tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-117015892024-03-28T12:46:11.703+08:00Ramblings of the Cheeseburger BuddhaThe blogg is a journal/diary that is part of an ongoing process spanning over thrity years of soul searching. It covers a life spent including 30 odd years in Malaysia, 21 years in The USA and 3 years spent in Japan. It is also a Global research paper at the human level.Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.comBlogger2600125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-50744300132846339292024-03-28T12:45:00.001+08:002024-03-28T12:45:39.447+08:00This Day of 9-10th. of the Fasting Month.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ0C2UHOrGMqSX9xW42e7IWPrKWcw2rbMdiCUuu9jFKn2-LEXAqUoJVlluUKiU4vMQ-Ng8m2N2ZWnmlpZboAdY8U8zlh4yaw2dhPbBwMFRHrLMKUBxfZ61dwajZF38xYrelkY_1FoQ_Ef1KZuzmEGvdytPpWMmBvb2u4kMy1PGh3UgzvKSDPT/s2560/IMG_20240328_093705%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ0C2UHOrGMqSX9xW42e7IWPrKWcw2rbMdiCUuu9jFKn2-LEXAqUoJVlluUKiU4vMQ-Ng8m2N2ZWnmlpZboAdY8U8zlh4yaw2dhPbBwMFRHrLMKUBxfZ61dwajZF38xYrelkY_1FoQ_Ef1KZuzmEGvdytPpWMmBvb2u4kMy1PGh3UgzvKSDPT/s320/IMG_20240328_093705%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p>It's 8.30am and i am waiting for my daughter to get ready so I can drive her to work which has been one of my routine chore as she has only recently got her license to drive. She and her brother who works in the same office for the same employer starts work at Ten which makes driving a little easier as the traffic is less hectic. What is Karma Yoga? "Karma Yoga is also called Karma Marga, one of the four classical spiritual paths in Hinduism, one based on the Yoga of Action, to a karma Yogi, right action is a form of Prayer. " Wikipedia. Hence it is imperative that one must have a routine, a series of chores that would keep one occupied mentally, physically and spiritually. The Japanese work ethics is pretty much wrapped around spirituality, from making the famous Katana blades to regular gardening, everything is tuned to perfection or perfect action. To most people these are trivial matters, work is work no two ways about it and nothing to attach to it in so far as spirituality or prayer is concern especially being employed by others and working to a time schedule. For so long as i do my job and punch the clock in and out on time, I am fine.</p><p>Trungpa Rinpoche, the flamboyant Tibetan Dharma Master introduced a form of meditation called, Meditation in Action whereby every action taken becomes a form of meditation. The Japanese Samurai warrior practiced this as part of their Code of Bushido </p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #6b6d76; font-family: Rotunda; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: -0.36px;">'The Samurai were an elite caste of warriors in Japan with a military tradition that endured for several centuries. The Samurai first came to prominence during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) and lasted until their official dissolution in 1879, when Japan began to favor modernization in its military. Apart from combat duties, many Samurai also held important government positions. The values of the Samurai were largely influenced by different strains of Eastern philosophy, such as Buddhism and Confucianism, and were centered upon loyalty, bravery, and tranquility of body and mind.</span> '</p><p>According to Japan's most celebrated Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi, "the key to a warrior's success is strategy and discipline, not brute strength or innate talent."</p><p>Today most people are engrossed in killing time by being immersed into various 'roadside attractions' such as Tik Tok, Twitterr and Facebook, Netflix and You Tube and a host of other distractions and children are having problems of maintaining attention in schools while the teacher is teaching. The human mind it seems i slowly being infested with decadence at an early age thanks to advanced technology, the same technology that will further erode the human capacity to act and function with perfection with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence. The only form of action that seems to bring the human mind into focus is different forms of violence, which leads to suffering on local as well as global scale. The human mind is it seems being drained of its capability to think and act rationally with integrity and compassion. </p><p>Matthew Hoh former USMC Captain/ State Dept. interview on the Daniel Davis Podcast entitled, United Nations is a Complete Failure, while a Gang of Fools and Mad Men Run Wild. elucidates my sentiment exactly about right actions in work ethics. I saw this video just after my last paragraph entry; Yes the Universe is manifesting my thoughts better than I can. I would fully recommend this interview to anyone who cares about what is transpiring in our global society today. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Y-EidJhVA6sphBipRHIpGTH9CSh4g50g70UbKWSrbfTU7fqbYBfflyLuxcj-rio6yWKEg0VlXDUhmsjOOng7EL92LtmpXZwYlUmaDhtGpS0oRVoMLXfRlYFNqEHlxhoGwMYhyphenhyphen8f6FcOB7j0UlStbHEXG_mZWUdH9HwrQHc2wTlFtL9xc8JsD/s2560/IMG_20240328_093545%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Y-EidJhVA6sphBipRHIpGTH9CSh4g50g70UbKWSrbfTU7fqbYBfflyLuxcj-rio6yWKEg0VlXDUhmsjOOng7EL92LtmpXZwYlUmaDhtGpS0oRVoMLXfRlYFNqEHlxhoGwMYhyphenhyphen8f6FcOB7j0UlStbHEXG_mZWUdH9HwrQHc2wTlFtL9xc8JsD/s320/IMG_20240328_093545%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="rpBMYb kno-ftr" style="background-color: #1f1f1f; color: var(--IXoxUe); display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap-reverse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.34; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding: 4px 16px 0px;"><br /></div>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-76446039666424116752024-03-25T16:25:00.001+08:002024-03-25T16:25:29.373+08:00The 8th. day of the Fasting Month.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8r0ZMFfAIvLV4gtH2VgY1PnL5d_ybmtzLXMb2vBzjJQ1AO5-bCgikv1res8Q2R4ABMiTcxAreuw6toFpd2txsYhiCdBeS4dwR-hcXpfv-TRIdosS26T0RiVWwVgmSaFUkOZqEH3qnea_4TeTL6y_b1nP9jJ0rGqMRPps96YlhlVuBOZp0xLY/s2048/DSC07406.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8r0ZMFfAIvLV4gtH2VgY1PnL5d_ybmtzLXMb2vBzjJQ1AO5-bCgikv1res8Q2R4ABMiTcxAreuw6toFpd2txsYhiCdBeS4dwR-hcXpfv-TRIdosS26T0RiVWwVgmSaFUkOZqEH3qnea_4TeTL6y_b1nP9jJ0rGqMRPps96YlhlVuBOZp0xLY/s320/DSC07406.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Nothing like having a Sushi lunch at a Malay wedding in Kedah.<br /><p><br /></p><p>So, why have i become obsessed with keeping an ongoing Blog, why has writing become such a Zen practice for me. I write simply because i found something I truly love doing as part my ordinary day to life. Writing helps keeping me from boredom the number one killer. Then it helps me to master an art that I enjoy- reading. I enjoy story telling and so I write my stories, some fantasy some real life, some fiction and most simple truth about who I am. I keep repeating this to myself like a Mantra lest i forget my purpose in life at the moment which is in being her in the moment and being aware that my body aches all over and that there is a fool moon out tonight. Perhaps i am and will never be good at writing but at least I got my fingers dancing on the keyboard all night long if i care to. Why am I obsessed with writing this Blog? Perhaps you should stop reading it, the answer might not be so out there after all, no sir, not far out at all. On the other hand if you are interested enough to share what i write which is mostly about who i am or i think I am, it might be boring in itself. The Blog is mostly about me, the thinker, the one making up stories to justify this or that in my day to day life. It is form of contemplation in motion, like walking meditation or it helps me keep my thoughts and actions for the day documented, coded, analyzed, scrutinized, dissected and filed away for eternity on the Internet. I can say I left me a legacy; My Life.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PULn6iWKcdHLbom24dJsevcbviRpnsniq1IogUkT9NxgEP9cFMatQwcGxr_0DQkB-87ny9wo-RAFj_z1X8SeHRBZA0GPNzI22hhuxmYunr4WO6WP422frCcFnxXtZLHt4uhw2k0oA3mYBpb3rcEa9l9gdXr4PkzlpcmzdT1UbScyn3lz_Eyw/s2048/DSC07252.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PULn6iWKcdHLbom24dJsevcbviRpnsniq1IogUkT9NxgEP9cFMatQwcGxr_0DQkB-87ny9wo-RAFj_z1X8SeHRBZA0GPNzI22hhuxmYunr4WO6WP422frCcFnxXtZLHt4uhw2k0oA3mYBpb3rcEa9l9gdXr4PkzlpcmzdT1UbScyn3lz_Eyw/s320/DSC07252.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div><br /></div> Yes, She's the Boss, I am the lucky one. Insha'Allah?<div><br /></div><div>Memories are what we live by to fill our mind with continuity of thoughts so as not to freak out when the mind goes blank and it happens sometimes especially for those who make it a habit of emptying the mind for whatever reason. However if we have to look back and depend on memories why not let it be of those that are pleasant and positive ones. if you have to dwell upon old time stories try not to entertain horror shows and insane dramas, let these go, bury them or send them across the ocean never to return. If you have to remember the good times and bid farewell to the bad times with genuine feeling of letting bygone be bygone, no guilt, no regrets as shit happens.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the 8th.day of Ramadan my biggest worry is how to keep the budget going for the rest of the month.</div><div> <div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-26407129920225043522024-03-22T12:37:00.002+08:002024-03-24T02:54:17.646+08:00The 7th. Day of the Fasting Month - Jeyden Xavier<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_c9gzW9Ye-cNs37CUzTN0d66WruJeIS7snvPEuYCmauzsxXP79Luxoo01MQBfGfFh_AX6PapY4tbWWuodbdG-De_4b4tdT-ioxtFyWH4MOBAdPK8LsltH5xWIt3riwMVEgbihVE1OTk3q5VY5MbKexpYwHIK4307-_tkui71OcE-_mT9V-52e/s2560/IMG_20240322_160409%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_c9gzW9Ye-cNs37CUzTN0d66WruJeIS7snvPEuYCmauzsxXP79Luxoo01MQBfGfFh_AX6PapY4tbWWuodbdG-De_4b4tdT-ioxtFyWH4MOBAdPK8LsltH5xWIt3riwMVEgbihVE1OTk3q5VY5MbKexpYwHIK4307-_tkui71OcE-_mT9V-52e/s320/IMG_20240322_160409%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Jaden, The little Maestro going wild with water!<p></p><p>Got a new assignment added to my regular routine and that be twice a week I help my daughter babysit a rug rat who might be autistic in nature. How do you deal with a three year old who does not speak much except repeat whatever you say to him? Anyway it's another added litmus test to my patience in dealing with others especially young children. Allah is the Tester and He is testing me through Jaden whose single Mom works and needed someone to take care of him and so I get to babysit him twice a week.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSspqefKOihnY_TT-L15BFCTRWjF41Lur8DJIIqMa82tR1QWmw7XguVeY4162-1ijSC2L4r7WZAVOE54ELfk4OqxOWqgJOrw5hxRZ_QYokykyFKGglTK1ebvXOXZ5bs6yqYKak2Eya1lt_HrCiOrKqaSrT3HnyEmF-EIza3PeLh5LAGnVspf3n/s2560/IMG_20240322_160421%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSspqefKOihnY_TT-L15BFCTRWjF41Lur8DJIIqMa82tR1QWmw7XguVeY4162-1ijSC2L4r7WZAVOE54ELfk4OqxOWqgJOrw5hxRZ_QYokykyFKGglTK1ebvXOXZ5bs6yqYKak2Eya1lt_HrCiOrKqaSrT3HnyEmF-EIza3PeLh5LAGnVspf3n/s320/IMG_20240322_160421%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Jeyden is pretty confident with using colors, especially when it is mine! Seriously, this kid has got issues but underneath it all i can feel a powerhouse of creative energy or destructive force about ready to be unleashed!. He needs love and care and attention ,the one way to get to him I feel is through Art. He loves cats but Furby our cat hisses angrily when Jaden approaches her and so I took to the Malay Fishermen's Jetty one day where cats litter the place like a cat heaven. Thanks to him last week it was the first time i got into the swimming pool downstairs. If there is anything that is stuck in his imagination it is Dinosaurs, like most kids Jaden carries a stuffed T Rex wherever he goes. <br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL84rWUmXebELtp8F_u7-WWh9pZZzG8p7WmvE9e3Y3FuX4dagKyiUxsLjo0wGz9HpwOBuWjAhpeWzAGfJPnN7cYRPPt0-6OyKMZN4gfaTk3JjH9lryP6pl2vsElv7SiWdoqLi0XAVeGM7WNjlmNTCA6AVhaGgGUt8w5UI8F56VnvoEjSyUsa8y/s2560/IMG_20240322_160431%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL84rWUmXebELtp8F_u7-WWh9pZZzG8p7WmvE9e3Y3FuX4dagKyiUxsLjo0wGz9HpwOBuWjAhpeWzAGfJPnN7cYRPPt0-6OyKMZN4gfaTk3JjH9lryP6pl2vsElv7SiWdoqLi0XAVeGM7WNjlmNTCA6AVhaGgGUt8w5UI8F56VnvoEjSyUsa8y/s320/IMG_20240322_160431%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Yes, on this seventh day of the Fasting Month I thought I'd let this kid into my Blog and see how he develops with his handicap. He brings back some memories of raising my own kids when they were his age, how much fun that was, Yikes! A fair warning to all fathers, your kids, they never grow up at least not until they get married and have kids of their own. I notice more and more these day Children are becoming victims of their parents' negligence and the influences of erratic environment they are forced to grow up in. Jeyden was turned away from a preschool entry and the reason being his hyper activeness as an excuse. I suggested that they send him off to the X-Men academy.</p><p>I cannot imagine what would become of the surviving children of Gaza when they grow up and may Allah have Mercy and shower His Divine Grace upon them to make their lives bearable as they grow old. </p><p>Insha'Allah! Subhanallah, Walhamdullillah, Hulaillaha'illallah, HuAllahuAkhbar! </p><p>And the Lord said unto the Pharoah, "Let My Children Go!"</p><p>Amen!</p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-47432488204894040682024-03-22T03:21:00.002+08:002024-03-22T03:50:19.115+08:00On this 6th. day of the Fasting Month.<p> Hu...Allah! Hu Allah? Hu Allah!...</p><p>HoooAllahHooAllah with every intake Hu and out Allah and this is how I meditate on my breathing especially in times of doubts and confusion when my mind takes center stage and I feel like I am drifting, I take a deep breath , Hooo.. and let out a long slow breath Allahhhh. I do seriously practice this ever since it was taught to me by one of my mentors in the past. It helps me to stop drifting, stop tripping, stop 'writing songs that voices never heard.' It blesses me with a moment of Silence, Peace, It causes a shift in my consciousness from drifting to being here in the moment; fully anchored and fully surrendered , presenting my Dharma Position...this Who I am. Insha'Allah by His Will and Grace.</p><p>Hu or Huwa {Arabic; meaning "He"} is a personal name for God in Sufism. You can Google this for better understanding. I will leave at that and skip the details.</p><p>Sadhguru just had a brain surgery and my prayers goes out for his well being, up in no time, riding motorcycles and climbing Mount Kailash, His book , DEATH =An Inside Story sits on the chair next to me and every time I glance at the cover he is giving me this i got my eyes on you look! A Brain surgery. I bet he will have many stories to tell when he is back on stage. Speedy Recovery O Guruji! Namo Shiva Ya! </p><p>The Malaysian Prime Minister DS. Anwar Ibrahim raised the patriotic flag in my heart when I watched the interview he had on German Television on the topic of Palestine. It could not have been laid out any better and thus far it was one of the most sensible and down to earth act of human decency to gamble his position and his country's position at risk in order to raise the flag of defiance against blind ignorance and the treatment of the Palestine in the hands of Israel. Today it is no more the problem of freedom of speech but not speaking out loud enough. I am complicit in the tragic events unfolding in the Gaza and not to mention the whole of Palestine. I am just as much responsible as the next guy who call himself a human being, a father, a brother, a mother or a sister........</p><p>HoooALLah!Hooo and where was I? This sixth day of the fasting month, what's happening in Gaza? Instead of food they should start sending coffins and this I am sure the Israeli government will let through with no problem. I thought humanity had learn something from the Holocaust, apparently not! Have we learned anything from the Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and countless other wars since? Why are we still taking pissing contest and saber rattling to stoke the flame of war between us like we are suicidal maniacs who fail to see the ugliness of war even when it is being played right in front of our eyes. on screens large and small all over the world. How can we have become so corrupted in spirit that we can allow a brother commit such atrocities on another and turn a blind eye. When is enough is enough? </p><p>Sadhguru jus had a brain surgery and from the video of it he seems ok and hope so la!