The Colors we wear.

To pass through life with flying colors is to have lived life not just lived but lived it colorfully. You have your personal colors whereby you manifest who you truly are and your choice of colors makes for what is your art.

They could just be in black and white but they are still 'your true colors'.  True colors are the primary colors of your life, your picture, your painting, it is what the beholder sees of you, who you truly are.

Do not let others try to add mix colors to your personal pellet, your pellet is your personal color scheme where only you add and remove colors according to your whims and tastes.

Making your appearance in this world is not about being loud or raw, but it is about being subtle and smooth 

Your colors defines who you are, what your taste is like and why you shine out or fade among men.

You are not displaying your colors to please others but to make yourself feel very comfortable under any environment or circumstances; when you feel most comfortable the world too feels comfortable with you.

Vocations which we wanted to pursue, but didn't, bleed, like colors, on the whole of our existence.

Honore de Balzac

  You wear your colors for the world to see, wear it with style and make your statement stand out tall and significant or forever live in mediocrity.

What is It?

What is it that we are seeking? What is it that we are longing, searching, why is there this everlasting thisrst? J. Krishnamurti asked at the beinning of one of his final lectures at Saanen, Switzerland this question to his students.What is it that we are hungering over? He went on rambling till the end of his 'ceramah' or talk, he reached in to tear away the very fabric of my mind leaving me stranded in a moment of limbo...this is meditation he said, this 'observation or as the Buddhist would call it 'bare attention' without the mind making any form of existence, where the mind is silenced, in this silence of the mind is the original, the seed the formless, the inconspicuous, the omnipresent, omni-being state of consciousness what the Japanese would call having a Satori state of mind or what the Hindu would look at it as Moksha, or the Muslim would relate to being in Kushyuk or what the Christians would equivocate it as having a Grace. Whatever we may call it it is still that space of being in emptiness and emptiness in being. I, Am No More was the last words uttered by the Buddha before he stepped into the state of being in Pari Nirvana or the the Great Liberation.
When a student asked the Zen master to set his mind free, the master asked him to show the one holding it in captivity. Off course in the old Zen tradition the student was knocked out of his senses and had an awakening experience, a Satori, a Lightning Flash, a moment of silence, (of the mind). It is nothing special! It may last just in the blink of the eye and poof it is no more! But it was there and you were in it, being it, it was you. Now you are who you think you are and you try to recapture that feeling that moment, you try to hold to its memory for as long as you can and you start your walk down from the 'Peak of Mystic Mountain' dragging your feet.
You have to be a light to yourself, not the light of Buddha, or the light of Christ or that whatever but be the light unto yourself. Jedu Krishnamurti emphasized throughout his talks Take none as authority unto yourself, none above and none below said the Buddha as soo as he left his mother's body and after taking His first seven steps.  The Buddha was said to have stod and pointed one hand up towards the heavens while the other towards the earth , He made this universal proclamation and this in Buddhism is called taking your Dharma Stand or Position. With this stance the Buddha set forth to heal the humanity of his time; He became a truth seeker, he renounced the life that he was conditioned into by his father a great King of his time; He became a mendicant monk and later became a World and Time Honored One.

"Having no way as Way, Having no limitation as Limitation"
Bruce Lee
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Letting my mind drift.

