A beautiful ending

Just last Friday, my left eyelid was twitching badly. Master told me to pull my eyelid skin hard and to damp it with water to stop the twitching which supposedly does not convey any impending good news.

True enough, on Saturday, I heard from my good friend, Boon Eng that her grandmother had passed away. She was 104. The grand old lady was admitted to the hospital the week before and had struggled with chest pains. Towards the end, between unconsciousness and a weak state of being unable to speak, she could still recognise her more than a hundred of family members who visited her. When Boon Eng and her mom told grandmother that she would get well and go home soon, her grandmother shook her head. On Friday, unbearable to see her grandmother endured the painful jabs which had swell her arms and at the risk of further infection, Boon Eng and her mom whispered to her grandmother gently, asking her not to worry about the family as they can take care of themselves, asking her to go in peace if she was suffering much pain. On Saturday morning, she passed away peacefully.

The press had come to interview the family because grandmother was 104! They learnt that grandmother was a buddhist who lives simply, not fussy about food, turned vegetarian during the 1st and 15th of each lunar month. She also drank a bottle of chicken essence everyday.

The monk who presided the prayer chanting session for grandmother told the family that the night before, Buddha had appeared in his dream, and had asked him to come and offer 3 lotus flowers on grandmother’s altar. This was a very auspicious sign. I also chanted my own prayers for grandmother, praying that the Buddha and all the tataghatas are with her during this time and to guide her to Amitabha Buddha Pureland or to have a good rebirth. I told Boon Eng to do the same prayer. During this period for 49 days, grandmother’s spirit remains in the Bardo state (where the soul left the body and is in the ethereal state of awareness) before heading towards Pureland.

During the last night of prayers before the funeral, strangely 2 house flies were seen flying around her family throughout the session and eventually landed on the palm of Boon Eng’s mom, before flying off. Grandmother’s own daughter in law had also passed away a few days back. They believed that the houseflies were grandmother and her daughter in law, both in the ethereal state, saying good bye to the family. They were hugely relieved and happy that the Buddha was with them. Grandmother looked peaceful. She was indeed blessed. Om ami dewa hrih.

Utterly spoilt?

Yes, I admit I had to be the doting aunt who spoil my niece and nephew silly.

I just can’t resist buying kids stuff for Raee and Raegan. Especially little girl’s stuff… I am spoilt for choice, there are millions to choose from, toys, dresses, books, quirky stuff, cute stuff etc…. Raee loves the Sleeping Beauty Princess Aurora, so I almost went crazy with her, looking at Aurora’s dresses, tshirts, bags, stationary (the whole set), books, Aurora dolls, water bottles, slippers/shoes etc…. Last time it was Powerpuff Girls. Not forgetting Barbie. On top of this, she loves all things pink, girly nail polish, little trinkets, little make up kits, little soft toys. She also loves art and craft…ie. the beads making kit, materials to make a diary, the tattoe-making machine, ice cream sticks to make houses….. the list is endless….. there are also CDs, VCDs, movies ……and I buy them sweets, chocolates, Pocky sticks, chicken biscuits, crackers, lollipops etc etc… every other day. I am utterly spoilt for choices. Bloody clever retailers *sigh*

Raegan’s 4th birthday is coming up next month 11 October and I have already started shopping for his gift/s. This year, I gather I will most probably end up with a big “hamper” for him. One by one, I have found so many items which might capture his fancy. As of now, I have bought him a mini Batman driving game, a Gransazer toy model, a colourful cute shirt and an Espirit Tshirt, and OshKosh sandals! My sis is going to scold me silly, I know. But nevermind, their excited looks and happy smiles make each time worth it, every time.

My thinking is, since the parents are strict, why can’t I be the doting aunt? When my sis and I were young, we did not have so many toys to play with or “luxuries” like Raee. Each small item of Hello Kitty, Little Twin Stars, My Melody we did own, we treasured it like there were no tomorrow. I just do not want my niece and nephew to feel deprived, like we did. After all, they are only kids ONCE.

We should treat each day as if its our last, then we can appreciate people and things around us better. That’s my attitude now…. since I treat each day as my last, I will want to buy all the things in the world that I can afford for my niece and nephew, simply because, what if I cannot do it the next day? I believe kids should have a sweet memory of their childhood and of the people that are a part of their childhood memories. They are a part of my sweet memories, and I hope to be the same for them too.