</p><p>Watched the movie "RoadHouse" with the kids while Buka Puasa, breaking the fast.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAsyR1-7NR-EvX-PkMk7iVO-WNHOkKbaeTyrTl53YDpzaBaEh4vy8RvtFgxvTQdseU74sXrDPpxtpasn27ZOyefEormTp-BK_fUdt5SAbnlfwO8Sz4O9gLiixwHtOfGhaJ5slDZWfS2lzieLguOsHNg4SBHTfUSGLlwEjVYAwBkMv4TUhUZP-/s2560/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2000.54.58.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAsyR1-7NR-EvX-PkMk7iVO-WNHOkKbaeTyrTl53YDpzaBaEh4vy8RvtFgxvTQdseU74sXrDPpxtpasn27ZOyefEormTp-BK_fUdt5SAbnlfwO8Sz4O9gLiixwHtOfGhaJ5slDZWfS2lzieLguOsHNg4SBHTfUSGLlwEjVYAwBkMv4TUhUZP-/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2000.54.58.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p> The face that sank many ships</p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-55183948540584536612024-03-21T00:09:00.000+08:002024-03-21T00:09:04.628+08:00On the 5th. Day of Ramadan.<p> For the Love of Allah{SWT} Aza wa Jalla! Lord of Creations and Infinite Mercy and Compassion and The Lord is Great!</p><p>There is no God only Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.</p><p>I share these thoughts and experiences on this the 5th.day of Ramadan.</p><p><br /></p><p>These are my Mantra when I sit and meditate or when I find myself thinking too much or impatient in the traffic while driving, or angry at my children for one reason or another, or worry too much about my toothache and migraine headaches or especially my shortness of breath, yes I hold on yo these thoughts to dispel any negative thought that is causing me into depression, or worse. And if this does not work I would take a nap, in sleep my mind is free to think and create stories all it wants and the end comes when the body has had enough, its time to wake up and face what comes next to the mind; food! What am I going to make for Iftar or the breaking of the fast? The awaken mental state that deals with the day to day affairs comes alive and takes over and the cycle begins again. This is the cause of human suffering, being stuck in ignorance, stagnated by lack of passion to learn to know to realize the true nature of one's own beingness. Absolute Ignorance is Bliss, it is said, however, partial ignorance is a curse of the Gods! I am given a mind to think, to figure out to question and to answer, to deduce and deduct, to know what is and what is not and not other creature on this planet is given this faculty to be elected caretaker of this planet, to proudly claim and become sons of Adam {AIS}; the son of Man.</p><p>In dreams anything is possible and in dreams i can be the witness or the actor, the good guy or the bad, In my childhood days I used to visualize who or what i want to be in my dream just before i fall asleep and in those being a cowboy and riding horses was my big time favorite, I even wrote the script in my mind and there is romance snug in there somewhere and I always love to dream of flying and I flew allot in my dreams, I even remember teaching myself the art of flying like how to off and how to maneuver in the air. One of the most vivid dream of flying I had was I found myself flying over the bay in the San Francisco Bay with the Golden Gate below me on one side and the Alcatraz on the other. I found myself clinging on to a marble pillar larger than the one in the Temple of Zeus and there I was slipping but not quite all the way, after all it was a dream and what was I to do? I just let go and dropped into the misty fog of the Bay and woke up. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeB1kx6JPZ_IKy1G7Rkt5yywCrace_PNxUSLFmHgmldHyWOT2449RRdPc5e8ecXA5AtmiTY6ZPXLDWTIwi1s6xIhvf6mCIjI6IxM-TP10M9udevCRJTRHBOvw65sZ0PnVCnPAtpQvTzMJutwgFBtj_Z9-KT9VUVm4-Fmy4W335swYEZwQg9Bi/s2560/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2001.01.12%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeB1kx6JPZ_IKy1G7Rkt5yywCrace_PNxUSLFmHgmldHyWOT2449RRdPc5e8ecXA5AtmiTY6ZPXLDWTIwi1s6xIhvf6mCIjI6IxM-TP10M9udevCRJTRHBOvw65sZ0PnVCnPAtpQvTzMJutwgFBtj_Z9-KT9VUVm4-Fmy4W335swYEZwQg9Bi/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2001.01.12%20(1).jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-49385853932025323282024-03-19T05:54:00.004+08:002024-03-20T10:50:09.195+08:00Rambling on the 4th day of Ramadan.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4rCQCXT6I5Gjsq1TJhVi2iPVqY90WJfxkbE-VpUhwWUGdbLCA5PYf5vcwQUwqVuLP0kGcYdIe3_cMpblilTlyd8u_M6g4XLUyD1GLh0koWM6tZZds2fvCFsBYV8To71cnFm5WKJJMZmbgXdOybopWUcCORupIdYx-G6XR_fA-YTCfm6tFk8j/s2560/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2000.54.57%20(5).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4rCQCXT6I5Gjsq1TJhVi2iPVqY90WJfxkbE-VpUhwWUGdbLCA5PYf5vcwQUwqVuLP0kGcYdIe3_cMpblilTlyd8u_M6g4XLUyD1GLh0koWM6tZZds2fvCFsBYV8To71cnFm5WKJJMZmbgXdOybopWUcCORupIdYx-G6XR_fA-YTCfm6tFk8j/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2000.54.57%20(5).jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p> Just joined the Debonair Club of Gergetown, Penang.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Where do I begin, to tell a story of how good a love can be,</p><p>The sweet Love story that is older than the Sea,</p><p>Where do I start?" </p><p><br /></p><p>Such Is! Help is all around us and all it takes is for us to knock; we are never alone. Trust and believe in this wholeheartedly and with genuine faith as you trust in your God. All we need to do is to stay awake free from mental chattering as much as possible or better yet silence your mind one way or another and you will find the answer or it will come to you, Insha'Allah! I ask time and again of my Lord, how do I free myself from my nafs [u}, my ego and the answer i got is that I have to step by step, moment to moment, breath to breath, there is not shortcut. With Patience and Perseverance, with humility and dignity and with infinite Love and Compassion, You surrender yourself towards His Grace, His Redha, His Contentment with the path you have chosen or the path chosen for you in this life, when I say you I mean me, I am talking to me. As I get deeper into this practice I find myself stepping into deeper shit holes like I am more uncertain with myself than I have ever been! I am 75 for God's sakes! The house is saying farewell and the grave is waving welcome as the Malay saying goes,"Rumah kata pi, kubok kata mai!" Yes I do realize the fact that it could happen at any time for I can feel it in my bones and in my heart. I sat outside in my garden contemplating this whole issue that is going on within me and without and how I am coping with the physical pains like the nagging toothache and the migraine and the hernia and the rash between my legs, and more seriously perhaps the shortness of breath! Yes, I sat out there telling myself to cry but the tears have long dried up for a long time now and the first word that came to mind was Peace! Out of the blue, Peace! I felt peaceful, I felt blissful as I felt the plants around me and my body in pain all over. I started breathing and felt all the pain drop away one by one back into the void of my consciousness, I felt free on this the fourth day of the Fasting Month.</p><p>The lyric above from one of my favorite song stuck in my mind ever since I saw the movie "LOVE STORY." Life is a love story that is told straight from the heart from moment to moment from breath to breath and it's "A Never Ending Story!" another one of my favorite movie when growing up. Lessons comes in many forms and from all directions if you are aware and so does ignorance. Wise words but there is no doubt help in your life, blessings and saving graces, you just have to be present to receive them and what is more important is that you are humble enough to ask for help even to the Highest Giver of Help. His Mercy and Grace encompasses all dimensions and is readily available for the asking. Being thankful, grateful and contented is our way of receiving this help, Alhamdullilah! Praise be to Allah, as the Muslin often utters upon receiving anything and some even when they receive bad news. Bad news carries good medicine for healing a drifting mind, it's the stick that woke up the sleepy monk.</p><p>SO! Step by step, inch by inch I am crawling my way towards the Throne of my Lord, towards Liberation and Peace, Insha'Allah. Along the climb I am unloading all my ancient twisted Karma, from beginningless time, Greed Hate and Ignorance, Born through body, speech and mind; my carnal and cardinal sins. The baggage that i have been carrying on my back like a camel and wandering in the desert looking for water when water has been there on my back all along. Whenever I entered the Zendo or meditation to sit I would put aside my baggage by the door where I leave my zoris, i will pick them up when I am done with my Zazen. It did not make it any easier and for forty five minutes I would be struggling with chattering or monkey mind popping up one after another drawing my attention to them like a fly attracted to a pile of cow dung. However there were moments when it all comes to a standstill and the silence is deafening and you are where you want to be and it is Blissful. It all makes sense and it is all as it should be, wide and empty sky no white or dark clouds hanging by. It hits you with the flash of a lightning and then gone and you find yourself back in this sack of bones.</p><p>And the fasting must go onnnn... </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-29876637925789118092024-03-18T03:49:00.003+08:002024-03-18T03:49:50.865+08:00Fourth Day of Fasting.<p> </p><p>BismillahiRahman niRahim. I say this under my breath or within my heart every time I open the car door and I repeat again as I insert the key into the ignition and again as I turn on the engine. I keep saying it at every moment when I hesitate or find my mind drifting from my driving. I do the same when sit to make and entry into my Blog, I believe I am watched over and protected by doing this and at the very least I am reminded of my God. That without His Will I have no will at all, without His Love and Compassion I would have long succumbed to self destruction. Noe I fully understand the significance of simply remembering God and His Glory whenever I think too much of myself and how blessed I am for He could have wrote me off for Gaza in this life or even in the slums of Mumbai. Alhamdullilah, another phrase or word that comes naturally to my lips whenever receiving good news or receiving a gift, AlHamdullilah, than you in the name of Allah }SWT} Yes, being grateful and thankful for all that is given in this life from day one till now is paramount in my practice. Harigatogozaimas!, Mucho Gracias! Terima kasih! Rumbu Nandri! Danke!, they all mean the same, but Alhamdullilah is special for Allah only. After you have uttered it quite often enough it comes out naturally and spontaneously thank you are thanking God for every thing you receive, Allah is the Giver and the Receiver and there is none who gives or receives save Allah AzawaJalla. I cannot and will never claim myself to be a devout or good Muslim and my knowledge of Islam is more by chance or experience, however after a long search and through many different religions and spiritual practices I say again to myself that "There is no god; only Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger." </p><p>Often times I forget even Bismillah...that's how great a Muslim I am. Such is! All I know is I do not exist except for the Grace of the All Mighty, His Love and Compassion and I feel safe inside and outside. I surrender my whole lock stock and barrel to Him and I know I will return to Him at the end of my days. I know i am destined to play my role as He had wanted it in the Book of Life and not one breath of mine belongs to me; I know how fragile I am in His Prescence. I realize my sins and transgressions in my life and only His Mercy is my hope. I know I am justifying to myself every word I say and I know I am not convincing myself no matter what excuse i come up with. "For as long as there is and 'I', the Buddha is said to have said, life is suffering." No I no suffering. I as someone once wrote, am a splintered soul that is in need of a serious spiritual healing; how to save my soul? How to mend a broken heart? Who is asking? The Buddha wears the Noble Silence and the Half Smile mudra when asked about God or even the afterlife, He had no answer and few will hear it if they are aware and awakened and in the Zen Buddhist tradition it is called Direct Transmission. The Buddha is my Teacher, my Guru, not my God. The Buddha is One of the Prophets sent to heal humanity that was going into chaos. Hinduism during the time of the Buddha was becoming overly corrupted by the Priests. Human sacrifices and caste system cast a grim picture in Hinduism. The story of how the Buddha allowed Himself to be reborn again for the last time as a favor to humanity; He reincarnated as a Great Teacher. I was born and raised as a Buddhist for twelve years of my life before I was converted to Islam. The teachings and wisdom of the Buddha has always been my practice in life. It is with Buddha's Mindfulness that I say BismillahirRahman nir Rahim where I open the door to my car and then when I put the key in and then when I turn on the engine.</p><p>On this the fourth day of the fasting Month this has been what have been running through my mind as i went about my daily chores. And I have yet to try Hayawasca brew.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-14595002434755663272024-03-16T02:47:00.002+08:002024-03-16T03:05:38.840+08:00Fasting Day -3<p> </p><p>I has been a long time since i truly listened to Kitaro's sound of music and it is at the moment such a pleasant feeling as i took a spoonful of tangy taste of the fresh passionfruit on my lounge, this is my mini-Satori and this being the Third day of the fasting Month, so far so good and I pray to the All Mighty that it stays this way or get better..."Hanya Allah dapat permudahkan tindak tandok kita, hanya kepercayaan dapt mewujudkannya." Only He can make life as easy for you and only your faith in Him can make this happen. The first time I listened to Kitatro was while driving home from somewhere with my brother in law, the late Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman and with his son eldest son Syed Faisal towards Kuala Terengganu sometime in 1981? I am writing this in detail for my benefit to see how far or how near i can remember of my past, what else is there to do to keep the mind occupied? I could be sitting outside wasting my mind away with imaginations and entertaining my ego till what began as a fantasy ending into a nightmare and then I would revert to God for forgiveness for having such vile thoughts and imaginations on this auspicious night of the Ramadan! Have you ever tasted the sour, slippery and seedy taste of a passion fruit in your mouth while listening to the winding down of Kitaro's Matsuri. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrpKDZ7zCWyqEks4IYv8Cwmzkfcpiwf5dITa1s5iVRKhcnHuM6Jx0mBh0SnZVFJCmO2ip-sCUjYzPrL1t0dpIoQqHg468uFhevxrweOt7fu_2ELdhkmQ81rbjwLtye5DtnQ82E58LCb5kikb0H6gX3LJeQmUsF-E3djroJl3IK0799xHOQL8P/s2560/IMG_20240314_235528_1%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrpKDZ7zCWyqEks4IYv8Cwmzkfcpiwf5dITa1s5iVRKhcnHuM6Jx0mBh0SnZVFJCmO2ip-sCUjYzPrL1t0dpIoQqHg468uFhevxrweOt7fu_2ELdhkmQ81rbjwLtye5DtnQ82E58LCb5kikb0H6gX3LJeQmUsF-E3djroJl3IK0799xHOQL8P/s320/IMG_20240314_235528_1%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> Its Firby! Yes, I love you too.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-oyA0eSzdCtcUS_pZbgPr_ZUNCyaYzdZ2ucLPumX0_ktjdYBeeETGtcZ05KMY66HTraVWkvNrJ6WNKxeuWF7aen3kJTvFRNXL9U7R89wEEYBWGGWcwQ0iZx__iel7gJmtY5S8COkzPicoNKimh8Is9dPQibKpQEBwT-d3DfstXqfgw3iut5V/s2560/IMG_20230930_103433%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-oyA0eSzdCtcUS_pZbgPr_ZUNCyaYzdZ2ucLPumX0_ktjdYBeeETGtcZ05KMY66HTraVWkvNrJ6WNKxeuWF7aen3kJTvFRNXL9U7R89wEEYBWGGWcwQ0iZx__iel7gJmtY5S8COkzPicoNKimh8Is9dPQibKpQEBwT-d3DfstXqfgw3iut5V/s320/IMG_20230930_103433%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>My friend Prof.Rusdi enjoying his bird Ms.Lolo being entertained by a Visitor to Kapas Island.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduHMjwxN6j87FDb3vpvjz3-mhXRKTt57vdTjeXNgvjB7sILP7Su9fzSJ3DW74hHUGyS7mPxF55B9bO0josF0MzBkgMY2_7YdLS52mouoTQ3bs017cz5xBjfr2VGPh6Uz0sk_G-T5kJ4POpOofyAkXR8Qmim1LqvUFnOUxNZ-w7HjOT25PPQvD/s2560/IMG_20221118_150044%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduHMjwxN6j87FDb3vpvjz3-mhXRKTt57vdTjeXNgvjB7sILP7Su9fzSJ3DW74hHUGyS7mPxF55B9bO0josF0MzBkgMY2_7YdLS52mouoTQ3bs017cz5xBjfr2VGPh6Uz0sk_G-T5kJ4POpOofyAkXR8Qmim1LqvUFnOUxNZ-w7HjOT25PPQvD/s320/IMG_20221118_150044%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />This being the Year of the Dragon, here's my dragon to you. The Naga, Lord of Infinite Wisdom.