How much influence do I really have in effecting an event in my life, how can i make things happen the way I want them to? Is it possible for me to allow for my thoughts to manifest themselves as I look to  future? How much of my life has been of my own design, my own imagination, my own creative constructions and visions. On looking back over the years i see that much of what i have been through in my life has been somewhat premeditated, I, in some small ways have conjured for the events in my life to take their courses and today as I am writing this and being of age where they call one 'Warga Emas' or golden years of age, I am seeing how i have made a strong impact upon how my life has turned out, not that all is hunky dory or perfect but it all seems to fall into sync like jigsaw puzzle almost completed except for a few missing pieces.
This is the tapestry of my life, it is full of meaningless rags and colorful patches, it is like a landscape that is painted by an artist who is not too concern with the taste of colors or the time of day, this tapestry is a random splashes of errors and imperfect choices but when view all together it all makes one complete whole sense; it is an abstract work of art. I am not claiming of any super power or paranormal ability but simply observing that over the years I have dreamed and visualized what it would be or should be like for me and all that is a part of me and it all has more or less come to pass, some more vividly than others. It strikes me as I am writing that nothing is really impossible if one really puts one's mind to it as they say, only thing is for one to realize that it is truly happening and to do so one has to keep a close awareness of one's progress in life. This is what getting to discover who you are is all about, keeping a close tab of your journey's progression like keeping a log or a diary in the mind, or a mental diary as they call it. This is easier for those who have a good handle on how to meditate as it the act meditation one can filter and store what is most relevant about one's life and delete the rest that are just dross and non essentials thus allowing for better recollection and reflections.
Where would I be now had it not been for my ability to maintain a close watch over where i have been, what have become of me now is what i had set into motion when i was able to see the importance of taking a closer look at how my mind works and what it is capable of and how I the entity that is aware of this can help to make it work the way I want it to. It is not a matter of control or manipulation, but it is more like working with and understanding or an instrument or a tool that has it own specific functions and if and when instructed in the proper manner will accomplish beyond expectations. Give the brain cells right instructions and the mind right ideas and you will reap right results at the right time and moment. If you have learned to meditate you would have also learned to develop patience and perseverance, love and compassion and these are the ingredients of what it takes to bring about a creative and productive mind that is human in nature, a mind that will lead you into the realm of the divine in the human spirit, a real where you get to come closer to your true nature, your Unborn Buddha Nature, your Perfect Soul, your Atman.
So is there a possibility that you as a human being is truly a master of you own destiny? Your own circumstances, your own environment? Or are you merely existing like another piece of the puzzle which is yet to fit into the whole that is the sum total of who you are? Who is the one one putting all the pieces together? Who is the one holding the strings to the puppet, are you the puppet or the puppeteer? The choice is yours to make, it has always been for this is what makes you a living Buddha, a Christ or the Prophet, you are made of the same stuff, you originate from the same root and you have the  right to be who you truly are, if only you are awaken from this realm of existence that is mind created and egoic, self serving mode you call life. A life that is full of vexations and suffering, of frustrations and despair, a life that is fleeting and illusive; perhaps it is time for a change in how we look at it. It is time to unveil and discover what lies beyond, it is perhaps time to claim what is truly yours as a human being and why not?

Still, this too will pass

Have been very much under the weather with cough and sore throat and chest pains and lack of the desire to eat and tires easily; blame it on the weather. I most probably have one thing or another that will spell my end but till it hits me i am not going to let it be a cancer case and die of worry and stress. Cut back some on my smoking is all i can do and get enough decent sleep, otherwise I am just letting it work its course out and move on with what needs to be dealt with. It seems like the will to do more than is necessary is no more there and i am getting less and less focused on what is at hand, loosing touch with my old spirit of action and adventure. But then again, 'and this too will pass..' I look forward to taking a trip to the East Coast with my son and let him enjoy the South China Sea and her beaches..Perhaps it is time for me to swallow a few gulps of that salty water to clean up my insides like I used to in the old days living in Terengganu.

Whatever it is that is ailing me it is not just physical, not just your average aches and pains, I feel somewhat sad or even depressed despite the fact that three of my children are here together with me and they are all doing their thing quite admirably as well as to be expected and by right there is some sense of pride to be felt as a father, but I still feel this emptiness within, like something is missing, a sense of loneliness deep within, perhaps like a spiritual longing that needs to be fulfilled. All of the above or none of the above, whatever it is it is not a good feeling to have no matter sick or otherwise and i have to get to the bottom of this sooner or later.It seems as one gets older in age one becomes more and more absorbed in the little things in life, like old ladies fussing over linens and rags from the closet leftover from time gone by; what to keep what to get rid of. So am I looking into my mind and weeding out and sieving what is no more valid and what is useful to take along with me into the future; I am perhaps unconsciously doing my spring cleaning in preparation for the coming days ahead. 

