The Open Heart - Ceremony

I was chatting SMS with the pilot in Dubai last night wondering how he was suffering! One of the things I told him was no more Ice Hockey as his shoulder was troubling him, "No way my friend , never!"...That is passion and I am very glad my son still has great passion for what he enjoys, the flip side is looks like I am never going to see a grandchild; Not in this lifetime!
Went to the bank to pay up for my long overdue car payment, something that has been nagging at the back of my mind the past few months, wondering when it will be towed away by the "Repo" man. Having soem extra cash now i decided perhaps I can talk my way out by paying whatever areas I had left. When I told the lady at the counter my car registration number she said my car is all paid up for! Wow! meaning to say all these months I was walking around with a false worry on my mind!? Yep sometimes we more than bring bad karma upon ourselves by simply being ignorant and with no desire to find out the simple truths.Ah, what a relief it is, the small car that I have been driving ever since I moved to Penang is at last my very own; now i can the paint job. I told people that my car is a disguised Mercedes actually, not wanting to show off my wealth in this world. So it is masked as a Kancil with one side of its front part is rusted from haveing had no paint for the past year and a half.. My way of saying try not to grow too attached to any form in this life and that being wealthy is relative. The Kancil has been mode of transportation all these years with four trips from Penang to Kuala Terenganny with no problem; ask my daughter. I love my (Merscedes in disguise) Kancil.

"Our practice of the Dharma should be a continual effort to attain a state beyond suffering. It should not simply be a moral activity whereby we avoid negative ways and engage in positive ones. In our practice of the Dharma, we seek to transcend the situation in which we all find ourselves victims of our own mental afflictions, the enemies or our peace and serenity , These afflictions - such as attachment, hatred, pride, greed and so forth - are mental states that cause us to behave in ways that bring about all our unhappiness and suffering. While working to achieve inner peace and happiness, it is helpful to think of them as our own inner demons, for like demons, they can haunt us, causing nothing but misery. The state beyond such negative emotions and thoughts, beyond all sorrow, is called Nirvana."
                                                                  The Dalai Lama
                                                                   "The Open Heart"
One regret I would have is not to be able to meet the Dalai Lama face to face in this lifetime, it would be like meeting the Pope: the Reverend Thich Nat Hahn was a teacher of mine at Green Gulch in Marin County California and so was Dainin Katagiri Roshi the Late Abbot of Minnisotta Zen Center. I had a few great teachers including my first teacher Junpo Kelly, the Abbot of Hollow Bone Zen center.(?) There was Edward Espe Brown or better known as Ed Brown, the Zen Chef of San Francisco's "Greens" Organic restaurant. Norman and Kathy Fischer great parents and teachers of life.
What would I say if I meet the guy? Oh I like your lifestyle dude! Cool! So sorry about what China did to you and your country, you were the first of the victims of Chinese expansionism. Nice weather we got here, you know I like to visit Tibet one day, see what is left of your great culture, the seat of Tantric Buddhism,

Oops. got carried away there a bit, back to what is; Timo plans on visiting us in the next few months! Like wow! My son the Swiss is going to have blast of a cultural experience if not shock! I hope he is prepared to squat and shit and get his finger introduced to his own butt to wash after his big thing! Yes Malaysians wash their butts, most do not use toilet papers. So wherever you go on your out of the city trips make sure you have your supplies ready. And that is the beginning of your list of what to expect and not be caught with your pants down.
Malaysia is still one of the most beautiful country to visit in the world for she has plenty to offer if you know what you are looking for.Here the people are as unique as the environment and there is so much a visitor can learn by interpersonal communicating with locals that are usually made up of the Malays, The Chinese and the Indians in the West Malaysian States while in Sabah and Sarawak the number of different ethnic groups is even more so.You visit Germany, chances are you only talk to Germans, learn German culture or sing German songs, but here you have many ethnic/cultural choices for you to taste from.
If you enter the country with an Open Heart, the country will open its heart to you.