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whenever I see a snake or images of a dragon it reminds me that I owe a karmic debt with the Naga tribe. I killed a cobra in a very cruel and merciless way by pouring hot boiling water on it when it was trapped under the refrigerator. It must have came in to take shelter from the rain as it was in the monsoon season. It must have crawled through the hole in the wall to let water out. I was about thirteen years old, not that it is an excuse, but this episode has haunted my mind till this day and I am still trying to find a way to atone and receive forgiveness for what I had done. My father who came home later was not happy with what I had done and I felt his concern was more than just taking a life and this was one of the few encounters I had with my father that also stuck in my mind. I remember him telling me that only a Mongoose can kill a Cobra. The devil again is in the details and I share this episode with myself bringing it out in the open as a confession, as part of my catharsis in the process of healing my soul. Perhaps I should look for help from my Hindu friends to perform a Naga pooja as suggested by Sadhguru in one of His Satsang.</div><div><br /></div><div>Beyond The Lote Tree - Allah and the Cosmos is another video I just stumbled upon and completed watching the First Part. It is 3am. I have to figure out what to make for my son and I to eat for the 'saur' and watch the Liverpool vs. SpartaPrague? It will be a home game for Liverpool which won the first match in Prague. 5 - 1 Liverpool? Oh well climbing down the mountain is as hard climbing it when you are old. I have never knew of the existence of this Video till about half an hour ago, no reason to lie. It blew my mind to say the least. It brought my attention to a halt cause here I was being coached into what is Islam and being a Muslim is. I hate to use the cliche, but it is a revelation, not a rude but comforting awakening as to how much do I really know about Islam. But I have had a good grasp of what is being shared in the video, but not as detailed as I have a bad memory about numbers and dates, I simply know and accepted what is being written in the Holy Book even though I have not read it completely.. I am not proud of the fact that I never did try my best to at least read it completely once in my life time but this video i just watched sort of recapped everything neatly, the completion of another story, from the beginning to the end of this that we call life. When I first left Malaysia in 1774? One of the two books I had with was the Quran, {Yusof Ali} and the other was, "The Master Key' by Frank Haarnel, a book that belonged to my friend and mentor also by the name of Yusof Ali, he is popularly know as Cikgu Cop {Chop} Mawa. I am going on about Cikgu is because he was one of those who took me under his wings since my younger days growing up in Sungai Pinang. Later in my life he became my spiritual guide through Islam. He introduced me to the works of Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn. Arabi and Sheikh Kadir Al Jalani and a few ways of Sufi art of Healing. Cikgu Yusof Ali helped me through a difficult time of my life. </div><div><br /></div><div>May Allah,{SHT} bless you and keep you among those He Loves. Alhamdullilah I am blessed to have been in your Prescence to learn from you a little more about myself.<br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-73852682661567987252024-03-14T03:14:00.001+08:002024-03-20T03:32:17.034+08:00My first view of Bassem Youssef's Standup Comedy. - Day 2 of the fasting Month.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRk5rY9Q0GWrEi-V7YiryIrZrWmOOvahiCQlfo9EZptiKPlNoqeGyeh0Ik4uLbJVr65qFFbKnHvi082C5g3Upk4g40UdDU-Tc8v7eH4YzS_IPSNK5zcYq0rQyVwzhciS6MJL42Wcweo-o2WcNdE3J13f31ySlN5uT7ErybZXnwwvwrChoMdBf/s2560/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2001.01.13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRk5rY9Q0GWrEi-V7YiryIrZrWmOOvahiCQlfo9EZptiKPlNoqeGyeh0Ik4uLbJVr65qFFbKnHvi082C5g3Upk4g40UdDU-Tc8v7eH4YzS_IPSNK5zcYq0rQyVwzhciS6MJL42Wcweo-o2WcNdE3J13f31ySlN5uT7ErybZXnwwvwrChoMdBf/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2001.01.13.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> Beraih naik harga oi! Beras tempatan jadi beras lawatan .<p></p><p> Grumbling about the rice cost that is rising in the country.</p><p>What happens when suddenly you wake up and realize that you are the writer of your own life, you are the Director and Producer of your own life? Could you have written it any better? How would you edit your life and at 75 there is a whole lot of editing to do. By Blogging I find I have been doing just that while making it a form of entertainment in itself. Something I had marveled at others who can write and make an impact on me by their profound and creative stories they tell; my homage to Enib Blyton, J.Steinbeck, Hemingway, Harold Robbins, and the rest of them that I had grown up with. If I am the screen writer of my own movie then these writers and many others, the likes of Richard Bach, Alan Watts, and on, these are my sources if information; they fed my imagination albeit in the negative or positive way. I identified myself with the heroes and the villains and emulate their characters sometimes to play a more exciting and challenging roles, Woe unto you if you are a voracious reader, you have the whole human psyche being presented before you and today at your very fingertips. Woe even more for you who has become addicted to reading and writing even if it is just to fill your empty spaces. The man who writes about himself, an Author who writes about himself is as they say, a very dangerous man. I read this somewhere and it has attached to my mind like a koan waiting to be unraveled. What is a koan? Please Google it.</p><p>What good is a Biography if there is no juicy stories in it, what good is it about writing how you tooth ache while dreaming about becoming a Buddha? As the script writer it is my intention to make the sory line as interesting and captivating as befitting the time. I write a story aimed at entertaining me and making sure that i am staying on the right track as to my story line, this is my intention. When someone ask me to, "Please tell me something about yourself." My answer has always been, "What is there to tell? or Have you got the time to truly listen? If not read my Blog." Yes it is very egoic, self deprecation and aggrandizement both at the same time, giving one a choice for an answer. ..who am I? Half the time I do not know it myself, I am just lost in the dark drifting from one moment to another aimlessly and there are times when i am shaken, aroused or given a kick in the ass and the whole world seems to awaken with me. China was stagnant and infested with mental and spiritual ailments until came Chairman Mao Tse Tong and threw everything and everyone into the big wok and made a good stir fry out of the whole country. Today we have Super Power that can stand against the Imperialism of the West. And what has this got to do with writing my script on this second day of the fasting Month of Ramadan, you ask. </p><p>I just stumbled upon "The dark side of making it on social media." - A Bassem Youssef You Tube stand up show at IB Followers Summit and am now fully brought down to a level of awareness in what I am talking about, a coincidence or is it an instant revelation, or a karmic kick in the butt. This is the first video of his that I watched after being introduced by the Pierse Morgan Interview not too long ago. What struck me most was the fact that he kept on and on about the ego. "We are attached to Social Media because of our ego." I am guilty as charged, but hell what else is there to have fun with otherwise, every time I post a page I love to see the reaction I receive, it tells me there is someone who is interested enough to read what I have to write. If I were paid a penny for every hits or likes I would be doing very well financially, sadly enough I don't and there is no regret, it is as it should be. In this way I owe allegiance or commitment to no one and am free to write as I please. </p><p>I wrote earlier about 'Suffering with no bitterness' as mentioned by my friend Dr. Peter O Yimbo and this is one example of a man who faces his trials and tribulations with a sense of humor and doing it in a big way. I have always maintained that for creativity to flourish there has to be a certain amount of ego involved, perhaps disguised as a form of passion instead of narcissisms. Turning anger and fear into a joke is one way to overcome my sense of self loath and promote my self worth. I am much larger than my ego but i still need my ego in order to arrive at being in harmony with what is around me. Neither above nor below, I place no man above or below me but as my equal or to be exact as me, as who I have projected myself to be in this plane of existent. I will keep on telling my story for the sake of self satisfaction and self discovery, a part of my healing process. It is irrelevant if i get two or two thousand reads for my post it simply means that I am still writing. I am wasting my time at three in the morning picking my brains and enjoying and it is only the second day of the fasting month.</p><p>My thoughts goes out to the People of Palestine, may they be protected by the Grace of Allah. </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-628786466999508112024-03-13T03:56:00.007+08:002024-03-20T03:35:23.557+08:00Day -1 of the Fasting Month.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1M8J_U1R9oI__OrMMRMzLDTNMoA1w-wNyTIDY-juSb3QnCgAqN-RO9Wb5HVG-vBvmBoYTDBR0QTHf352iOaNR_P-JmU3N_i8rVwwzSi67Y-y8VkqwcOAV5MSGt4ASod4aQLXo9zLsyU9qgXWOFgqZ1ltQd0bYV4aiwLuXW522qZX-M8BiWmx/s2560/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2000.54.56%20(3).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1925" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1M8J_U1R9oI__OrMMRMzLDTNMoA1w-wNyTIDY-juSb3QnCgAqN-RO9Wb5HVG-vBvmBoYTDBR0QTHf352iOaNR_P-JmU3N_i8rVwwzSi67Y-y8VkqwcOAV5MSGt4ASod4aQLXo9zLsyU9qgXWOFgqZ1ltQd0bYV4aiwLuXW522qZX-M8BiWmx/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2000.54.56%20(3).jpeg" width="241" /></a></div> <p></p><p> She is my Boss!<br /> </p><p><br /></p><p>The first thing that comes to mind for a single parent dad like me is what do i prepare this morning so we can eat our 'Saur', I cannot find the right word for it in English. It is like the final or the first meal that ushers the fasting day after which no more food or sex or being cruel and inhuman or thinking of becoming the leader of the pack, just abstain from all wrong thinking and doings and focus on the Lord thy God, Allah Azza wa Jalla, Lord of the Universe. You fast body, mind and soul when you do fast , its not just refraining eating and drinking, everyone knows that but it is important to keep reminding ourselves, lest we forget. This year we fast with the children of Gaza and the West bank and this year we hope the Fasting Month will cleanse more than just body and soul but also heals the Universal Human Ailments cause by the three poisons; that of Greed, Hate and Ignorance. There is no religion or any belief systems and practices that is free from these three inflictions that humanity bears within each and every individual breathing on this planet. Collectively we export a great amount of negative vibes towards the collective whole, we create wars and make X-rated videos, we cheat and lie all in the name of our personal survival and along the way we lost our humanity. I hope the Fasting Month can in some small way open up a new horizon of Hope and Mercy, LoVe and COMPASSION, attributes that are becoming rare and forgotten among the human race itself. I pray that Allah in His Infinite Mercy and Compassion will shed a Light upon this darkness that is slowly engulfing upon my consciousness and that of the rest of Humanity around me. Subahnallah!</p><p>This is the holiest month of the Muslim calendar where more than a billion Muslims all over the world will observe the ritual demands of this month as prescribed by the Holy Book. Out of twelve months in a year the Lord has asked us to put aside one month for R# R, for rejuvenation and recuperation for simply sitting and contemplating about who you are in relationship to your God. How purified is your soul to qualify its entry into the realm of the Spirit. Are you even aware that you have a soul and a spirit and that you are not just any random mutation of the elements that created you or that your Universe came in a Big Bang. Whatever package i have bought into, whatever path i have chosen from moment to moment of my existence, I know and feel the presence of Him to Whom I will return. To declare myself as an AtmaBrahman or The Supreme Liberated Consciousness, as the Hindu Advaitta Teachings would have it is still not within my grasp: I have yet to become absolutely free of my ego/ my shadow. This is the grand illusion that catch me in a bind as to how to about teachings and religions, I feel caught in a catch 22. Well I have got a whole month ahead of me to find things out and about myself at present. Life is written in the Loh Mahfuz according to Muslim believe, the Book of Life and nothing changes except for what is written, is your life in its entirety, but I don't know when you get to read it if ever. Just like the 'Forbidden Tree, The tree of Life. Eating the fruit from the tree of life cause a split in the human brain, left and right brain came into service. The consciousness of the 'I am" came into being, I am a man, she is a woman! Just another narrative of life from the Biblical perspective </p><p>As Katagiri Roshi once said, "Stick to your self-healing as a Practice when you do Zen."</p><p>Insha'Allah! God Willing! I will do what it takes to find the cures to all my physio-psycho- spiritual well being as my main focus in my daily practice and especially this holy month I hope I can remain strong and carryout this 'Sheshin' with gusto, spiritual or otherwise.</p><p>Insha'Alah! Subhanallah! WalHamdullilah! Hu -Laillaha'illalah! Allah -hu-Akhbar!</p><p>Happy Fasting to all My fellow Muslims all around the World.</p><p>"In this Living Book, God is the Divine Author." ...23-2-2024, - Moojibaba.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-44589793515610729132024-03-12T03:13:00.003+08:002024-03-20T03:37:48.782+08:00I drifted from Toothache to San Francisco.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhIL81LVRD8Js-dlpc0QQRJLOwN2LMcHHi3G36WBOq9A1la1S7UbaVeYZtXXvfef4iOB2sNhfhcoMVSa6J_M4zpmetYoL3YHqjIFDPeHLD2K2A381JXiD1oi58NqlhvRdKPfVAmg7aQlm2P89Dyvy8IVwfZARGJvIwFCkFTX0Ob9yoURpUaL2/s2560/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2001.01.15%20(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhIL81LVRD8Js-dlpc0QQRJLOwN2LMcHHi3G36WBOq9A1la1S7UbaVeYZtXXvfef4iOB2sNhfhcoMVSa6J_M4zpmetYoL3YHqjIFDPeHLD2K2A381JXiD1oi58NqlhvRdKPfVAmg7aQlm2P89Dyvy8IVwfZARGJvIwFCkFTX0Ob9yoURpUaL2/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-03-20%20at%2001.01.15%20(2).jpeg" width="240" /></a></div> When was the last time you went grocery shopping?<br /> <p></p><p>Mind says, time to take a nap and body agrees. Ego says nope I do not have to take a nap now, not right now, I choose to be creative, enjoy doing what I enjoy doing and then after I really feel tired and sleepy, yes, not till then. Now i wish to allow my mind to ramble a bit, my crucial sadhana, my practice, my prayers and my meditation and share it worldwide; see if there are takers out there to join in this rambling about life, calling it, Zen and the Art of Living. Off course you immediately ask , but what is Zen? You are caught! Trapped! and form then onward you are on the Zen Train and you will learn as you go along with a genuine heart that really wants to know, What is Zen? It answers only to you and from you when you have arrived at self realization and it could happen right here right now! Wham it hits you and you are in la la land of spiritual bliss, with a dose of peace and harmony even it it were but for a few moments in time. This is Satori! This is the min-wake up calls one learn to install within if one is to maintain being fully functional as one age, this is the flash of lightning that enlighten the Universe: carpe diem! Seize the moment.