If we are happy, it is shown on our face and in the way we stand, we greet people and even the way we talk! We will skip a step as we walk. We will smile to people whom we never see before. We will whistle a happy tone and eyes will be looking at us but we don care! We are happy and we want to show it to everyone! Now when we are happy, our body will naturally react to that happiness with more happiness. We will want to be creative, we will want to do something special and we may even want to do bungee jump (maybe not me!). Anyway, we feel we can do anything and this is sensed by the million of cells in our body as they prepared to support our action! This is also why when we are positive, our cells will in turn wants to be alive too! People have recovered from diseases even hopeless situations such as terminal cancer n even paralysis to bounce back to good health. Science is not able to answer this question but buddhism has! In buddhism we engage our mind, our heart and our body. The philosophy of nichiren buddhism is one of hope and by engaging in the chanting of Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo, we are engaging this hope to be brought out from our beings! Don believe me, give it a try! There are many testimonials of such personal manifestations! Better than drugs, no negative side effect!
Well if we are hopeless, lost, sad and even discouraged, our cells will be too! We do not eat well and our digestive system will suffer. We complain of imaginable headache, pains and dispair beyond help! Remember, Human beings are resilient and we are able to overcome all obstacles, if not we won dominate the world now. Just one happy cell in the body will affect the next and the next and the next, creating a chain effect that will turn the situation around! Then we will overcome and become even stronger cos we have been to the worst and nothing can be worser. Even the most down person can pick himself or herself up if he or she truly has one happy cell left in the body! If we are still alive, there is no reason why we should not have at least one happy cell in the body!
And aptly from Words of Wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda "Ultimately, our battle is with ourselves. Whether in our activities in society, or whether in historical, political or economic developments, everything essentially boils down to a struggle between positive and negative forces."
The above is something to cheer myself on too! Happy cells vs sad cells! "Aye! Aye!" for happy cells.
Today attended the Daisaku Ikeda Annual Lecture (DIAL) at the Singapore Soka Association Headquarter. The speaker for this year is Professor Jorgen Moller, ex-Danish Ambassador to Singapore and current visiting Professor to the Institute of Southeast Asia Studies. Chairing today's lecture is Dr Vivian Balakrisnan (whom I tot is a female when i was in JC) who is a MD and a minister of parliament. The topic is "Securing Peace in Asia in the next 25 years!". Prof Moller has adapted key policies from the EU to illustrate how we can apply it to Asia. Well for the European continent to forget the atrocities that inflicted one another in the last century and come together under a common EU is no small feat. If the EU can do it, why not Asia? Particularly I like the way Professor Moller ends his lecture. He used this Viking's sayings to illustrate that the way forward is really coming together and together works towards achieving the peace and advancement that we want to see for our region! (I really like this Viking's quote but I will wait for the next SSA Times to see if they put it into text!)
Thus from me on peace: Ci vis pacem, para pacem! (If you want Peace, prepare for Peace!)
More happy cells = Happy people = PEACE!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Builder, peace loving half aries and a fool perhaps..
Did a creative style profile today and discovered that I m a builder. This means I m visually-oriented: artistic, detailed, and resourceful and also adept with the hands. Not bad, I pretty much agree with the description! Yeah!
At the same time I m a peace loving half aries cum half bull still searching for my identity in this world! I want to find my matching other half (not another half aries and half bull) to form another integrated environment that will enhance peace. Oneness of man and environment or eshofuni, the buddhist principle that says we have the power to change the environment and likewise our environment has the ability to affect our mood! Thus, should we not make it a nice and peaceful environment for all? No unnecessary fishing, hunting, gun ownership, nuclear weapons, discrimination, child labour etc! What a beautiful world!
We are all fools in some way when we stubbornly hold on to things that we know are hopeless or useless to us. However we cannot let it go because it has great sentimental and emotional value for us. Probably if we are to realise that the only thing that we will bring with us forever is our heart and memory of the heart which essentially means our soul!
From Daisaku Ikeda Sensei in Words of Wisdom "It is much more valuable to look for the strengths in others--you gain nothing by criticizing people’s imperfections.".
Below are some photos taken from Southern Ridges:
This is the famous place where the Indian scene was filmed in the local movie " Army Daze". Presenting Telok Blangah Hill!
At the same time I m a peace loving half aries cum half bull still searching for my identity in this world! I want to find my matching other half (not another half aries and half bull) to form another integrated environment that will enhance peace. Oneness of man and environment or eshofuni, the buddhist principle that says we have the power to change the environment and likewise our environment has the ability to affect our mood! Thus, should we not make it a nice and peaceful environment for all? No unnecessary fishing, hunting, gun ownership, nuclear weapons, discrimination, child labour etc! What a beautiful world!
We are all fools in some way when we stubbornly hold on to things that we know are hopeless or useless to us. However we cannot let it go because it has great sentimental and emotional value for us. Probably if we are to realise that the only thing that we will bring with us forever is our heart and memory of the heart which essentially means our soul!
From Daisaku Ikeda Sensei in Words of Wisdom "It is much more valuable to look for the strengths in others--you gain nothing by criticizing people’s imperfections.".
