I found my inspiration!

I was surfing on the net to look for innovative vegetarian recipes and I stumbled upon this blog:

http://crystalbyblog.blogspot.com/

Please check out this site as it is full of wonderful ideas to create mouthwatering vegetarian meals... Crystal's recipes are easy and quick. So you don't have to be a gourmet chef to know about your veggies...

Here is one such recipe from a her site:

Oh, I have too many fresh lily bulbs. Besides using to cook the broccoli, I still have lots of them left. Guess, pumpkin, lily bulb and wolfberries can be a nice combination. Corn flour or cornstarch can be used instead of tapioca starch.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g pumpkin (weight after peeling), cut into chunks
° 25g fresh lily bulb, petals separated
° ½ teaspoon wolfberries, soaked
° 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° ½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
° 1 teaspoon tapioca starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
° 125ml water
° fresh coriander leaves, for garnish

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Add the pumpkin and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the pumpkin is soften.
3. Throw in the lily bulb, wolfberries, water and bring to a boil. Stir in the sugar and tapioca starch mixture to thicken the sauce.
4. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Don't eat veges....if you swear!

An old wise man told me yesterday:

If you eat pure but your speech is vile, it doesn't justify the precepts of pure eating...

Sounds like Ji Gond dispensing a good advice through this old guy. . . 

So if you practice vegetarianism but your actions, intentions are not pure. . . then you're no better. . . still the same. . . 

A good and timely reminder. . .

Just to share all of these with you, got it from a friend's blog and I think it's the best advice you could give to someone you care. . .

Here is the english translation with Pali taken from the book Pali recitation for meditators by Sujiva.

I am of the nature to decay - ( Jaradhammomhi )
I have not gone beyond decay - ( Jaram Anatito )
I am of the nature to be diseased - (Vyadhi Dhammomhi)
I have not gone beyond disease - (Vyadi Anatito )
I am of the nature to die - (Marana Dhammomhi )
I have not gone beyond death - ( Marana Anatito )
All that is mine and dear - ( Sabbehi Me Piyehi Manapehi )
Will change, Will vanish - ( Nanabhavo Vinabhavo )

I am the owner of my own kamma - ( Kammassakomhi )
I am the heir of my own kamma - ( Kamma Dayado )
I am born from my own kamma - ( Kamma Yoni )
I am related to my own kamma - ( Kamma Bandhu )
I abide supported by my own kamma - ( Kamma patisarano )
Whatever kamma i shall do - ( Yam Kammam Karissami )
Wheather good or evil - (Kalyanam Va Papakam Va )
of that - ( Tassa )
I shall be the heir - ( Dayado Bhavissami )
Thus by Us - ( Evam Amhehi )
Should (these) be frequently recollected - ( Abhinham Paccavekkitabbam )

The joys of meditation

Been learning meditation again... astounding...  realized that I have a lot of random thoughts coming in and out... have to hushed them... and observed them, let them go... and bring my mind back to my breathing.... 

and in Metta, I learned to love myself, and because of this; I am trying to overcome some vices in me... to be more focus... 

Dharma classes have been good.. Made obeisance to Grand Master and requested for His blessings so my endeavors will be fruitful...

Sadhu!  May all beings be well and happy...

Friday the 13th...

Today is friday the 13th... despite being symbolically linked as a supernatural and 'unlucky' day in western mythology and folklore, I think friday the 13th is a good day. As far as I could remember, all the fridays of the 13th I have had encountered were good auspicious days. So is 13th an unlucky number? I don't know, if you search at wikipedia, it says that:

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia,^[1], a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή) (meaning Friday), anddekatreís (δεκατρείς) (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (φοβία) (meaning fear). The term is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia (fear) of the number thirteen appearing in any case.

So, this superstition is an imported 'culture' from the west, Malaysia at one time; known as Malaya, was ruled by the Portuguese, Dutch and finally the English. Due to our colonial history, Friday the 13th has made an impact and is assimilated into our local culture and folklore. I personally don't believe in this, but comparing this with another one of many Chinese superstition, it's akin to the Chinese people having a similar phobia with the number 4. No 4 sounds like the word 'death' in the chinese phonetics. 

So, any chinese people you would know will happily avoid houses, apartment units, buildings, streets beginning with no. 4. Amazing isn't it. Whereas the Malay people love number 4. Why? Because if you look at it, the no.4 looks like someone sitting comfortably with legs crossed. There is a Malay term for this: 'Goyang Kaki' it means shaking legs literally but it actually means 'Easy livelihood'. And All cultures agree that no. 7 is an auspicious number. 