</p><p>Zen is what happens not what had happen or what will happen. Zen is the art of effortlessness and with pure and genuine intention in being in the here and now, every movement is a form of meditation and this is also what is known as Wu Wei or inactive action, detached involvement or act with bare awareness... and so on that is in the Taoist teachings. Falling asleep is easy but waking up and staying awake demands effort and how awake are you? How awake do you want to be, do you need to be? That pillow is calling me to the bed and I am still entertaining myself with these nonsense that I keep writing. Oh, Yeah! I admit I am enjoying it and tomorrow the Month of Ramadan Begins! Duh! A whole new dimension of Sadhana or practice happens! It is going to be a tough month like in the past and so I have to get myself in gear. Yes, nothing last forever and life goes no with or without you. A famous Zen saying that i like is, "Life is like a swing door, you push it in it swings in an out it swings out and if you stop, you are dead." Or something like that. You breath in, it swings in and you breath out it swings out and if you stop breathing game over. </p><p>For as long as you can eat and fart, you know you are alive.</p><p>So Eat and taste it, Don't fart and waste it....a little Western Zen humor.</p><p>By the way I failed to share with you the fact that i am having a very bad tooth ache at this very moment when I am trying decide between taking a nap or keep on writing my post, yes, with a major toothache Zen or no Zen, I tell is a Bitch. On the other side of the coin, this what Zen Practice is, to me. It is awakening to one's innate potentials as a human being. Just about everyone you read today is trying to impart this age old advice to you and me. Some are more elaborate that others, however Zen is minimalism at its core - emptiness. Born into this world but not of it, the Way of Zen as i perceive it to be for me, is to seek and establish one's Dharma Position in this life - Who Am I? And thus the journey begins for you with this simple most primordial question as your companion hang from your neck. Zen in a nutshell is the embarking upon a sacred journey of self discovery even if one is told the self does not exist.</p><p>Right Understanding is the key to Zen Practice, I believe which leads to Right mindfulness and Right Meditation. One of my Zen Teachers, the late Dainin Katagiri Roshi whoe was the Abbot of the Minnesota Zen Community at the time asked me a question when we we had the one on one Teacher student interviews or Doan, he asked me," What is your original intention? {for practicing Zen}" and I replied, "To heal myself." and he said, "Work on that." With the simple question and instruction he woke me up to a new level of looking at myself; I had a moment of Satori! A moment of silence and I believe my Zen spiritual practice became completely real for me...just another way of the way seeking mind, a white cloud in an empty blue sky...UNSUI, now here now gone, so is the nature of our thoughts. This is the steps we dance to do the boogie woogie to, this is the rhythm, the motion of each and every thought wave in the universe, you find yourself in an ocean of Peace or the Pacific Ocean, the ocean of Compassion and Unconditional Love for being who you are and towards others just as equally so. You sort of wake up to a reality that your mind has conceived throughout your life right from Day-1 till the D-Day. </p><p>And the toothache just kicked in and a whole new dimension of pain is spread out from the nerve center somewhere in the decayed tooth shooting searing pain to up and down my jaw brain into my brain. This is sometimes almost a sin to have to go through for any creature of God, this amount of physical torture the result of negligence is a form of sadistic torture for the young and old alike. The laws of karma sucks! Such Is! We can suffer life without becoming bitter, that was what my goof friend Dr. Peter OYimbo, a Chemist from Kenya once said to me. I told him what the Buddha had stated that life is suffering in His Four Noble Truths. Peter was the Chief Chemist at H and H Ship and Environmental Services where i was the Yard Superintendent for the Company. The Company was located at 220 China Basin, off 3rd. Street by the Shaughnessy Draw Bridge, across from Tik Tok Restaurant on 3rd. The longest job I ever held in my life was working for Hand H for six years. I lived my life in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than ten years and am proud to experience the Loma Prierta Earthquake of 1989. Yes the devil is in the details and I lost the trust and friendship through my bad performance of not making it to a farewell lunch that the Doctor had planned for us, he was leaving the company. On the same lunchtime I totally forgot and found myself had fallen asleep in the pickup truck under the overpass by the rail road tracks and next to the River. I fell asleep and lost a valuable friend...Good Bye Mr. Tibs as he was popularly known among my fellow Black Brothers working at 'The Pit'</p><p>I learned from a close friend an Iranian Lady who was the Doctor's Lab Assistant who was like a sister to me that the Doctor thought I had betrayed him to his bosses, my bosses. It is sad but it was also meant to be as such for we had gained our mutual respects as professionals and colleagues beyond that there was nothing worth to be gained . Letting go is never easy but sometimes a necessity. So where ever you are Doctor for the final time I say I am sorry to you and your beautiful wife. We shared some good moments . </p><p>As of this morning, {3 am} the Fasting Month has begun, the Month of Ramadan is upon us.</p><p>Happy fasting to all Good Muslims around the World! </p><p><br /></p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-61013766667427140602024-03-10T08:48:00.001+08:002024-03-10T08:48:17.376+08:00Simply Rambling on ...has Life no Purpose?<p> </p><p>Right Understanding is the first of the Buddha's precept of the Eightfold Path and it is more relevant in our lives today than ever before. Right Understanding, {RU} is the core teaching of the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, or His Princely name, Siddharta Gautama. What is primarily taught in Buddhism is entwined in His Life Story, He realized and became Enlightened through severe practices in Yogic and other traditions to master His understanding of the physical and psychological nature of our huma being or being human. In essence the Buddha's teachings is about mastering the art of self enquiry or knowing your self, knowing that you are not the physical nor the emotional, you are not the Body nor Mind. Until you have discovered your true nature, The original Buddha Mind or Nature you will live this lives as in a dream, you are sleep walking through your time on earth. Self Discovery leads to Liberation of the Soul from the bondage and limitations of this physical realm. In discovering the truth and able to discriminate and discern between what is the Real and the Unreal, we are walking blindly from one hole into another. We ask ourselves what is the purpose of our lives and we find no adequate answer, no justification and no rational that can make sense out of the question about our Prescence here on this planet. Most human slumber through life doing what they can can in the name of survival and some took advantage of the ignorance of others to pursue more than their need, they become greedy, they yearn for more and would go to any length to secure this so called wealth that would ensure their happiness in life.</p><p>Right Understanding the key to the first step towards liberation and through RU we can lift all the veils of ignorance put upon us to hide us from our true nature, that we are much more than meets the eyes; we are potentially Enlightened Beings, we are Buddhas. our purpose in being born in the form and on this plane of time and space has an innate inherent value of becoming the best of who we truly are transcending beyond this life and the hereafter. The Buddha is said to have said the, "In this human form, waste no time, it is in this form that one has the potential to become Enlightened as a Buddha.." It is in this Form and Prescence that a mind can discover that truth that will set him free from the cycle of life , death and rebirth. Peace, Joy and Happiness will happen when the Mind has become free from delusions and limitations of the assumed personality our ego of who you think you are; an entity in pursuit of the material comfort in the name of survival. Most of us are detached from our spiritual nature, our divine nature our Buddha Nature becoming attached to the false and the shadow, our negative darker nature that is our constant companion while in this life. Our intention has to be in letting go of our accumulated thoughts, our memories and our perceptions our dreams and imaginations; we need to unburden our consciousness deleting all irrelevant and redundant information from its data bank. This is why Buddhism emphasizes on Dhyana or meditation, as in the Japanese Zen school of doing Zazen or sitting meditation. Yoga forms of meditation is worth learning and practicing if one is to learn to master the mental formations, the chattering and the ramblings.</p><p>It is my approach to life as one who is forever trying to clean up his acts, learning as i go along and knowing that i really know nothing at all where life is concern. But i like to keep on trucking as hopefully will come a time when I see the big picture of what it is all about and how far or near I am to fulfilling my role as a human being, created in the image of God and endowed with a sense of free will, yadda, yadda, yadda! Who am I? This rambling mind, is it me? This body with aches and pain all over not to mention a tooth ache and a migraine, high blood pressure kind of head ache and i am typing these down for posterity...who am I? What am I? Who is asking the question and who is it that it is answering. Some may read into this behavior as being obsessed. I am not obsessed enough, not passionate enough now committed enough in my practice to come close to a complete and perfect enlightenment perhaps never in this round, but I do not give up hope and have great faith in teachings of the ancient and modern masters i have encountered through the media and books. I give my salutations to all those great minds whose thoughts have helped me to see better my way in some small way. I love to read and i read both fiction and non - fiction. I have an eclectic philosophical mind if i may call it that. My mind picks out the best of possibilities, of choices that would benefit me in my practice through reading ever since I can remember. Then came age of computer and the Internet, my reading shifted from books to videos when I wish to make sense out of non-sense. I watched and studied the great Teachers of India and China, of Tibet and Japan and the wise men of my own fellow Malaysians. For most of my life I have been blessed by Great Teachers whether when in the study of Buddhism, Islam or Christianity and i have the teaching of many Great Gurus and Rishis of India as I have often mentioned in my past postings. </p><p>Who is asking? The question that should pop up in your mind whenever silly issues demands your intention, or who wants to know? Is it so critical to your well being to even pat attention to these incessant thoughts, questions and answers, a never ending story with no right or wrong answer except silence. Silence of the lamb, a silence of a spiritual nature that freezes our moment in time and free our consciousness to absorb the event being played before you.</p><div id="C_PsZffNJs7b4-EP6uCb6AM__15" style="background-color: #202124; color: #bdc1c6; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><div class="wDYxhc NFQFxe oHglmf xzPb7d" data-hveid="CCAQAA" data-md="32" data-ved="2ahUKEwi3_9D8rOiEAxXO7TgGHWrwBj0Q4dMGegQIIBAA" style="clear: none;"><div class="H8O85d kno-mrg-si kno-mrg kno-swp" data-hveid="CCAQAQ" id="media_result_group" style="float: right; margin-left: 20px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="kno-fiu kno-liu"><div data-count="1" data-hveid="CBsQAA" jsmodel="Wn3aEc"><div jsaction="PdWSXe:h5M12e;rcuQ6b:npT2md;" jscontroller="LdB9sd" jsdata="X2sNs;_;BvLru4" jsmodel=""><div class="RYdNQb" data-h="130" data-nr="1" data-ved="2ahUKEwi3_9D8rOiEAxXO7TgGHWrwBj0QyQ0oAHoECBsQAg" style="border-top-left-radius: 8px; border-top-right-radius: 8px;"><div aria-hidden="true" class="eA0Zlc WghbWd FnEtTd ivg-i PZPZlf img-kc-m GMCzAd" data-attrid="image" data-docid="AYZk3X9gesFh-M" data-hveid="CBUQAA" data-lpage="https://bipolarphysician.com/mental-health-and-the-silence-of-the-lambs/" data-ni="1" data-ref-docid="WMtdBkRp-f65WM" data-ved="2ahUKEwi3_9D8rOiEAxXO7TgGHWrwBj0Qzkx6BAgVEAA" jsaction="rcuQ6b:npT2md;tuz4af:RrAr1;nptbHe:XEuVS;h5M12e;qWWJ8e:.CLIENT" jscontroller="Um3BXb" jsdata="j0Opre;AYZk3X9gesFh-M;BvLruw" jsname="dTDiAc" style="border-radius: 12px; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; vertical-align: top;"><div jsname="IOBa3c"><div class="BfmEZb" jsname="tdeeNb" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 160px; left: 0px; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 92px;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div id="C_PsZffNJs7b4-EP6uCb6AM__18" style="background-color: #202124; color: #bdc1c6; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><div class="wDYxhc" data-md="61" style="clear: none;"><div aria-level="3" class="LGOjhe" data-attrid="wa:/description" data-hveid="CBkQAA" role="heading" style="overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 20px;"><br /></div></div></div><p> "The greatest The Silence of the Lambs lesson is that it is so courageous to peer into our psyches and dare to share our authentic selves. Our truths don't kill us, our secrets do. They corrode our souls. It is a good thing that none of us need Hannibal Lecter to free us to speak our truths...30 Mar 2020" Cannot ascertain who or where the info originally from,.. source Internet.</p><p>We fear to face the truth about our true nature, we are afraid of giving up or letting go of this conditioned, limiting and corrupted part of our nature that we call our ego, our shadow, our tormentor and task master, a habitual often addicted personality to external stimuli and sucking in forms and images like a sponge, this is who we think we truly are for most of us. We fear the release of skeletons from the closet and dark secrets that had been haunting us from day one of this our life on this plane; we became slaves to our own self ignorance and inadvertently become slaves to others. Why? Who is asking? Why, simply because we have made no effort towards self liberation or even if we know of its concept and as human beings it is in our self interest and well being that we start to get to know better of who we truly are or what we are capable of, how far or how near, how big or how small and we come to realize how fragile we are. With this realization we seek self preservation and call it survival instinct and protect, develop and project this instinct into the outer world the more silence we are the more dangerous we become as we allow ourselves to be taken for a ride by our ego, the dARKER SIDE OF THE MOON. This slip of a typo error is worth to keep . How often in a day that you remind yourself, 'Hey, you got a dark side too you know!" Lest ye forget, the devil is sitting on your left shoulder while the angel sits on your right and any move you make is weighed in by these two positive and negative energies. </p><p>So what has this got to do with Right Understanding of the Buddha's Way? The Buddha emphasizes the Middle Way to be the best way to handle this bind that we fins ourselves in, how to say enough is enough, how to know when is enough, how to avoid being sucked into other people's games and to remain free from attachments to external stimuli. To find the silent space within our hearts w need to completely let go of it, good or bad right or wrong, they are all concepts, all are repetitious conditioning that shrouded our consciousness with dark energy, the energy full of gravity and decay, we are product of Divine Light, we are light hence we strive for enlightenment for Moksha, for Liberation of body mind and spirit. This is our purpose of being alive. We serve and servitude towards others is our worship of God, Unconditional LOve is our worship of God, Infinite Boundless Compassion is our worship of God; we live to serve, God and all other creatures in our lives. How can one declare life has no purpose or meaning? Life has no meaning until you give it one.</p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-55254976814205101782024-03-08T09:19:00.001+08:002024-03-08T13:24:01.630+08:00Reflecting upon DEATH - An Inside Story by Sadghguru. <p> </p><p>Salutations to the Guru...