buddhist monasteries and later developed into the former.

While commonly seen as a Buddhist celebration, it is significant to all people, all sentient beings.  The celebration marks the conquering of our common human state of unknowing, of delusion, of ignorance, of worry, of anxiety, of stress, of suffering.  Of transcending the extremes of sensual pleasure and extreme ascetism.  Of going beyond words and petty differences, and seeing how things truly are.  Of fulfilling the maxim of human potential, Nirvana, Arahanthood, Buddhahood!

This potential is in each and everyone of us, whether we believe or subscribe to it or not.  That despite our faults and flaws, we can cultivate wholesome mental habits and attain to Perfection.  That while we look so different, speak different languages, think and act so differently, we share the common human experience of wanting happiness.  And if we start cultivating in ourselves love (metta 慈), compassion (悲) and wisdom (智), we can slowly but surely overcome the defilements of greed, hatred and delusion.

We can and we should strive towards this goal.  For this is our birthright as sentient beings.  For all sentient beings have Buddha Nature, the potential to become a Buddha, to be free from defilements, free from Cravings and Attachments, free from Suffering.

Happy Vesak!

Daily Readings Updated with Selectable Books

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The Daily Readings was recently updated with the Dhammapada verses and I received a comment suggesting for the previous verses from “Buddha Vacana” to be available.

After writing a php script to order the Dhammapada verses uniformly according to the sutta count in each book, I wrote an option to choose the book to read from.

From the screenshot above, you can find the dropdown list option with “Buddha Vacana” and “Dhammapada”.  The new code will remember your choice and display verses from the same book you chose.

For your convenience, you can change your options any time you want.  There is nothing to register or login to.

To keep it simple, the cookie just store ONE value, a bookid with value “1” or “2” (defaulting to “2”).  No personal information of yours is captured or stored, only this bookid.

If you do not have cookies enabled, it will default to “Dhammapada” and require you to choose the other available books manually.

If this new code breaks or crashes your browser, let me know. I’ll fix it.  If it gives  your cat sleepless nights and make your dog growl incessantly, let me know.  We may have discovered something amazing or crazy.  Or it could be totally unrelated.

Be Good, Be Mindful, Be Happy.