Am I going through some form of changes that I am not aware of in the event of my ageing process, my mind taking its cue at long last in manifesting what is emptiness of being, that state of not having anymore attachment to life as it is manifested by my mental images. I feel like Gautama, when he was dissatisfied with the protected life he was living, a life of grand illusion created by his father to protect him from the experience of suffering, keeping him safe in the comfort zone of life. Not that I am living in any form of comfort zone as it is but, still i do not feel the challenge, I could spend the whole day watching movies on 'Youtube' and there is no one to stop me, what a waste that would be. Yes i miss the organic farm somewhere out there in the foothills of Belantik, in Sik, Kedah.

Is this all there is to life? What more am I to expect? I can feel the pains of death approaching me but in what form i am yet not sure and I hope that when i get hit by it it will not be a prolonged agony of pain and uncertainty, I pray that it will be swift. Sadly enough life is really not what it cracked out to be, at least not in this life and i cannot speak for what lies in the after. In more than one ways the Buddha was right, Life is indeed suffering and especially for those who suffers in ignorance. The way to liberation is for those who is awakened from this long sleep that we have been sucked into and the aspiration to break free from the slumber before it turns into a nightmare.Perhaps there is nothing worse than being dead while in your sleep because you will never know then if you are really dead or not, or if you are still dreaming.

Am I obsessed with death? I should be! It is the only thing that is as real as it gets in this life and it does not take one to be old for it to happen, so should I not be obsessed? Perhaps not, perhaps just being totally aware in consciousness as to the whole process of living itself is what understanding death is all about; what good is the end when you have not tasted the beginning and the journey in between. What good is life if you have given it all you got but play it safe and swindle you way through all in the name of survival and in the end try to justify yourself as to how and why you did what you did just to save your skin from the fires of hell.(if you are a believer). Such is ultimate suffering and it is all in the mind, mind created and mind designed. To be be liberated is to be free from mental delusions, from mental images and mind created egoic perceptions. To break free from the shackles of ignorance and blindness of spirit, to become one with That which is Truth in its Divine nature. (call It what you like.)   

Yes I am in physical if not psychological and emotional pain, I am having a flu, sore throat and the works but this too will pass. Out there somewhere my children all four of them are doing their thing, it is their time as mine is about expires and what more can I ask for but a smooth transition into the next phase of existence whatever that may be I will accept it. I have lived and cannot say that i have wasted my life doing it because my life with all its ups and downs is still worth relating and worth for some to read about. Only now it is time to prepare to face my death which aught to be a little more challenging as it is a journey into the unknown, a 'One step beyond' where none has return to tell tales about it.  .

Weapons of Choice

Loose ends.