</p><p>Almost through reading Sadhguru's book DEATH - An Inside Story and it has been quite an enlightening read as far as death is concern. Sadhguru's flair for dramatics always strikes me in his talks and presentations has always seemed to me typical of the Indian character as sometimes pushing it overboard with slight exaggerations as in Hindi movies and news casts. If you watch the Indian version of the News on Gaza or the World news as presented by Gravitas an Indian News Channel you will feel that tension created to capture your attention by the presenter and usually the accompanying music score will make you feel like you are watching an action movie than watching a TV News. The pension for exaggeration and dramatics are an accepted trait for the non-Hindu Malaysians and having grown up among Hindus and having relatives who are Indians I have to agree with this perception. Sadhguru's book is no doubt full of information on the 'Art of death and Dying,' and is a great compendium for all who seek to understand the topic especially if they are Hindus or have a good grasp of Indian myths and lore or ancient traditional teachings inherent in India like the Vedas and the Upanishads. It is good for those more familiar with Hinduism and the Sanskrit literature that delivered the teachings. it is not for the Muslims or even the Buddhists mush less for the Jews as these other cultures and religions have their own version of Death and Dying scenarios. The Bardo Todol or the Tibetan Book of the Dead is an instructional manual for the person who had just died and it lasts for 49 days and the Muslims has the two angels Mungkar and Nakir waiting with their who is your God questions so you can be categorized as to your position in the after death state. All these differences will take a whole lot od doing and thinking to fit in with Sadhguru's teachings on death and I am highly doubtful that people today are much into seeking for answers when it comes to the spiritual subject like Death.</p><p>Today I find not too many people are into reading books anymore and much less reading about the nature of life and death or any spiritual or philosophical interests. Great teachers like J.Krishnamurti and Sadghguru themselves were the first to claim that they never read any scriptures or spiritual books, it is no their style. However they write books and it is good that others buy and read them as they deserve to be read for better to understand what these great minds are sharing for the better of humanity. It may not be appealing to all however if some can understand and grasp the meaning to their teachings it would help to make for a better world. I have a slight prejudice against Indian Gurus, mystics or otherwise, they for me, tend to blow up things making it larger than life. Bhagavan Shri Rajneesh or later known as Osho created a big show that captured a larger audience but fell from grace in disgrace at the end of his life to name a few Gurus who made it a great show selling Hinduism to the West. No doubt there were and still are great masters whose words and teachings has reached many however with less fanfare and tour de force. This is one of the reasons why I have a great respect for the Great Sage of Arunachala- Bhagavan Shri Ramana Maharshi and The great Guru Nisargadata Maharaj and Neem Karoli Babaji and among others who had their teachings spread far and wide for them by those who sat their feet out of love without any advertisements and theatrics. These great Hindu Gurus never set out to save anyone but they ended up saving the world with their way of life and teachings. </p><p>The Dalai Lama and the late reverend Thich Nhat Hahn are two great Buddhist minds whose works and teachings has touched the hearts of many regardless of their race, culture or religion without raising the ire of those whose religions they touched in the effort to foster goodwill and and unity among man. Again the devil is in the details, and i am not going to loose my sleep on the fact after watching a video on You Tube of Sadhguru making efforts to reach out to Muslims I don' think it had a positive outcome overall. Perhaps it is not his fault that his efforts in getting his message across is being hijacked by lesser sensitive and cognizant people who portray his effort as more of a chastisement and a challenge than a call for unity and understanding among religions. Instead of sending out peace messages the individual interjected clips of Muslims in the act of violence while relaying the message that Sadhguru was trying to send to Muslims. No man likes to be made to feel inferior especially not by someone who is not of the same faith or religion as he is. </p><p>Sadhguru being a Mystic and so on, a man who can recount his past lives, a man who is hailed by the rich and poor alike in India and abroad, who am i to pass any judgement on how or what he should do. But this is my Blog and I am a free man in my country to make my observations and voice my opinion if and when I see shit is about to happen and shit doe happen only sometimes when there too much shit one cannot tell where or who owns it. I am waiting to hear what he has to say about the suffering in Gaza or if he even is going to make an effort to provide some form of aid towards the starving children through the Isha Foundation, it would be nice, if Mother Theresa were still alive I have no doubt that she would have taken some form of action regardless of which side Modi stands in this catastrophe. However India has her own shit to shovel and taking on other country's issues might not be expedient especially when it involves Muslims. </p><p>This is my sincere perceptions of what I see and hear, no disrespect or negative emotional attack on the works and teachings of the Guru. </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-80172671666684147652024-03-03T03:59:00.002+08:002024-03-04T16:00:51.960+08:00What would the Buddha say of Gaza?<p> When we have witnessed the unfolding of what constitute a genocide unfolding in Gaza, we get a very good taste of what death/dying is all about even if it is through reports and daily news unless we happen to be a heartless entity with no feelings whatsoever we hold in our hearts a sense of sorrow and sadness. What is happening in the Gaza Strip and Palestine as whole is frightening and needless to say unacceptable by the any standard of human dignity. No matter how jaded our take on life may be, no matter how rich or poor we are our lives are worth the cost of a bullet or the explosion of a drone sent to eliminate our existence by someone sitting in a dark room facing a computer whose only job is to cause misery to the lies of others simply on orders to do so. The powers that be today are men who has gained the world or so they assume and lost their souls; a lost soul will fear death when it takes them at the end of their days whether they are a believer or otherwise for there is no forgiveness for them especially from the Collective Human consciousness or the Supreme Being, or God, by what name it maybe called. Only demons and monsters are capable of carrying out the mass murdering of man women and children and for every demonic deed there is a divine retribution like it or not and none escapes the cries of thousands who believe and have faith in the Lord of Creation; the laws of karma is like a shadow to every evil act.</p><p>Every human being is complicit in what in what is happening to our fellow man whether we are directly involve or not in the atrocities being subjected to our fellow creatures albeit man or other sentient beings that suffers due to our greed, hate and ignorance. Thou shalt not kill is the first law handed down to Moses no matter the justification, a life is a life more precious than all the gold on the planet. When we have lost the Love of life itself what have we left to call ourselves as human beings? Even animals do not kill unless threatened or for the sake of survival in the form of food. Today not only in Palestine but many parts of the world man is killing his fellow man without remorse and with impunity as though there is no retribution to their actions. This is tantamount to self destruction as the human soul becomes blinded by the thirst for power and domination over those they consider not worthy to live except as slaves and underdogs to be subjugated and forced towards extinction in the form of a genocide. We call ourselves as civilized beings, lovers of truth and beauty, or the arts and sciences while in essence we are becoming war mongers and lunatics and sycophants, a cannibalistic cancerous virous that eats up its own kind, just for few dollars more!</p><p>It is a sad, sad situation we are in today, but most of humanity continues to live in denial dismissing the agony and suffering of innocent children dying of hunger and starvation; what have we become in this 21st. Century? What kind of legacy are we leaving behind for those of us old enough to understand what or where humanity is headed towards. Are we any better than the Mongol hordes or the Nazis, are we any better than the Huns or the Covid virus? No we are just as bad if not worse because we have the audacity to claim ourselves as being civilized. We claim ourselves to have come a very long way in the evolution of the soul and spirit, that we are closer to the divine spirit than we ever were and yet truth be told, humanity today have become more demonic in nature than our ancestors ever were and shall we blame it on the devil or are we actually carrying out the devil's work for him? I am glad I do not have any grandchildren to brag of thus far as I am not too positive in bringing into this life more beings to suffer the consequences of my own faults and failures. I am not proud of what I am leaving behind as a human being for my generation has failed humanity and I feel it is an insult for me to say that I have left behind a world of peace and harmony for those that will come after me. This life, this world is my own projection my own self manifestation and I am responsible in making it such a terrible place to live in. The Buddha in his infinite wisdom had pointed out that life is suffering and that suffering is the outcome of desire and to overcome suffering one must understand desire; I have failed to understand desire and like me so has all of humanity. The Historical Buddha would have called what is transpiring today as a Collective Karmic Consequences.</p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-91280239995862863402024-02-29T16:34:00.004+08:002024-02-29T16:34:57.488+08:00Death is our Graduation Day from this School of Life.<p> I have stood by gravesides on many occasion where i attended the funeral of my departed friends and relatives and being a Muslim I have a good sense of what lay in store for my fellow Muslim Brothers and sisters when and after one is laid to final rest, at least according to the teachings of Islam. It is the practice in Islam that the physical human is put in the ground soonest possible upon dying. The body is laid in the ground about six feet by three and in a wooden coffin made of the softest wood available. Also the corpse is placed in such a way as to face the Holy Land of mecca and the Kaaba and that it is brought into contact with the earth around it as much as possible unlike the Chinese and other cultures whereby thick an expensive coffins are being used to keep the body from decay much more longer. Death in this physical sense is treated with as little attachment as possible, the whole idea is to return the body to the soil soonest possible, earth to earth, dust to dust.</p><p>What becomes to the soul of a Muslim who dies? It is said that after the last three steps away from the grave has been taken by the last person at the site, tow angels would arrive to take care of business of the afterlife; time to work out the registration process. After the whole process of burial is completed, the Imam or Ustaz present will read the 'Talqin' or the recitation of Shahadah and other creedal information or instructions to the deceased. It like the final instruction to the deceased as to what to expect and how react or answer to the questions that will be put to him/her. Much debate has been made over this practice over the years, however in my experience in attending a Muslim burial ceremony, this has been one of the practices common to the Muslim Malays. So as not to incriminate myself in sharing religious knowledge beyond my understanding i would ask anyone interested to Google it. Like Google, what is the Talqin or who are the two angels Munkar and Nakir who will appear to the dead at the moment of being buried. For every Devout Muslim this knowledge is crucial. Muslims in general are by virtue of their daily prayers of five times a day and for many including the zikr or chants of the Quranic verses as an added practice are well prepared towards facing the moments of death. They are spiritually and psychologically in tune with the remembrance of Allah and in taking refuge in His Grace and Mercy when facing the final moments of their lives. The mind in this moments is focused only on God and not subjected to fear or confusion and thus will face death with complete acceptance and surrender in their faith.</p><p>To most devout Muslims death is a welcome event as it heralds the end of one dimension of life and opens up a whole new dimension where the well being of the soul is guided by their faithful worship of the Divine and in surrendering to that which is the Creator. I have witnessed many final moments of death happening before me among my fellow Muslim family and friends and the support that was given by those present no doubt aids in the process through reminding the dying person of his or her true belonging and what to hold on to at the final moment. T recitations of the verses from the Quran by family members and friends keeps the mind from being hijacked by fear and confusion. The dying person often leaves the body in peace unless he or she is in physical pain due to some form or ailments. The recitations from the Quran has the vibrational quality that the dying person can relate to even if he or she does not understand what was read to them and this vibes helps to keep away any interference of unwanted thoughts to the individual's consciousness at death. I understand that Islam discourages the act of loud mourning or wailing in the presence of a dying person as this would not help in the smooth process of transition from life to death. I am no mystic or even a devout Muslim and what i understand may not be absolutely correct, so I will stand corrected by anyone who reads this and finds it not true. In the final say, the process of death is as mysterious as that of birth and we all will face it according to our own personal understanding. We can either die with Grace or in Disgrace through how much we have prepared for it in our lifelong existence. If this life is our schooling than death is the graduation; how we choose to live defines how we die. </p><p><br /></p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-21785955219435898112024-02-29T04:58:00.000+08:002024-02-29T04:58:15.552+08:00How to Die Accorsingly.For the past few weeks i have been subjected to and old physical discomfort which I had related before in this Blog and that being the rash that has appeared to many parts of my body especially in the crotch area. I have been applying Calamine lotion thus far but it is not quite as effective but eases the burning and itching sensation. I feel like I am still working out some ancient twisted karma having to go through this uncomfortable phenomena. However I have come to a point of acceptance of this discomfort and have surrendered to the higher consciousness of my self nature making it more endurable and even to some extent a rewarding experience as it affects my egoic self. The sense of being subjected to this most decadent pain and suffering in the physical form has become more of a lesson for me to appreciate what karmic consequences are how by the very fact of acceptance has made it much less of an irritation and somewhat more of a lesson to learn from. Getting to know oneself one's own fragility through these aggravation of physical itch and pains like the toothache that i am also experiencing seems to turn pain into pleasure. The migraine headache, the toothache, the itch and burning sensation that the body is going through bring a sense of humbleness to my sense of presence and by their very presence makes being in the here and now more pronounced and vivid.