Below are some photos taken from Southern Ridges:
This is the famous place where the Indian scene was filmed in the local movie " Army Daze". Presenting Telok Blangah Hill!
Durians durians.. so far yet so near! Don be deceived by this photo, I had to zoom my camera len to the maximum.
The "fingers" of PSA and beholds one of the busiest port of the world!
Monday, June 9, 2008
The human spirit!
Yesterday I was wallowing in self pity because someone made me feel so EXTRA! Then, my not yet 14 yrs old cousin told me something that woke me up from my self indulgence! She told me nobody can put me down except myself! This statement penetrated and create a ripple in my mind and tots! Me as an adult who is more than double her age had to be reminded that I m my own boss and I m in control of my own feelings and determination. No one should be able to dictate my life cos is my life! A friend also reminded what Ikeda Sensei said in a guidance to the young women division (YWD). As YWD, we should not based our happiness on our partners or others. I somehow subscibe to this sayings of "我宁愿人负我，我也不愿我负人！". Just a principle to work with but sometimes is really hard to keep to it! Most of us do not like to be let down by others but we seems to be doing that constantly to people.
Quote the following from words of wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda:
"Ultimately, we are responsible for our own destiny. It may seem to us that our fate is predetermined, whether by our genes or by our environment. What really matters, however, is how we can improve ourselves from this moment forward, how we can change the circumstances that we find ourselves in. This enormous transformative force is what Buddhism is all about. In this struggle lies the source of never-ending youth and vitality."
Somehow I m always able to quote something from Ikeda Sensei that resonates my feeling. In the recent YWD Kenshu which i missed because i had lousy reasons why I cannot attend. The issues discussed is Mentor and Disciple spirit. How can we be worthy disciple of Ikeda Sensei and worthy inheritance of the Soka Gakkai movement and spirit? Sensei is what he is today because he holds his mentor deeply in his heart! His achievement is the achievements for his mentor, someone who changes him to what he is today! If we are determined to achieve something, it is not impossible. Everything is possible if we believe in it or rather we take steps in achieving it. It is no use strategising and talking while doing nothing to bring about the thing. Getting our hands dirty and our feet into the task will create something and move it nearer our goals!
The plants will always face or reach towards the sunlight! This is due to the chemicals called auxins in the plants that ensure they grow towards the sunlight which is greatly needed for photosynthesis. Without the food produced, there is no growth nor survival of the plants. Plants need to grow and they are never stagnant. The stem will grow thicker, the root will grow longer and the leaves will grow bigger too to take in the sunlight! With the stem, we can then determine the age of a trees by reading its rings! The spirit of the plants are undaunting! As the thinking species in the biological system, we should have the same undaunting system. Although we try not to grow around the waist but we should grow in our brain materials through the accumulation of wisdom and knowledge. Our spirit should be the auxins that will propel us to achieve and to reach for the growth and sunlight in our life!
Last sunday, I have also visited the Southern Ridges at the West end of Singapore. It stretches from West Coast Park to Mount Faber and this includes forest walk, hilltop walk etc. Took many photos will put up in a later blog.
Need to get back to revision for tomorrow's paper! The "never say die" human spirit will continue to strive!
Quote the following from words of wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda:
"Ultimately, we are responsible for our own destiny. It may seem to us that our fate is predetermined, whether by our genes or by our environment. What really matters, however, is how we can improve ourselves from this moment forward, how we can change the circumstances that we find ourselves in. This enormous transformative force is what Buddhism is all about. In this struggle lies the source of never-ending youth and vitality."
Somehow I m always able to quote something from Ikeda Sensei that resonates my feeling. In the recent YWD Kenshu which i missed because i had lousy reasons why I cannot attend. The issues discussed is Mentor and Disciple spirit. How can we be worthy disciple of Ikeda Sensei and worthy inheritance of the Soka Gakkai movement and spirit? Sensei is what he is today because he holds his mentor deeply in his heart! His achievement is the achievements for his mentor, someone who changes him to what he is today! If we are determined to achieve something, it is not impossible. Everything is possible if we believe in it or rather we take steps in achieving it. It is no use strategising and talking while doing nothing to bring about the thing. Getting our hands dirty and our feet into the task will create something and move it nearer our goals!
The plants will always face or reach towards the sunlight! This is due to the chemicals called auxins in the plants that ensure they grow towards the sunlight which is greatly needed for photosynthesis. Without the food produced, there is no growth nor survival of the plants. Plants need to grow and they are never stagnant. The stem will grow thicker, the root will grow longer and the leaves will grow bigger too to take in the sunlight! With the stem, we can then determine the age of a trees by reading its rings! The spirit of the plants are undaunting! As the thinking species in the biological system, we should have the same undaunting system. Although we try not to grow around the waist but we should grow in our brain materials through the accumulation of wisdom and knowledge. Our spirit should be the auxins that will propel us to achieve and to reach for the growth and sunlight in our life!
Last sunday, I have also visited the Southern Ridges at the West end of Singapore. It stretches from West Coast Park to Mount Faber and this includes forest walk, hilltop walk etc. Took many photos will put up in a later blog.
Need to get back to revision for tomorrow's paper! The "never say die" human spirit will continue to strive!
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