We live in a world of many facets, many themes, many facades and charades and we live in a world of make believe, of mind created imagery, we live in many dimensions and levels of consciousness that we are saturated with, being a captive of Maya. Our self created believe system is evolving into a reality, manifesting itself in so many different ways good and not so good and yet we have come a great distance of having a good understanding of who we truly are above and beyond the life we live today as who we have been thinking we are. We are collectively slightly awakened to our self created realities like the mystery of a missing Boeing 777 Jet liner. the longer and more bitter drought, the incessant urge to kill one another over the most of trivial matters. We are evolving in mind and spirit and this evolution will gather momentum and  proportion and it will unleash humanity's collective intelligence in the face of this global decadence.We have no choice but have to if we are to survive our self created chaos from our own sense of Greed, Hate and Ignorance.
Maya is like a Mirage, an illusion , magic, Maya is what the ordinary mind perceives as its reality; Maya is a veil illusive and transient, Maya is fleeting and living in it is like living in a dream, a consciousness where one has little control over but have the grand illusion that you do. When you stop questioning who you truly are rigormortis sets in and you are slowly sucked into the realm of petrified existence, a realm where you simply exist, for no apparent good reason you are here to live out your allotted time on this planet. You die not knowing the reason why you were here in the first place. What was your original intention your "Nawa'itu" your Niat, what was it this covenant you made with your Lord for being in this form, the top of the food chain, most highly evolve specie, brain wise, highly evolved specie when it comes to Love and Compassion, Greed and Hate, we are human, Homo Sapiens,  descended from the Java man: we rule! What is it that we had promise to do or become or achieve that would be of significant towards others while are alive in this life.Most of us forgets this moment of truth the moment when mind stops and sees itself for what it is and come to an understanding that there is s sense of purpose to life. Why I am here, perhaps I will never fully understand but little by little I am beginning to see the truth of what is hidden behind the veils of Maya
Humanity needs Healing. Humanity needs to be Awakened, Humanity needs to be Alive and Aware.I am Humanity, you are too and together, collectively, with One intention we can raise the healing energy within each and every one of us to bring healing to this our suffering planet.
Learn how to meditate. Take any form of meditation practice and hold on to it til it becomes a part of you in your daily life.. Sitting or walking meditation Tibetan or Japanese form of Meditation, Sufi or Yogic form of meditation, choose one and practice to the best of your ability, make it a habit. This is one way you start to to get to know your physical self better if not your spiritual self. Meditation as testified by all the great masters East and West, is the key towards unlocking the doors in your consciousness. In perfect meditative state, the mind has come to rest, the mind is no more...only what is... Is. In this state of mind-less-ness, a space is present where he answer to your questions are manifested out of the blue, why am I here in the first place? The religious accepts it as predestined, it is all written in the 'Loh Mahfus" or the 'Book of Life' and it will all be revealed before the Lord on Judgement Day. And the Zen master would ask, so why the extra effort? And the Buddha said for so long as there is suffering in this realm of the NIrmanakaya, I will return as a Bodhisatva and serve humanity, I am the Guru, the teacher the fisherman and the painter, I am the farmer and i am the carpenter; as whatever form I choose to return as I will help to deliver Beings from ignorance, from hate and from greed.
Through the simple practice of breathing, or prnayama yoga system of meditation, or Zazen form of breathing meditation, you can bring your thoughts under control. You can easily remove yourself from your thinking mind and become perfectly present in the moment just an observer and the observed. You become 'Centered', This Is It! You! What an immense experience, what a simple truth. To be awakened is like being snapped out of a dream into a state of wakefulness, Once you experience an awakening you will never forget it and it becomes just like any ordinary thing in your life after awhile. Nothing special. You then wait for the next and the next event that will lead you this sate of consciousness through mindfulness Practice and Meditation. Work you must like all else that is of value in life; earn it.

The One Malaysia Family

 Penang Island is a melting pot of migrant workers where historically the Chinese and the Hindus came over form China and India to work for the British on estate and plantations all over the country these can be said were the first generation families along with migrants from nearby Indonesian and Thailand who mostly arrived to become farmers and gatherers in the more remote parts of the Malay Peninsular. They came via Georgetown most of the em especially the Chinese and the Indians courtesy of the East India Company which had great interest in the resources of the neighboring states of Kedah and Perak s well other than the Penang Island itself. George was the hub of the political as well as the economic administration of the British Colonial Rule in  the country. The Malays back then were primarily farmers and fishermen and were tied to their rulers in the form of a Sultanate. 

My grand father was from Ceylon or today known as Sri Lanka and he married my grand mother who he met in Deli, near Medan Sumatra. What he was doing in the neck of those woods back in the very early nineteen hundred is another mystery, but suffice to say he was an artist. My mother was born in Medan Sumatra and met my father  a gold smith from Ceylon or Sri Lanka when the family escaped from Sukarno's wrath during his pogrom of Sultanates and Malay Rulers, to Georgetown, Penang. Why they had to escape? That is another mystery and takes some telling; however briefly my grand mother was related to the Sultan in Deli or Medan or so they say, but that is what rumor has it.