<div><br /><div>It is not that I am becoming masochistic or obsessed, hope not, however i do feel much less disturbed by them like when i suffered the same rash when I was thirteen and at one point shook my fist at God for making it so. In those years the pointing of the middle finger was not a fad yet, so I shook my fist at the sky and uttered the unutterable fu word while crying my heart out in the darkness while sitting on the steps of mt home in Batu Buruk, Kuala Terengganu. I wrote about his too in this Blog and so I will not into the details of it here, even if the devil was truly in the details in this case. Now perhaps having aged and wizened a bit i am able to look at these minor irks with greater and more clearer perspective and if it does not hone through I remind myself that it could be worse, I could be in the Gaza Strip having these ailments. At least I now know not to seek blame from the external like I did in the past but in myself, I am the cause of my ailments and none to blame. I find myself not too proud to seek advice and help from my closest friends like Ben Ronjen who was at one a registered nurse in Australia. if there is any blame to be targeted at I place it on my karmic consequences, my own doing perhaps in my past indulgences or even now. </div><div><br /></div><div>This skin irritation issue is beginning to get to me as i find myself unable to sleep well and sometimes even to think well, it is like I am headed for a major depression if nothing changes or things gets worse. I am now up in this wee hours of the morning not because of some spiritual calling as many a mystic would have me believe but simply due to pain and discomfort. I keep trying to justify it all away as yet another of the Divine test of my spiritual perseverance, or my ego's upping the stakes towards keeping a good grip on the is running the show, however the constant itch and irritation is beginning to have a toll on me. Not trying to be overly dramatic, this is turning into one of those 'dark night of the soul' for me or so it seems. Perhaps reading a book about Death by a Hindu Mystic is having an effect on my psyche, getting me primed up for the real final trip to the end of the road. No matter I intend to stick to my schedule, my Sadhana, my practice and take this as yet another stumbling block if not another karmic aberration to be sliced off from my consciousness, in the spirit of letting go; how else can I die. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-2373884342607422632024-02-27T23:07:00.000+08:002024-02-27T23:07:38.842+08:00The Breath of Life - Prana<p> I am going through some heavy duty karmic turns as in the last few weeks with and it feels like i am taking a dive in the physical, mental and spiritual sense, it feels like the floor is opening up from beneath you and all the practices and discipline that you think would help you see life through is coming apart. Is it? I have developed skin problem that is reminiscence of something I had when I was a teen ager and which almost drove me insane only now it seems to spread more than just all over my crotch. Yes, I have written of this event in my life somewhere in this Blog, the dark days of my soul and now it is happening again. Then there is the hernia issue that has not been settled, something that sooner or latter will exacerbate into larger issue as i get older. My attempt to get it taken care of in Kuala Terengganu failed because of too many hurdles to overcome and which I could not cope with for one reason or another. Most heavy of all was my fight with my daughter in the wee early morning hours two days ago after sending my son off to Kuala Lumpur at the train station. It was an eye opener for me as a father and an old man who is dependent on his two kids in this life. I will not attempt to justify who is right or wrong and will not dwell into the detail of the matter, however suffice to say that it was something that hurt me very deeply making me realize that the future will be a long and painful one between us if i hang around too long.</p><p>Reading the book on DEATH - an inside story by Sadhguru has also woken me up to a few realities that I had not foreseen before on the soul and spiritual dimension; perhaps what is transpiring on the physical level for me at the moment has to do with my engaging in getting to understand better this path toward death and dying that the book is relating to me. Perhaps it is the culmination of all my past experiences and present conditions into a final trajectory towards the end of my life for what it is worth. It is painful both physically and emotionally no doubt and I have the feeling it will not get any better. All I can see thus far is the fact that it is taking my spiritual practice to a higher and more challenging dimension and my ego is taking the beating from it all in which lies the crux of the matter; my ego. Self fulfilling result of the letting of the ego as a practice and not being attached to body and mind as a prerequisite to achieving liberation is taking a manifestation in it negative form; the ego perhaps is putting up a fight! Perhaps this is is what happens when you try to stop getting drunk or getting stoned and stop paying attention to women's ass and seek refuge in the teachings of the Buddhas, the Dharma and the Sanga and surrendering completely in the All Mighty Allah }SWT} body mind and spirit; the negative repercussion can be detrimental to your health. Looking with optimism on the other hand, it is said to better suffer hell on earth than make your reparation in the after life. </p><p>Karma sucks!, then you die! The letting o of life is and will never be easy and suicide is off the question not that i have not tried, twice actually in my past and narrowly escaped death a few times and a brush with death is no stranger to me. But death seems to elude me in the final cut, I keep returning to my physiological form on this planet time and again like it or not. Why I keep asking the same question over and over especially upon waking up from a stroke after passing out while driving and finding I had wet my pants and my whole attire was soaked in sweat and my daughter screaming in the passenger seat beside me, Yes i was dead for a few minutes but no I had to return and continued my driving home. In this Blog I had shared a few events of my near death experiences and the one most vivid and painful was the one tha took place in Corte Madeira, Marin County, California where i had a 'pleurisy' attack according to the physician who used a six inch needle to suck out fluid that had build around my lung due to a Yoga practice accident. As the devil is in the details I will leave it up to those curious or interested enough to look it up on what had happened on the New Year's Eve of 1983?</p><p>In facing death, fear is the key. If you can let go of fear, that panic feeling that cause you to loose control of your mind, if you could return as calmly to your breathing even in the midst of utmost pain, you can return from the final disembodiment of your physical life; death. No matter what your Sadhana or practice may be in this life, if and when you stop breathing, the game is over for you. And yet how we take breathing for granted and often are not even conscious that we are breathing except when an occasional sigh or sneeze or being surprised out of our socks by someone and when your utter, "let me catch my breath." As I grow older and less wiser i am constantly catching my breath wondering if I will ever catch up to it eventually or will it leave me in the lurk with death catching up to me. Yoga in India and Tai Chi and Zen in China, these two ancient schools expounds Breath control as the primary goal towards getting our act together. No matter what we do breath! You breath in and you breath out and herein lies the secret to life itself, that only when you stop breathing does it all ends for you in this realm and you become one within and without. Your breath is the bridge between you and The Supreme it is said that The Lord, The Creator of Life blew His breath Prana or life force into you and lit the Divine Spark as your energy source. </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-1975380514842442024-02-21T05:30:00.002+08:002024-02-22T23:09:52.256+08:00Sadhguru's Book - DEATH - An Inside Story. - Part One.<p> This morning I woke up at three and sat for awhile and saw before me myself standing and facing away into an evening sky or perhaps morning and as i stood there my body started to disintegrate as though blown apart by the wind from head on downwards to my feet. It was a pleasant experience feeling as though I was loosing myself from into nothingness. Not knowing what to do I decided to chant the cosmic sound of OM and felt my body gather energy from the pit of my belly and slowly rose up my spine locking itself at every points of my chakras until it reaches my head area. I never felt more in tune with my physical form as i did and my mind was just watching the whole phenomena happening, like I was simply an observer watching every movement of my physical form. Then the thought of Sadhguru's book on Death came to my mind and felt at ease like what I have read so far of his teaching had come to expression. I have dwelled on the subject of death for a very long time and had written somewhere in this Blog my thoughts and experiences on the matter almost to a point of obsession at one time and had to give up. Perhaps I was exposed to its negative effect more so than the positive and it was leading me towards a sense of depression and more confused than I was already. </p><p>I had experienced quite a number of deaths in the past of others and the most vivid was the death of my uncle, the man who had adopted me at birth and raised me for twelve years of my childhood life. It was sometime in 1990-91 when i had taken vacation and returned to Malaysia for a short visit. It was almost dark in the evening and I was having dinner at an auntie's house where I had put up and a stranger came to the door and told me that my uncle had passed away and his body was placed at the back of his van and that is should go and take care of it. I took a ride with stranger on his motor bike to the site a bout a quarter of a mile to the junction of Gelugor and Brown Gardens in Penang where we were. There i found the van parked by the roadside and on looking inside found my uncle's deceased body laying on the floor at the back of the van. I had not driven in Malaysia for many years since living in the United States and especially not a van. However I had no choice as there was no one around to ask for help and so I drove the van to his house and upon arrival carried his body into the house. Together with my auntie we undressed him getting rid of his pants that was soaked with his feces and the stench was overwhelming. Together we cleaned him up as best we could and started calling my relatives to inform them of the tragedy.</p><p>My uncle had a massive stroke while driving home and I later learned that the had parked the van along the road and stepped out tearing his his shirt open before falling to the ground where a few passer by had picked him up and laid him in the van. By then it was dark and the stranger who knew who my uncle's residence had informed my auntie and she told him to get a hold of me as there was no adults in the house. Perhaps it was meant to be that I happen to be around when it all happened and that it was meant to be to be that I was the one to take the responsibility of taking care of the man who had raised me in his final hour. My uncle had married late in his life and had eight children and all of them were still too young to comprehend much less took care of the whole situation and so it was meant to be. He was buried the next day laid to rest alongside my grandfather and grand mother. I had to return to the United States soon after with a very heavy heart wondering what was to become of his family. The stench of his dead body remained with me for a long time even after i got to America. The man had raised me as a Buddhist while the rest of my family and relatives were Muslim and he himself converted to Islam when he married my auntie at the age of forty. His life was an enigma in many ways having spent two years as a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka or Ceylon as it was known before and as the saying goes the devil is in the details and what a phenomenal detail it was for me to unravel. From this experience I had a good lesson about Karma and its consequences; was he punished by God, {Allah} or the Buddha? One thing for sure he was a very heavy smoker and I remember his brand of cigarettes called the Rough Rider, was perhaps the cause of his stroke. Regardless, I loved the man and his demise was tragic for me.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-56769674475488953662024-02-20T12:02:00.001+08:002024-02-20T12:18:43.288+08:00There's two ears and one mouth - listen more talk less...<p> Two days ago my two children and I were invited to dinner at the home of my friend Mr. Mahadevan who lives on the fourth floor below us,{we are on the twelve floor.} It was a vegetarian affair and also present was an Indian former school teacher with his 27 year old son. The gentleman is said to be a Reiki Teacher and according to my friend the Prof. as he is a professor at the the University Sains Malaysia, a mystique man. To me my friend the prof. is more so of a mystique man than most as he has the charm and humbleness of one who has the knowledge and charm of a real Guru. While chatting away I noticed a book on his shelf entitled DEATH - An Inside Story written by Sadhguru and immediately I knew I had to borrow the book. I became acquainted with the teachings of Sadhguru a few years back, two if I am not mistaken when i stumbled upon him on You Tube. I was impressed by his teachings but lost interest after a while when I found that he was another Hindu master spreading Hinduism rather than a Universal Teacher who transcend all religions, my poor excuse. I also had a problem with the manner in which he presents himself which often struck me as an attempt at being flamboyant and somewhat condescending when he speaks, again my bad. I have grown up among Indians in this country and as a matter of fact my Grand Uncle married a Hindu and his children, my aunts and uncles all four of them are all Hindus. As a child i grew up visiting them at their home in the Methodist Boys School where my Grand Uncle was a caretaker until the day he died. hew as known to us as Martin Sia and was the younger brother of my grandfather. The two brothers went their separate ways when my grandfather married a Muslim and was converted to Islam and my Granduncle remained a Buddhist.</p><p>The eldest of my grand uncle's children was Ranjan and had passed away a few years back having suffered from Parkinson's disease, he was younger than me although he was my uncle.. Then there is Kamala, Susila and the youngest boy Sugananda. I used to visit the Hindu temples in and around the Georgetown area with Ranjan and assisted him on his Kavadi trip during the Thaipusam once a upon a time when I returned to Malaysia from the U.S. as part my university program, sometime in 1981? I was able to document the whole ritual from the beginning to the end and later presented it to the University in my lecture presentations with the slides I took of the event. It blew the minds of the Green Bay university students who saw the slide show. I was no stranger to Hinduism as my father who was a Goldsmith working for a major jewelry company here was commissioned by the Chetiars to create a one foot tall solid gold statue of Lord Murugan that till this day is paraded from the Little India Hindu Temple all the way to the hill temple in the Botanical Gardens annually during the Thaipusam day. There's a story to this journey, perhaps some other time. My favorite Hindu Deity has always been Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed one. I will always pay my respect whenever i come upon His presence and this too has a personal story attached to it and somewhere in this lengthy Blog I might have told this story and it has to do with the day my first son was born and what day it was.\</p><p>I realized that my communication skills has still got to be polished when I was with the beautiful group of host and guest at the dinner, I found myself trying too hard to get my message across turning others off. I have learned that most others have their fixed personality after years of being a teacher or a director like my twin brother and they put forth their status in life when addressing others like don't teach me as i was once a school teacher or I am a director so don't come telling me any better. Letting go of their status is no easy thing to do even when they are in the company of strangers, like you cannot teach a duck how to swim. So I did not really learn much from the Reiki master as he claimed to be and I should have focused on what is Reiki instead of trying to share my own perception of what being on a spiritual journey entails. There is also my own error of judging racial or cultural character like when in conversation with an Indian or a Chinese assuming that they have their own inherit nature in self expression. In this case and Indian man does not like being made to feel like he is being taught a lesson in life by a non Hindu. However i have grown up among these characters and most of them do have their own idiosyncrasies when putting forth their thoughts and ideas that is inherent to their culture. I was a little disappointed and I believe or felt that so was the other guest at the dinner. The things you learn when in the company of strangers tells much about who you are is what I learned from this event.