“Because everything changes from moment to moment,we can only treasure everything in this moment.” – Stonepeace

Utterly spoilt?

Yes, I admit I had to be the doting aunt who spoil my niece and nephew silly.

I just can’t resist buying kids stuff for Raee and Raegan. Especially little girl’s stuff… I am spoilt for choice, there are millions to choose from, toys, dresses, books, quirky stuff, cute stuff etc…. Raee loves the Sleeping Beauty Princess Aurora, so I almost went crazy with her, looking at Aurora’s dresses, tshirts, bags, stationary (the whole set), books, Aurora dolls, water bottles, slippers/shoes etc…. Last time it was Powerpuff Girls. Not forgetting Barbie. On top of this, she loves all things pink, girly nail polish, little trinkets, little make up kits, little soft toys. She also loves art and craft…ie. the beads making kit, materials to make a diary, the tattoe-making machine, ice cream sticks to make houses….. the list is endless….. there are also CDs, VCDs, movies ……and I buy them sweets, chocolates, Pocky sticks, chicken biscuits, crackers, lollipops etc etc… every other day. I am utterly spoilt for choices. Bloody clever retailers *sigh*

Raegan’s 4th birthday is coming up next month 11 October and I have already started shopping for his gift/s. This year, I gather I will most probably end up with a big “hamper” for him. One by one, I have found so many items which might capture his fancy. As of now, I have bought him a mini Batman driving game, a Gransazer toy model, a colourful cute shirt and an Espirit Tshirt, and OshKosh sandals! My sis is going to scold me silly, I know. But nevermind, their excited looks and happy smiles make each time worth it, every time.

My thinking is, since the parents are strict, why can’t I be the doting aunt? When my sis and I were young, we did not have so many toys to play with or “luxuries” like Raee. Each small item of Hello Kitty, Little Twin Stars, My Melody we did own, we treasured it like there were no tomorrow. I just do not want my niece and nephew to feel deprived, like we did. After all, they are only kids ONCE.

We should treat each day as if its our last, then we can appreciate people and things around us better. That’s my attitude now…. since I treat each day as my last, I will want to buy all the things in the world that I can afford for my niece and nephew, simply because, what if I cannot do it the next day? I believe kids should have a sweet memory of their childhood and of the people that are a part of their childhood memories. They are a part of my sweet memories, and I hope to be the same for them too.

“Because everything changes from moment to moment,we can only treasure everything in this moment.” – Stonepeace

One of a kind

Being kind to you is being kind to me, as we are one of a kind and kind of one.
– Stonepeace

One of a kind

Being kind to you is being kind to me, as we are one of a kind and kind of one.
– Stonepeace

No Motivation

The following is taken from my guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Advice Book. One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s students, who is a famous singer from Hong Kong, had expressed a wish to make a CD for the one of Rinpoche’s projects. Meanwhile, Coca Cola had asked her to make a CD for them and she felt no inspiration to make it, but had a deadline to do so. Rinpoche sent her the following message at that time.

You should pray before beginning your recording to have a virtuous motivation. The motivation becomes the thought of benefiting other sentient beings, which allows the action of recording the song to become Dharma, virtue, a cause of happiness, and for it not to become negative karma. This way you are protected from creating negative karma.

Pray like this: “Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, by sentient beings, and me, whoever sees this CD, whoever touches this CD, whoever hears this CD, thinks of it, dreams of this CD, whoever talks about this CD, and also myself, may they never, ever be reborn in the lower realms. May they immediately be liberated from all disease, such as cancer or AIDS, from mental problems, negative karmic defilements, and spirit harm, and may they actualize the whole path to enlightenment, especially loving-kindness, bodhicitta, renouncing the “I,” and cherishing others, with each person becoming the source of happiness for all sentient beings, including the sentient beings of other worlds.”

Practice this each time you start work. Then, at the end, when you stop, you can also dedicate the merits in the same way, but especially dedicate so that this CD may offer extensive benefit to all sentient beings and bring them to enlightenment as quickly as possible. If you motivate yourself in that way, it can have this effect, causing everyone to develop a good heart, loving-kindness, and compassion for every sentient being. If one person is able to generate a good heart, thousands of sentient beings can receive limitless benefits from that person. On the basis of their not receiving any harm, they gain only peace and happiness. Not giving any harm, that’s the peace you can give. Then, that person specifically benefits others, by giving them the four types of happiness: the happiness of this life, of future lives, liberation, and enlightenment. One person can cause all this for others.