So I am a child as so my siblings born out of a mix marriage between hereditary cultures and faith of different countries and  my DNA should trace it all the way to two separate gene pool. Wow! Look at this family, the father a Chinese and the mother an Indian and the child they call a Chindian looks every bit a typical Malay child. I hope someday he will grow up to claim his right as the true Malaysian by birth and many many more like him will help to erase the racial demarcation between our different races in this country.

I hope many, many more like him will be born to rip apart the bonds of racial prejudice and religious extremism in this country. I hope that many, many more like him will grow up and claim they of one race and one only, Malaysians. 

I hope he will grow up to experience a country from Racial bigotry and religious persecution .

So I stood with this special child in my hands wishing and hoping that one day the children like thes will help to bind and heal all the broken dreams and the shattered hopes of their forefathers to build this country. For they are the future of this nation..

A message to Able Thinking Malaysians from Raja Petra Kamaruddin

BREAKING FROM THE HERD

"In the 1970s, I believed in religion. Today, I think that religion is the cause of most of the world’s problems and that you can still believe in the existence of God if you so wish without believing in any religion."
In the 1970s, I believed in politics. Today, I think that politics is the cause of most of the world’s problems and that the focus should no longer be about winning elections or changing governments but about changing society or the way that society thinks.
The truth is the real problem lies with us, not with the political parties that we support or oppose. The real problem is in the way we think. Malaysians are no longer a nation of thinkers. We are a nation of herds, as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself pointed out. And herds are incapable of thinking — if not they would not be herds.
it is futile to discuss religious, political, social, economic, governance, etc., issues unless we can first accept that the fault lies with us. Society needs to change. Our mentality needs to change. Our values need to change. Our ideals need to change. And only when we can accept this will real change be possible.

Many of you are still bogged down in determining the outcome of the 14th General Election that must be held by March 2018. Continue doing that. I want to look at what is going to happen after March 2018, whoever may be in power at that time. This is the change that concerns me. And this change will never happen unless Malaysians can first reformat their mind and install a new operating system of liberalism and a civil society not restricted by race, religion and politics.

So forgive me you Malaysian Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., plus you Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat supporters. You are all my enemies because you are all obstacles to change. Hence I am going to attack the whole lot of you like I have been doing since 2010. That is my mission these last few years of my life here on earth."

Malaysia Today

I could not say it better as this is my sentiments exactly where the status of this country is concern and the scary horizon that it is headed towards..A country that has just about every resources and is protected from major natural disasters, a country that is rich in history culture and religions as it is claimed a True Asia in nature is today one of the most corrupted, religiously myopic and hugely in debt to other nations; we are it seems receding back into a Third World country status.

The question will always remain , how to educate the masses towards achieving a mind shift that will help us move forward collectively despite our differences in color or creed. How many read, how many read blogs such as this and how many will take the trouble to spread the knowledge fro having read to those who are illiterate.Any government worth its salt would take to heart these words by the self exile 'True Believer ' in the form of a mixed blooded prince whose crusade in life has been to be the voice and conscience of the people of this country.

I raise my hat to him.

This how I feel about UMNO in Penang.

Night out trip with Timo.

Stopped by Padang brown food square for a light dinner and met my close neighbor and her family. We call her Zawiah Gemok or Fat Zawiah and we grew up together since childhood in the old Sungai Pinang, Kampung Selut era.

Padang Brown or Brown's Field was named after one Mr. Brown during the colonial era, a man who practically own half of the old Georgetown before the Independence. Brown Gardens was also named after him located in the Gelugor area of the MInden Heights and USM. The areas were once plantations for local crops like the Nutmeg and Areca nut which were exported from Penang.
The mutton and chicken soup was great dipped with the Roti Bengali or Brngali bread and wash it down with a bowl of cold  Leng Chi Kang a special Chinese drink comes hot or cold another Penang special just like the 'chendoi' a mamak or indian Muslim kind of drink.