</p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-52022589455765023862024-02-16T21:37:00.002+08:002024-02-17T10:49:15.089+08:00To be lazy one needs to let go - extinguish the mind.<p> Letting go of life itself is the aim of living for those who have realized the futility of being born into this realm of maya or this realm of illusion. The sannyasin and sadhus of India practice this art of letting go to the extreme so as to deny any form of attachment to this physical existence, to grow from childhood to old age like a mule carrying a load of baggage on its back for the benefit of someone else only to die at the end of the journey from exhaustion and frustration, delude and despaired and all simply because of the carrot that has been dangled before our eyes and the conditioning that has been imposed by parents and the rest of society. 'Work hard boy, and you'll find, someday you'll have a job like mine.' Letting go from clinging to dreams and fantasies, from ideologies and the need to stay ahead, to be pious and chivalry, to become famous and wealthy, is the lazy man's path to freedom. Not to get sucked into goal and achievement oriented style of living, not getting pulled and pushed by the competitive struggle to stay afloat and ahead of others is a trap that keeps man in bondage to this illusory existence that is part of the matrix of our existence. The pieces of bones and flesh thrown at us to be chewed upon are the token of appreciation of our eagerness to participate in this game of life as the rich and wealthy wine and dine accepting it as their hard earned privilege. </p><p>Today this hard earned privilege has led us to the brink of self destruction taking along with us the numerous lives of other species of fora and fauna, enough is never enough and we are being led by greed, hate and delusion as our demigods, our manifesto. If you fail it is only because you have not strived hard enough or use you brain well enough in order to grab the opportunities and possibilities to make it while on this super highway of life. Oppression and exploitation is the name of the game if one is to make it big and stand above all the rest and corruption is the ultimate source of short cuts towards being in the limelight. Grab all you can while you can and the hell with the rest of your fellow man and if it all fails violence is the answer to filling up your coffer. Some things, habits and motives are never easy to let go of and man will forever be a slave to his desires, not his needs but his desires. Desires for bigger and larger, for more expensive and upgraded, for never ending delights life has to offer keeps us tethered to the yoke of our existence as enough is never enough. We accumulate and hoard as much as our garage can hold and if not we will rent a storage facility or have garage sale at the end of the day to get rid of the old and hoard newer and better garbage. Material garbage is not as hard to get rid of as mental ones as the mind has a great propensity of hoarding more and more garbage as we get older and it takes more effort to do so. letting go mental garbage is a lifetime effort for every second of the day the mind accumulates more narratives and images as it can.</p><p>Most of humanity has become enslaved by the very believe in the fact that man can achieve any feat or action if the mind is put to the task and with this believe man has assumed an arrogant deceit that he is the creator/doer of his actions. Man's propensity for self aggrandizement has led him to developed an inflated ego with the tendency to out smart himself by challenging the law of nature itself and shove aside his spirituality in favor of his darker nature or as Jung called his shadow. His desire to outdo himself has become an obsession disregarding what the cost of his actions might have upon the fabric of reality itself. His ego knows no bounds nor does he care that he has lost his humanity and sense of love and compassion towards his fellow creatures and the planet itself; take care of number one and all else is of no consequences. man takes great pride in being able to overcome his limitations and this collective assumption has led him to build yet another Tower of Babel; he is in the process of defying even the Divine in creating artificial intelligence like Dr. Frankenstein because he can. The monster he is creating in this modern age will be far more foreboding and dangerous than the fictional character of Mary Shelly's novel. Man has abused his God given free will and is on the road to perdition, he is standing on the abyss of self annihilation as a specie and this will be the end of the Kali Yuga where the death of the spirit in man obliterates his connection to the divine nature in him; the age of technology is man's final creative spirit leading to his demise barring Divine Grace. The Super Ego wants to become God but fails to confront understand and overcome his 'Shadow'; the dark side prevails as a result of of this blind ignorance.</p><p>Letting go of the 'I' ; " The Great Yogi has extinguished the mind."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-51521138870120839772024-02-14T04:24:00.001+08:002024-02-14T04:24:29.253+08:00The Art of being Lazy -<p> </p><p> Contrary to popular believe, being lazy is no easy matter and it takes a great deal of practice to accomplish a good handle on being lazy especially without the guilt if not shame emotions that it generates. There is no positive quotes about being lazy if you search the Internet, it seems like everyone, every religious practice every warns you not to be lazy as it is born out of pure ignorance. In life it seems one just have to keep being busy, being productive being motivated and living the day full of activities, however what if there is in really no one that needs to be an existential workaholic? What if one has realized that there is really no doer as in the Advaita or non dualistic view of life is being practiced? I believe in the fact one has to fully understand the art of the Taoist Wu Wei or in active action or being effortless in every action one performs.</p><p>There is Zen saying, "Eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are sleepy and sit and watch the grass grow." man is an automaton, a self driving entity that is constantly looking for the next thing to be done one after another otherwise he feels useless, he just needs to keep being busy as though it is a justification for his existence and not doing anything is a poor excuse for being a man, hence man has his business. In the Zen Buddhist tradition sitting meditation is the primary practice and the more one sits the better it is for self development and to the lay man this seems like the epitome of being lazy, wasting time sitting on the cushion and just staring at the wall all day long. Bodhidharma the Zen master who brought Buddhism to China is said to have sat for nine years in a cave waiting for someone to transmit his teachings to. Perhaps it was just a myth most of it, however it was a recorded event in the history of Zen Buddhism in how it all began for the transmission of Buddhism into the Chinese culture. It is left to our imagination of how it must have been for an Indian Yogi to appear and reside in a remote area in China an was able to convert the inhabitants into the understanding of the teachings of the Buddha which was in Sanskrit and later translated to Chinese. </p><p>By the time Zen Buddhism got into the Japanese culture it took on a more serious identity and Zen upon encountering Shintoism the animistic practice of the Japanese people the marriage became a portent combination of meditation and the respect if not worship of Nature. The Japanese penchant for gardening and landscaping became a strong form of meditation and this led to a practice of work in general as form of meditation where nothing is too small or too insignificant albeit in farming or fishing, carpentries or the art sword making. There is a ritual to every act from caring for tools and equipment to the manner of presentation of the finished product; all done with complete sense of awareness and that is to present the best of a man's endeavor. It is also to achieve these in the most effortless way as possible so much so that everything becomes a spontaneous act of creation. Strolling in a Japanese Tea garden of a Zen Buddhist temple complex one is easily moved to the awesomeness of the presence of silence and serenity that slows down one's own busy mind. Tis is precisely the aim of the Tea Ceremony or Cha No Yu and the the Samurai warriors of feudal Japan would ask for a tea ceremony be performed for himself before he sets out to face his opponent so as to calm his inner being or his soul. This meditation in action especially in the face of an impending death in battle.</p><p>What has all these got to do with being lazy? I am still figuring it all out really, connecting the dots making sense out of non-sense so to speak, so bear with me. The essence of this Art of being lazy is to keep everything at a minimal, no hurry, no force for sure and no aim at any accomplishment to be achieved. Drop all that narratives of being a high achiever or making it big or being at the top of the heap and all that non-sense; the essence of being lazy is to be free from all attachments to be empty of being itself. No wants, no desires and no needs, just aimlessly drifting from here to there while waiting for the lights to finally be switched off, the end of days to be ushered in and the big splash fills the skies, yes, to be lazy is like sitting and facing the wall and do nothing, wish for nothing and hope for nothing.</p><p>Eat when you are hungry and sleep when you are sleepy, Sit and watch the grass grow.</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-26046371789610493102024-02-02T10:26:00.002+08:002024-02-02T10:30:21.803+08:00"THe lazy Man's Club" - Join me i dare you.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMv4XT6GDH75GevvDXD81rwugdRel8ph7TaxsgFT5ree6pA4MnEWpOSe11nCjKdIvRxu5vCPH9MdpUWPavYvAB1l-vgb9WrZC2eUB0RvOm0drKXJ_Q1J9Y2VewYvdwgC5YCFWT_xMiOo_Icc0JQJkhw3ZwutniKL5p5rcFHh662I2G0o5_jgXE/s5472/DSC04332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMv4XT6GDH75GevvDXD81rwugdRel8ph7TaxsgFT5ree6pA4MnEWpOSe11nCjKdIvRxu5vCPH9MdpUWPavYvAB1l-vgb9WrZC2eUB0RvOm0drKXJ_Q1J9Y2VewYvdwgC5YCFWT_xMiOo_Icc0JQJkhw3ZwutniKL5p5rcFHh662I2G0o5_jgXE/s320/DSC04332.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><br /> I will throw the bones and see what turns up. Not too much it says in the lay of the bones and I have just completed[almost] my early morning tasks and now taking five listening to the Seventies Oldies on You Tube and a the moment John Denver is calling out to "Sunshine on my shoulder, makes me happy Sunshine in my eyes they make me cry, ..almost always makes me high!.. , almost always ..." " Every time i try to tell you the words came out wrong, So I just have to say I love you in a song..." ...I wonder what ever happened to Jim Croce, how old he might be? Ah just Google it if is that important...what else is there to do...if you are still following me then you are as complicit in the creation of the The Lazy Man's Club. Yes mu next venture is to start my own club out there and see if there are takers to join me in the quest in the Art of being Lazy! Yes, I believe that this is a good idea especially seeing that i am at a lost as to how to spend the rest of the morning as it is. Perhaps having a club of my own online or off might create a much more interactive and active atmosphere for the continuation of my Blogging perhaps I need to interact more and better with those alike like me in striving to understand life and what it would be like to simply surrender to being pure and simple laziness. A state of being non-interactive and less prone to overwork, a state of taking it easy and not be sucked into the rat race of so called the highway to heaven of life. It is done! <p></p><p>I suppose the next move for me is to try and write a proposal convincing myself of the feasibility of my intention , the why and how of the Lazy Man's Club. Any philosophical back ground, any physical and mental gymnastics, any sitting and facing the wall daily and asking silly questions to one self while trying to stop the mind from thinking, and then some...what would it take to say Screw it! I am tired of taking all these, I am done, time to move on , time to let go and face what is before me in the here and now and I find the Art of Being Lazy fits this purpose, just simply do nothing, No reason to move from here to there if you don't want to or simply don't feel like it. No ifs and ands, no buts and what ifs, no Sir, its only this the freedom to simply remain in the zone of laziness, immortalized as the Buddha of Laziness! Yes, awakened from the illusory realm of making things happen, the realm of mental projections, the realm the Buddhist call The Nirmanakaya of Shakyamuni Buddha; awakened completely and perfect endowed with the powers of being lazy, laid back and unmoved or attached to what is in the background, existing like a cork floating down the stream towards the river and the ocean, appearing and disappearing like the white clouds in an empty sky, there is no more an entity, no more a shadow or any other form, no more an ego making decisions or analyzing what is, no, only Laziness is present.</p><p>So! I call out to all of you who have had it enough with this Cockamamie world and this Ronald McDonald Menu we thrive on, I call to all of you come join my "Lazy Man's Club," I dare you. </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-26812774304541426022024-02-01T13:00:00.003+08:002024-02-01T13:00:16.370+08:00What is my Sadhana - My Practice?<p> Dropped my daughter off at the Airport and she is on her way to Singapore, her first flight of the year 2024 she said and not bad, Neh? Not bad at all, I said, an International Flight no less. shades of things to come perhaps! Keep up the good work and look ahead to greater experiences in your career; have fun!, I said.{ in my heart}</p><p><br /></p><p>What is Pravriti and Nivriti?</p><p>Pravriti is the out flowing of energy from the Source, from God </p><p>Nivriti is the drawing it back of the energy into the source. </p><p>After listening to one of Shunyamurti's morning Satsang on You Tube at the Satyuga Ashram or Institute, located somewhere in the foot hills of Costa Rica. I listen to his Satsang quite often, sometimes like three times a day, it helps to keep me grounded and reminded as to what I am focusing on in my Sadhana or practice at this moment in space and time. I keep drifting away from my focal point or my heart center of my being distracted by thoughts . If you wish to know further what Sadhana is you might Google it, its another key Sanskrit word worth getting to know if you are on a spiritual trip of one kind or another. I would relate the word as to mean simply practice or as a Malay Muslim would call it 'Amalan". having a path or a way towards self discovery and self liberation. Some sort of self discipline that helps to clear the straight and narrow path towards meeting your Maker when all is said and done. Any form of practice, albeit Yoga or TaiChi or ChiGung, Silat Gayung or Tae Kwon Do or Bujutsu the Sweat Lodge or Zen meditation, any kind at all, helps to keep the mind from running wild, from loosing control from becoming paranoid from feeling insecure, from depression; recognizing one's own Divine Nature is highly recommended among most ancient teaching; Sadhana is the path that leads to the unity or merging into God to become One,{not two}. "Innalillahiwa'innalillahi Rajiun, from Him I came unto Him I return. These are the last words that a Muslim would utter upon his last breath, the return to Al Hak, the owner.