We can only see ourselves through others.

Man is a social animal, depending upon each other for their existence and survival and in caring for others we benefit for ourselves in well being. The opposite is true when man becomes self centered and could not care less the well being of others, living a life of self service and self importance we loose our sense of connected- ness to the rest of humanity and often we become a lonely person. A self centered attitude often leads to distance from others and also leads on to suspicions and lack of trust and faith in others. In harboring lack of faith and compassion in others will often leads one on to lack of physical and mental stability which further on leads to poor physical health. Hence to acquire good mental as well as physical health one should develop greater sense of compassion and loving kindness towards others regardless of what one's faith or belief is as one is a social animal. Hence paying more attention to our inner values is crucial for our own well being. It is my life's practice that i pay greater attention to my inner values as I plunge deeper into my practice of self awareness and discoveries.
By sharing the experience i had at the wedding of my niece in Shah Alam a week ago my intention was not just to share what a Malay wedding is all about but also to show in some small way as to how and why it is important that I put my practice to action. It is my way as i move along to share what it is that i have been trying to do with this life of mine that i have been practicing like an experiment based on the teachings of great Minds like that of the Buddha and the Prophets and the philosophers and the wise man in the coffee shops and that is to basically give Loving kindness and compassion towards those in need and share one's life with all that one have the opportunity to meet. This is my meditation in action, it is recorded like it is in this manner of a blog with pictures and so forth to help bring greater understanding towards what is being shared at all levels. Albeit you are a Muslim or a Christian, a Buddhist or a Taoist, it is at the deepest level of all the teachings it is essentially one and that is to Love with Compassion for all creations no matter how lowly or divine in nature.
It is not my purpose to show off how grand a wedding i had been invited to for within this blog itself there has been many weddings i have written on and not all were as lavishly held but all were equally enjoyed. There was no difference in how i enjoyed the 'Hut at the end of the World' in Lintang to my cousin's lavish home in Shah Alam, in both I had great pleasure and pains depending on the circumstances and my physical as well as mental well being. The physical discomforts were mine personally to bear as I get older and the mental discomfort often is due to my ignorance still inherent in my mental state. However I try my best to manifest my divine nature where I am pleasing and open, transparent and pleasing to be with making others happy in themselves. I become their mirror of Loving Kindness. Children and adults alike will look at me and feel loved and respected, safe and comfortable as what i see in them. This too is the way I see God and as God would see me, we are inter-dependent and co-existent.
Whether it is going to a wedding or attending a funeral or praying at the mosque or the church I am manifesting my divine being for the benefit of others especially those of children and their mothers for these are the ones most in need of Love and Compassion as much as i need them in myself. Self realization can only be achieve through the Right Understanding of Dependent Origination of all beings in this Universe as is taught in the Buddhist text of Shantideva's on the "Ways of the Bodhisatva." It is in this respect of inner development that i try to develop my moral ethics which in the past has been quite lax and sometimes going against the accepted norm by society. My years of striving to become somewhat more discipline in my approach towards life itself has been through the right understanding of the very nature of Right Mindfulness. Although every so often I still regress and slide back into being ignorant or lapse in my mindfulness practice, I have been trying my best to get up and sit upon my way seeking mind and meditate upon achieving Clarity of Consciousness.
The transformation of the my mind has always been my priority ever since I embarked upon this journey of self discover or, understanding or transformation as whatever one calls it by and this process of transformation has come only through years of learning and developing from knowledge to practice of the various world teachings such as Buddhism and Islam, Christianity and Taoism among others and also through great teachers an great thinkers and scientists. poets, artists and philosophers, I became an eclectic in my approach absorbing the best of all possibilities there is in my path and discarding what is irrelevant to my own well being and development. it is no doubt in my mind that i aspire towards Enlightenment or Liberation just as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni had done, and it is also my personal understanding and practice that in attaining to this level of consciousness will I be able to come to appreciate my Lord or God or as a Muslim, Allah subhana Huwata'ala. Until then i believe I am merely groping in the dark blindly following the dictates of others and those of The Books of which i find not so easily understood and in some cases are corrupted over time.
In my pursuit of my spiritual practices I do not refute nor do i deny the belief or faith of others and i hold great respect for all religions of the world as to me religions are a necessity to mankind for without religions man would have a long time ago obliterated his existence through chaos and ignorance. Without a faith in a higher being or order man becomes egotistical answering to himself alone for all that he does right or otherwise. It is only through some form of discipline or worship that man can find a refuge from his egotistical tendencies, from his Three Illnesses of Greed, Hate and Ignorance.It is through some sense of servitude that man can turn his egotistical nature into a Compassionate and Loving Being.
On my Birthday one of my grandnieces wrote in the Face Book, It is because you always open the door to your home and let others in and also that you open your heart to others that they love you, Happy Birthday my Grand Uncle. A line from a short verse in the Quran reads, " La kum di nukum wali adin." roughly meant, You have your ways I have mine;
"For you is your religion, and for me is my religion."
From-Sahih International.