This above singer is none other than Faye Wong.

No Motivation

The following is taken from my guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Advice Book. One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s students, who is a famous singer from Hong Kong, had expressed a wish to make a CD for the one of Rinpoche’s projects. Meanwhile, Coca Cola had asked her to make a CD for them and she felt no inspiration to make it, but had a deadline to do so. Rinpoche sent her the following message at that time.

You should pray before beginning your recording to have a virtuous motivation. The motivation becomes the thought of benefiting other sentient beings, which allows the action of recording the song to become Dharma, virtue, a cause of happiness, and for it not to become negative karma. This way you are protected from creating negative karma.

Pray like this: “Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, by sentient beings, and me, whoever sees this CD, whoever touches this CD, whoever hears this CD, thinks of it, dreams of this CD, whoever talks about this CD, and also myself, may they never, ever be reborn in the lower realms. May they immediately be liberated from all disease, such as cancer or AIDS, from mental problems, negative karmic defilements, and spirit harm, and may they actualize the whole path to enlightenment, especially loving-kindness, bodhicitta, renouncing the “I,” and cherishing others, with each person becoming the source of happiness for all sentient beings, including the sentient beings of other worlds.”

Practice this each time you start work. Then, at the end, when you stop, you can also dedicate the merits in the same way, but especially dedicate so that this CD may offer extensive benefit to all sentient beings and bring them to enlightenment as quickly as possible. If you motivate yourself in that way, it can have this effect, causing everyone to develop a good heart, loving-kindness, and compassion for every sentient being. If one person is able to generate a good heart, thousands of sentient beings can receive limitless benefits from that person. On the basis of their not receiving any harm, they gain only peace and happiness. Not giving any harm, that’s the peace you can give. Then, that person specifically benefits others, by giving them the four types of happiness: the happiness of this life, of future lives, liberation, and enlightenment. One person can cause all this for others.

This above singer is none other than Faye Wong.

Superman

Sometimes we do have complaints about work, about our colleagues, about our bosses. I suddenly have the motivation to write about my boss.

We nicknamed my boss “Superman”, but not for what you think. He has guided me in my not-so-smooth career over these few years. He urged us at the right timing, and pressured us to produce the end results. He once quipped: “If you guys can hit your quota and whatever you’ve forecasted by this year end, I will run around in the streets in my underwear!” Of course many a times, I felt stressed over work, overloaded, over sensitive issues, over his unfair treatment. But at the end of the day, I still think Superman is a nice guy. He is a kind man.

I often remind myself of the following advice from my guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche whenever I felt angry with boss:

It is already a great success just to be able to work with your boss at all. He is doing the same job for you as a virtuous friend, or guru. A virtuous friend removes delusions. Regard him as your Dharma path for removing delusions.

The main enemy of enlightenment, the main obstacle to generating bodhicitta, the main obstacle to making our life most useful for all sentient beings, is ego. Your boss is here to destroy the ego, which brings all the obstacles in life. In terms of renunciation, also think, “He is helping me, destroying my thoughts of worldly Dharma, destroying pride, which interferes with my developing qualities of mind.”

Thanks, boss.

Superman

Sometimes we do have complaints about work, about our colleagues, about our bosses. I suddenly have the motivation to write about my boss.

We nicknamed my boss “Superman”, but not for what you think. He has guided me in my not-so-smooth career over these few years. He urged us at the right timing, and pressured us to produce the end results. He once quipped: “If you guys can hit your quota and whatever you’ve forecasted by this year end, I will run around in the streets in my underwear!” Of course many a times, I felt stressed over work, overloaded, over sensitive issues, over his unfair treatment. But at the end of the day, I still think Superman is a nice guy. He is a kind man.

I often remind myself of the following advice from my guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche whenever I felt angry with boss:

It is already a great success just to be able to work with your boss at all. He is doing the same job for you as a virtuous friend, or guru. A virtuous friend removes delusions. Regard him as your Dharma path for removing delusions.

The main enemy of enlightenment, the main obstacle to generating bodhicitta, the main obstacle to making our life most useful for all sentient beings, is ego. Your boss is here to destroy the ego, which brings all the obstacles in life. In terms of renunciation, also think, “He is helping me, destroying my thoughts of worldly Dharma, destroying pride, which interferes with my developing qualities of mind.”

Thanks, boss.