</p><p>The massacre in Gaza and the rest of Palestine haunts me and try as i may to avoid making any comments or judgement on the matter I am still touched painfully by concern and worry, I simply cannot look away and feel human. I am angry! As angry deep in my soul as I have ever had and I am sad, sadder than not being able to be there when both my parents passed away. I am filled with shame and remorse for my ambivalent feeling towards the plight of the Palestinian People and the ever growing tension all over the Middle East that will inevitably lead to a wider war if not trigger the Third World War, The War of Extinction. Its sad, a sad situation that humanity is facing and the powers that be are playing the same old ego game of whose dick is larger and longer and who can spit or pee farthest. It is almost like humanity is preparing to commit Sepuku or hara kiri, It is like we are choosing our path towarrds self destruction and have no idea of what to do other than up the game, apply more pressure and chest pounding to cower the opponent; what of God given Brain? Whatever happen to our sense of LOve and Compassion our tender mercies towards one another, whatever happened to Being Human, being the Caretaker, Keeper of the Planet as a responsibility bestowed upon us by our Creator, what of our Divinity? Are we to become the end of history itself as there would be no witness left to document each and every event that had led us to our demise. There would not be anyone who survive would want to or have the need to; a Nuclear War is the mother of all wars as George Galloway would say.</p><p>I have been watching too much You Tube and listening to too much false truths that flows out of the mouths of those whose swore to be the deliverers of truth so as to promote themselves and their Media personality, it is getting into my head. It is my bad. I am allowing my mind to become attached to what i see or hear and it has nothing to do with caring about or not of the bitter suffering the victims in Palestine. What can I do about it? How do I contribute my services towards procuring peace and avoiding the nightmare that lay before us if events takes their same route towards collective self destruction, what is my role in this precarious moment in the history of humanity. Where were you when they declared war against each other what were you doing while the children of Gaza screamed from beneath the rubbles like voices from Hell. Will it satisfy you ego to be able to sleep at night the rest of your life knowing that you have been complicit in butchering thousands of children so as you can claim your right; what right? You have bloody hands but choose to be blind and exist in self denial, what becomes of your children or theirs when history tells the truth. In this day and age you cannot throw the stone and hide your hand anymore, the whole world is watching you on the screen and off. O' Sons of Israel, you have fulfilled the prophecy of the Quran verses condemning you and your decedents witnessed by the rest of humanity. Ceasefire Now before you cross the line of no return. Even the Gods have limits as the amount of cruelty they allow to be committed by man over his brothers and sisters, it shame them that they too had failed to reign in the anger and vengeance that is being inflicted over one nation by another as it has been happening throughout human history. It seems like the Gods of Light is loosing out to the Lords of Darkness of the human Spirit/ What can I do?</p><p>I can do nothing! I can waste my time hankering over what is already obvious and make nothing out of it except invite depression or i can totally move on with my life being where i am at; keep doing my Sadhanas, my practices, my daily chores, my human commitments towards life as it is and make believe that all is well and as it should be. "Suffering is, None who Suffers." My practice is to silence my ego or at least reign it in from making more mistakes and inviting more attachments to the causes of pain and suffering. My Sadhana at present is to keep body and mind strong and powerful for as long as they can endure the wear and tear of time and not to neglect to purify my soul from the layers of illusions that I have accumulated for the past seventy odd years of my life. As I have said in the past, humbly with no arrogance, I refuse to die before I learn the whole truth as to why I am here or at least fully understand who I truly am. In'sha'Allah! God Willing?</p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-13913034335539443852024-01-31T12:46:00.000+08:002024-01-31T12:46:24.544+08:00Revisiting Green Bay,Wisc. -Part three<p> For eight years of my life i spent living in the cold country and came close to ending my own life twice but failed. For eight years i found friendship and love that knew no bounds. For 8 years i traded my soul for a life of hedonism and lust, I allowed my ego to rum free. I was faced with a matter of survival or freeze my ass in the cold Wisconsin night. I remember standing one evening waiting for the bus on main street with only my army jacket and long johns on underneath my sweater and it was so cold that i could feel every bone in my body and at one moment felt detached from my body and witnessed myself standing out in the cold under the street light, waiting for a bus. riding the bus was a respite from the cold and the and all along the ride I would ask of myself how and why I had ended up in such a dire state of consciousness. if I am asked what was the most beautiful about Green Bay, I would gladly say - The women! My love and respect for all of them those I have touched and they touched my life, I say I am sorry. and I am grateful and cherish every moment we shared. Thank you for being there for me when I needed you and forgive me if I hurt or made you feel bad when we parted our ways, I am sorry. The Ladies of Green Bay, I salute you better than I salute the Packers. I have had the best of times and the worse and I accept both most willingly as a part and parcel of who I was and who i have become.</p><p><br /></p><p>I found a part of me that was hidden within that surfaces in my hours of need as a guiding and protecting light or essence and I have felt this more after I was initiated into the Spiritual nature of the Silat Gayung, a Malay form of Martial Arts propagated by the Maha Guru Meor Abdul Rahman who was resident in Singapore. I was a student of the then Ketua Pejabat Ugama, or Head of the Religious Department for the State of Terengganu, Encik Abu Johan or better known to us the students as Pak Abu. In a ritual held at his house I was initiated with a Khadam or spiritual friend with a name which I cannot reveal but the name is very commonly used in the Palestinian =Israel issue and the name hails from Lebanon. There, I have practically revealed another aspect of who I was and where I have been and what I have done or experienced. Connecting the dots to my past, keeping a track record of my trip on this path to find out. At this ceremony which was held at night was witnessed by more than ten adults most having to do with the Art of Subud. "Subud is an International Interfaith Movement that began in Indonesia in the 1920s founded by Mohammad Subuh Sumohadiwidhjojo {1901 - 1987}" - Wikipedia.</p><p><br /></p><p> I was sitted in the middle of the circle and facing my instructor, the man who volunteered to give me this gift; a sprit friend from the other side. After reciting a few verses from the Quran I was instructed to empty my minds I hear the sound of hands clapping on the ceramic floor getting louder and louder as they converged and got close to me. Then with the flick of a finger at my earlobe it all fell into absolute silence. Like the main circuit breaker was ripped off the wall, total darkness and silence The sound of the TV in the next living room was gone and the sound of the clapping hands was gone and I sat there in the darkness experiencing void, emptiness I push my hand downwards, no floor. </p><p>Then I felt a presence just above my neck area and it got more and more intense until my whole body just shook, my head swung left and right so rapidly and I had no control over it and my whole body twisted and turned until came to a quiet comfortable position and I heard my Instructor introducing my spiritual friend to me. I once wrote a paper on this experience for an Interpersonal Communications Class at UWGB, it was rebuffed and frowned upon as a made up story. Danial Rosenberg was not one of my favorite professors needless to say, however I must give credit for having the Flare about him! There were good professors and there were those you can live without. The good ones you learn life's lessons and what it takes to become your dream, to transcend life's schooling and enter the major league, become awakened, become a Buddha! Step out of existence and enter Nirvana. Become liberated and free from the clinging's of Maya. Perhaps it was an illusion no doubt like all experiences ever manifest by the mind, it is all an grand illusion the will soon end on a grand scale of mass extinction and global pandemic; it is all an illusion...is it? </p><p>I have written on may postings of how i finally left Green Bay, Wisconsin at the sin of being redundant i will to give the gist of the story just so i can bring to a close this three part series of life in the Mid Western State of Wisconsin. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11701589.post-46248704530789776532024-01-28T20:27:00.002+08:002024-01-28T20:27:41.006+08:00Why Not? What better things is there to do?<p> "The sun is the same in the relative way, but you're older,</p><p> shorter of breath cause you to death.!" - Pink Floyd </p><p><br /></p><p>Just got to keep reminding this self that the time is almost at hand for a wrapping up of the whole Blogging trip. This documentation of who I am where i have been and what I have done. It is time to come up with a conclusion if not a conciliation of understanding of the why and so forth to begin with, like why did I wanted to write about myself since 1978 till this day. What was my intention, what had hoped to achieve at the end of the journey. I have spent a good numbers of hours and days if not years of my life writing down my thoughts trying to make sense out of non-sense, trying to justify though not convincing, exposing and revealing past actions and experiences that has affected my present state of being. The road that has led to this mount on top which I stand and claim my right to become that which I seek, to assume the role of a complete and perfect being -Sat - while in this realm in this time of the Kali Yuga. It is time to lay aside my ego, remove my mask and become empty of being itself, it is time to enter silence. I shall henceforth double my effort in getting my mental chatter to the most minimum like in dealing with the present day to day activity, my daily routine. To fully accept that there is no I that is doing or performing but only action itself. I may not fully succeed at doing this however i have planted the seed of awareness in this matter into my consciousness, it is my consciousness that acts or projects what is as Is.</p><p>Letting go is never easy, however letting go I must, slowly bit by bit I have to let go of the past that has taken root in my mind and keeps reemerging off and on and I have to learn to become detached from my present actions by removing myself from being a doer, a witness, an observer a documenter; I am no more. I exist and I don't, I am here and I am not, time it seems is beginning to makes less and less sense, a repetition of actions day in day out, there is change and there is no change and all relative to one's perception. I am creating illusion to destroy illusion; I am the illusion, I do not exist and it is not because i read it in a book or listened to a great Guru talk on You Tube, no it is because I have taken the long tedious road towards getting here where i am at; I have earned the rites of passage to write and admit what i wish to if it helps to heal and liberate my own splintered soul. This is and has always been one of my portal for letting go of my past, my egoic mind my deluded self, my garbage bin filled with deleted thoughts and experiences of the past ; this is my Safety Valve for the release of excess non-functional energies, my stress and tensions, my headaches and lower back pains, my doubts, paranoia and fears as I continue on this path for better or worse.</p><p>What would it be like to let go of all the narratives , the imaginations, the perceptions, the thoughts and dreams and desires, what would it be like to become free of the "I" thought. No choice to be made no desires to be fulfilled and no death to be feared of and no Suffering. As the Wise One is said to have said, "Suffering Is, None who Suffers, Nirvana, Is but none who Attains It." What would it be like to become absolutely detach from this existence itself in any form shape or presence, what would it be like if you have no idea whatsoever of who you are or what you are and all there is is just, This! , What would reality be like for you being here and now and knowing that there is no you at all to begin with, to become or not to become. Dare you take that one step beyond? or Are you even any where close to take that step into the unknown, the Void, The abyss, The Gateless Gate; choices to be made, choices that confronts your very sanity, your present state of mind, your egoic mind, that which will fight to last drop if need be to stay alive and fully convince you to become who you think you are. It is the Ego's death that needs to happen if I am to become free from all my karmic consequences of the past, present and future; I need to let go of my Ego, this personality that I have assumed over the past seventy odd years, perhaps only then would i become free of my narratives...etc.</p><p>Maha Bhava, Love and devotion to God, the Higher Order, or Supreme Consciousness and Satyam, that which is true, authentic will lead to intelligence, chit. I am just rambling off my mind so don't take too seriously of what i am sharing, I could be wrong about all these. On this Sunday morning after doing my chores and sitting for few moments to settle down I sat and watched an almost full moon setting down behind the Penang Hill while on the opposite side the sun is rising in full blaze. I told myself that i could never retell the moment, the feeling I had, the thoughts that try to scramble my silence, the stories that wanted to be told about the moment as I sat in deep meditation while focused upon a setting planet closest to mine whose presence I often took for granted. For a moment in time i felt the silence and before me stretch a bird's eye view of the whole Batu Gantung Chinese cemetery and the layout of the whole Air Itam Area with the Kek Lok Si temple sitting at the foot of the hill, with the sound of traffic and dogs barking and birds arguing, I felt the silence; I was at peace with the Whole.</p><p>Unsui, meaning clouds and water by one translation, in the Zen tradition Unsui carries a deeper meaning and that to mean the presence of impermanence in our lives. Just as the moon slipped behind the hills, a moment is lost forever just like white clouds before an empty blue sky. Such Is! A lesson learned from Buddhism, that Impermanence is the cause of suffering second only to Desire. It's my take, my understanding of what i had learned correct me if i am not accurate. Nothing is permanent or eternal in this life not that which in nature or created, nothing save the Spirit; it belongs to the Lord and will return to the Lord at the End of Days. Having knowledge of this is the cause of human suffering, he knowledge of one's own demise is imminent. This realization has laid a very strong impact upon one's own take on life, how I perceive and accept what life has pushed my way and how i have been assisted now and again by Divine Grace that every so often in some small ways had made my life not too bad after all compared to many others less fortunate. Impermanence is beacon of understanding the true nature of what life is, that we are here just for duration of time and then we move on to the next level or phase of our evolution, albeit evolving towards becoming a toad or a prince in our next cycle. off course this will not work out well if one is a Muslim or a Christian or any of the People of the Book. The believe is reincarnation is a messy subject when put in the form of comparison with other faiths; I hold a strong believe in the evolution of the Human Spirit as he live his life from cradle to grave, before and much after till he is liberated from Ignorance.</p><p>Ignorance another cause of human suffering is not just being dumb or stupid but also being too lazy to learn, to take the trouble to understand and to ask questions and demand the right answers, the Truth. Ignorance id living in a mirage created by the forms of illusions projected into being by one's own ignorant mind or the mass projections of the Conditioned Collective Minds. To overcome ignorance is another form of healing practice, practice of finding the right balance and correct doses of what we need and not what we want in order that we may live a blissful life despite all the past trials and tribulations we have been through. </p><p> </p>Shamsulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940730410191691899noreply@blogger.com0