It is amazing how cultures meet and collide. It's diaspora throughout the world is amazing and because of it, we have a myriad of taboos and superstitions. Anyone feeling lucky today then?

Wesak International Film Festival 2008

I'm looking forward to this event... I hope all who are interested will join in as well.

Wesak International Film Festival 2008 

馬來西亞佛光山2008年短期出家修道會 FGS Short monastic retreat dharma assembly.

The FGS (Fo Guang Shan) Malaysia is organizing a short monastic retreat (5 days) beginning 1st of June this year. Initially, Venerable Dharma Master Shih Xing Yun was supposed to be the honored Dharma Master to do the opening ceremony, however due to the tragic earthquake incident that had happened in Wen Chuan county in Si Chuan province, The Old Bodhisattva decided to fly over to China to provide assistance. 

At the same time, the taking refuge, upholding the 5 precepts ceremony will also be conducted at the end of the monastic retreat. All this is happening at the Dong Zen monastery in the quiet town of Jenjarom, Selangor. 

For more information on how these activities please click here. The FGS malaysia site is in chinese. For english please click here. 

Moving to a new blog...

Hello Hello.. I'm shifting. . . time for a new change and new layout. . . 

Om.......

A prayer for those perished in the earthquake incident in Wen Chuang, China and the cyclone in Myanmar.

Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya! 

Namah Ratnatrayaya, Namo Arya Jhana, Sagara, Vairochana, Vhuya Rajaya, Tathagataya, Arhate Samyaksambuddhaya, Namah Sarva Tathagatabyeh, Arhatebyeh, Samyaksambuddhebyeh, Namah Arya Avalokiteshvaraya Bodhisattvaya, Mahasattvaya, Mahakarunikaya, Tadyatha 

Om! Dhara Dhara Dhiri Dhiri Dhuru Dhuru, Itevey Ite chale chale, Pra chale Prac Chale, Kusume, Kusuma vare i li mili chiti jva lam apanaya svaha!

Om Pra Mani Dani Soha, Om Pra Mani Dani Soha, Om Pra Mani Dani Soha!

Ripa ripa tey, Ku ha Ku ha tey, Ta Ra Li Tey Ni ha Ra Tey Vi Ma Li Tey Soha!

Om Amrita Teja Hara Hum! Om Ha Ha Ha Vismaye Svaha! Om Mani Padme Hum!

Ohm Ah Hummmmmmmmm!

May all those who perished because of the earth quake incident in China and the cyclone disaster in Myanmar be free from their sufferings, May they find peace and find the light so they can move on to the next life. 

May all be well and happy!

Sadhu! Sarva Mangalam!

Wesakha day, everyday...

Wesak is coming next monday May 19th. Today is coincidently is the Mahayana celebration for our grand master, Sakyamuni Tathagata. These 2 days are special. What holds significant for these 2 days? For foremost reasons, it is the celebration to honor the Bhagavant, our great teacher Sakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. Wesakha celebrates the Birth, renunciation of lay life, enlightenment and the parinirvana of our great teacher. It is this day, in Malaysia and Singapore, a public holiday, where lay buddhist will make merit, do dana and be mindful of their precepts. This is solely done to honor and remember grand master. 

I remember Wesakha day as a day full of prayer, devotion and abstinence during my teenage years. The day would be spend going to the Maha Vihara in Brickfield for blessings and performing dana. Then later the day, I would be temple hopping with other fellow friends to all 3 traditions, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist way places. Now as I look back, I feel Wesakha is less remembered for its origins and celebrations. 

Traders blatantly putting up wares for display and sale, Offerings of light, food, incense, flowers, are being sold at a higher price for devotees so they could 'make' their offerings while at the main shrine. Some traders even went to the extent of putting birds on cage, with hope devotees would pay an exuberant price to 'release' them only to find that these birds will be caught again by the same people who sold them... If Grandmaster ever saw his this auspicious day, HIS day for the above reasons, He'd probably be in Fire samadhi and rolled his eyes... 

Why can't we put to practice and cultivate as if everyday is wesakha? Why do we need to allocate one day to perform all the above Why can't we do this everyday, in according to our schedule and fits the time and place? Now as with all other religious celebrations, We're seeing a commercialization of such auspicious event. These blessed days are slowly turning into capital playgrounds with pomp and pagentry befitting for an Emperor but not for a great Teacher of Gods and Men, The one who's well gone, the Lord, Arhat and perfect Buddha.....

Think about it? Why can't everyday be a wesakha day?