Batu Ferringi at night where all the major hotels like the Ras Sayang and Golden Sands are located along the beach front. The roaside night bazar where toruists from all over the world come to shop for souvinirs and keepsakes.. Batu Ferringi is located on the Northwestern shores of the Island. Used to be where I would go for a swim in the ocean and later when a little older was where I spent my time hanging out with my girl friend in the sixties and seventies.

Not too many customers on the weekdays but the place is crowded on weekend nights.

I scream for Ice cream. 

Putting hena tatoo on a customer with major smiles.

Timo getting his carricature portrait done by two of Rashid's students, Paiiz and Azmi who has their live sketch booth close by.

                                                                           

 Sorry can't do much about the problem tried as I may to correct it.

Another Day with Timo.

Desperados!  The last picture of my long hair. After this no more Mr. nice guy, I am simply Sam and no more Samson.

 action at Gala House.

One for posterity

You ask to work now you got work.

We did this before in Dubai haven't we?

They ask to do this painting in one week, but i think they will have to fix the leak in the roof and redo the wall professionally.

 The dampness of the wall keeps the filler from sticking and will the same to acrylic paint. 

What happened the day after we tried applying the filler.

A major leak in the roof  at one corner of the wall which needs to be looked into first. So project will be put on hold.

How do you Really feel, Bahari?

My intention of taking a leave of absence from anything to do with art was short lived after my son Timo arrived as he aspires to become another suffering starving artist as a way of life just like his Dad. So my plans of traveling around the nooks and crannies of this country is being put on hold for his benefit and my daughter's being in Penang for the next two months.

I have to play host and dad to my children making sure that they have all they need and then some. Karim is sort of happy in his own world of 'Warcraft' in between college and flipping burgers. Timo is slowly recovering from his Jet lag and Marissa is happy as a lark with two brothers to handle and I miss my eldest in this equation In the past few days I met up with a few of my close artist friends and chatted about the art scene in Georgetown, some are doing very well while others are still dragging along surviving as they have been all these while.

The Georgetown art scene is a Chinese dominated scene, things run by Chinese, organized by Chinese, bought by Chinese, bought and appreciated by mostly the Chinese. It is the people on the street that really genuinely appreciates what an artist does on the street. It gives you a sense of humility and purpose to have and audience while you are sketching, especially when they are children

I have done this scenario in many parts of the world in my life and I never regret one moment of it but savor the wonder of being the center of attraction for what I do.This is my way of saying 'Alhamdullilah! Thank you my Lord for this opportunity to serve You , this is the precious moment in my life of what I call , Being an artist.Knowing hoe to paint and draw is just half of it.

This 'blogging, this writing of my life as closest to the truth I could get, is another part of who I am. I call myself the  Cheeseburger Buddha." Why the Cheeseburger Buddha? a lady i was telling it to a young Chinese  lady asked me while Timo and I were  working on the GALA HOUSE Restaurant. Good question, I said, please read my blog. I live life itself as an art, (of sharing), of relationship, of caring and understanding, of making mistakes and forgiving and i could go on repeating like a broken record of Love and Compassion, expressing it in public, unconditionally, this too is what I call Being and artist.

Glamour comes uninvited! This too is perhaps what I consider Being an artist is all about. I am fine, I am keeping the balance still, my eyes are failing me sadly enough and i am starting to feel Arthritic aches and pains in my body some to do with working in the cold Winters of Wisconsin at one time for three years in a  Meat Packing Plant, among other causes like Fishing in the frigid cold of the Bering Sea  of the Pacific Northwest, could also be the result of long 'sittings' in meditation while studying Zen at Green Gulch, in Marin County, Ca. or perhaps part of the accidents i had while teaching the art of Silat Seni Gayong. in the East Coast and here in Georgetown! Well, i could go on telling my 'fish tales', but suffice to say ...I am not feeling too bad...Really!

My son meets his uncle Lee.

There are a few things that can bring you down and set your emotions on warp drive in the course of a day and today my twin brother wrote on face book telling my son Karim to stop being a retard and grow up tob e a somebody and this from a picture of Karim acting like a hoodlum with his Chinese college friend. The picture was taken after their performance where both played the role of thugs in a short video clip, as school project. Karim apologized to my twin brother and explained the story behind the picture. if I were my twin i would feel like a fool for making such negative judgement towards my nephew especially on Face Book where everyone reads that is connected or related to Karim and I. I replied asking him to apologize so that the respect Karim has for him is not jeopardized. He also failed to realize that Karim is an adult now and calling him boy is an insult to him even if it is from me his father.

Love comes from the heart and the heart is forgiving.

In good times and in bad, you still are my brother.

Now I am convinced of how my twin feels about me and my children, he has a very low opinion of us and is ever ready to pass harsh judgement to tear us down, which kind of reminds me of the letter I received when I was having a great time in Bali of which is still contained in this blogging as a reminder of those who have a tough time giving compliments and most happy when you are at their mercy and in need. Ironic that we came into this world half and hour apart from each other , that we looked so much alike that even his children could not make the difference at one time. I abide by the Islamic tenets that i cannot break the bonds between me and my blood brothers and sisters no matter how bad things get between us. My children are still looking for themselves where they stand as far as religions goes and this incident of calling one of them a retard where the rest cannot avoid but read is a very un-Muslim like, and what did the Prophet of Allah had to say about this in his hadith about this?.

"If you consider mindfulness as a means of having a lot of money, then you have not touched its true purpose... It may look like the practise of mindfulness but inside there's no peace, no joy, no happiness produced. It's just an imitation." - Thay in his latest interview with The Guardian

And this too will pass...I hope we learn as we move along this treacherous path we call our lives each of us carrying our own shit loads. We believe what we will and have our own opinions, our own conditioned way of looking at life,; perhaps a little sensitivity, a little 'more towards the positive than adding to the already murky waters' kind of sharing ourselves with others. When we wish to look for the ugly side of the person we can rise hell itself, but to find the goodness in a man all you have to do is feel good in yourself for him. A  brother at the Zen center in San Francisco once said to me, "Sham, compassion is the ability to allow for someone else to exist in your heart, create the space." Thank you David L. All it is is the 'Return to Innocence' of who we truly are, a 'tabula rasa' or empty page, letting it all become a lesson in life, what is living? How do avoid living in constant conflict, how do we avoid hurting each other and learn to accept and love one another unconditionally like a mother loving her child from the day he or she was born till the day she dies. I read the Dalai Lama in one of his teaching was said to have said that "All santient beings are our mothers in the this evolution of life called incarnation." or some thing like that, read it quite sometime ago while standing in a book section aisle and reading while waiting for my daughter does her shopping. It could have been a book on the works of Nagarjuna, or it have been a dissertation on the works of Shantideva, or was it , well one of those works which talked about the Bodhisatva's vows.

I believe in servitude as my prayer, as my way of saying thank you Lord for allowing me to be awakened to this life among my fellow men and allowing me till this moment able to share my thoughts and feelings about what I see, feel and experiences. I serve my children, I serve my relatives and friends, Serve my community and state, I serve my country in the best way I know how and so will my children if they understand me. I have brought them into this world  knowing that it is full of suffering, I am their father and it is upon me to make as much sense out of life in order that it will ease their burden as they walk through their lives, by my sharing of who or what I am I hope in some small way they will understand better why there is so much pain in their lives and hopefully they too will become servants of my Lord. Ram Dass, the servant of God, the ultimate sacrifice of servitude in serving the Lord of Hanuman for Ram and Sita.
"La kum di nu kum, wali adin", you have your way i have mine, we will never be the samebut along the way we can share our burden and attain the mindfulness of enlightenment.

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