Friday, December 19, 2008

On vacation

I'm heading out to California this Sunday to spend some quality time at my favorite hideout at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas. That's in northern Cal.


This is a picture of a place near Bear Creek, where I had my first "awakening". A place where I was asked to go in my late teens to face my fears. Alone. Its a place I went back to in subsequent years to unplug form The Matrix and practice my martial arts.

I will be back Dec. 3oth. Till then I will not be updating this blog.

Take care and have a happy holiday!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Life off the grid

I grew up a very "socially engaged" kid. That means I was always in the company of people. I partied seriously in school. I hung out with two very different crowds in college. One as a normal frat-boy and the other as something probably shaped me into what I am today - a hybrid of Eastern and Western personalities. I learned to feel equally at home in the suburbs of New York as I do in the suburbs of Beijing. I learned to look beyond buildings and faces.

One thing I noticed wherever I am, whether in Singapore or London, is how we're all tied together to one system. How our passport is cleared at immigration and how our credit cards are cleared at the hotel, regardless of where we are, would suggest that we also live in a seperate but interlocking system. We are part of the global network.

In the same manner we are also plugged into the most notoriously transient of bubbles - the global economy. Some of us who parked serious money in speculative ventures are learning that a bad day on Wall Street can wipe us out in Kuala Lumpur. The best part is in how it is all imaginary. We've never seen the company we've bought stock in. We've never held a dime in our hands of the currency we speculate in. We hope to profit from imaginary transience, caused by imaginary rumors and imaginary money. Everything is imaginary.

Some say this is the price to pay for modern life. We can't help but be part of the global grid, either through what we produce at work or what we consume. Our tools of survival are forecasting, predicting and timing. All we do is watch for signs.

I have another idea of life that's no less fulfilling. How about life off the grid.

Not that its a totally radical idea. It was explored in depth in the trilogy of The Matrix, my favorite movie.

Life on the grid (or some say la-la land) has its material advantages. You speak everybody's language and you value what everyone else values. Notice how money opens just about any door. We are conditioned to live in a collective. There's no bigger comfort than being "one of us," no bigger fear than NOT being "one of us." We all love the same things - Disneyland, McDonald's, fashion and money. We're only a phone call or an email away from each other. The grid binds us together. It defines our whole life.

Drawbacks? There are plenty. One week without the internet or one month without swiping that credit card can throw us into a state of serious discomfort. An unpaid bill in London can render us unable to buy anything in Sydney. A drop in the US dollar can make our savings go poof. When a contagion hits the grid, we go down with it, even if we personally did nothing to spark off that contagion.

Of course we are not totally blameless in all this. There is no free ride. If we tie ourself to an anchor, why be surprised when we get dragged underneath when it drops overboard. If we are willing to pay the price, well and good. If we are not willing, then what the hell are we doing there?

So this is what I tell my friends who are losing their shirts in this financial crisis. Forget about the rogues in the global financial system. They're not the cause of your problems. I mean, even when the economy was doing well, my friends were already struggling with debt or not having what they want anyway. The problem is the choice they made. And that is to latch their well-being onto something that is inherently unstable. My friends, inspired by tales of success of Wall Street icons, are trying their luck on the big game and their luck, as it turns out, is not too good. Even their Wall Street role models have been falling one after another.

Its the classic red pill - blue pill situation. Once you've gone down the rabbit hole, its not that hard to figure out what's really going on up there.

I had mentioned about living off the grid as part of re-engineering happiness. I am not advocating putting everything down and living in a treehouse in the forest. Despite all that's been said in The Matrix, a solution of extremes has never worked for anyone, not while we're still bound by the laws of gravity and a few other laws. But if happiness is a state of mind, then the best defense against the lunacy of financial and social bubbles, I think, is to redefine happiness in our minds. (*Nonconformity alert ^_^*) Once we realize the illogic of putting our happiness at the mercy of unstable phenomena, our system may be dislodged just enough to automatically scan for an alternative. That's the beauty of the human mind.

I cannot say where your mind will land or where it should land. That's a journey you have to take on your own. What I do know is there is life outside the grid. I had a taste of it while tunneling through the rabbit hole and you know what? Its not as bad as we think.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Sifu makes it to the silver screen



The opening routine with the "mook yan" or wooden man.... it brings back so many memories.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Story of the Mother Bird

Something I found on the internet....

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast ...because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.


Being loved this much should make a difference in your life. Remember who loves you, and then be different because of it.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Unbranded belief

Beliefs are like brands. Brands are carriers of identity, the thing that makes Toyota different than Honda even though both are essentially a box on four wheels. People assign feelings to beliefs. They like it, hate it or are indifferent to it. Our minds cannot resist it apparently, because it needs road signs to operate. Identities are mental objects we create in our minds that serve as those road signs.

When people fight, if its not over limited resources, its over identities. Democrats vs Republicans. Liverpool vs. Manchester United. Sony Playstation vs. Nintendo Wii. Guru A vs. Guru B.

It always ends up the same way. Us versus them.

That's why if its clear that the mind is getting distracted over brands of beliefs, I try to shrug off these brands. I try to avoid getting drawn into situations where people argue that a good person wearing Brand X is better than a good person wearing Brand Y. Maybe its naive but I'd like to believe that good is good, no matter what brand you wear.

Vitamin C is vitamin C, regardless of whether it comes from an orange or a mango. Whether one prefers oranges or mangoes is a matter of personal taste, certainly nothing to lose sleep over.

If there could be an unbranded world, what would a good person be like? I think I found something that is closest to my ideal of a good person. A good person is one who:

1. Respects life
2. Is giving
3. Respects the body
4. Manifests truth
5. Acts with a clear mind
6. Sees the good in others, not faults
7. Realizes self and other as one, not elevate the self and blame others
8. Gives generously
9. Actualizes harmony, doesn't show anger

These are actions that I think most people would agree as beneficial, whatever their brand of belief is.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Fourteen Precepts Of TNH

1
Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.


2
Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.


3
Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrow-mindedness.


4
Do not avoid suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering, including personal contact, visits, images and sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world.


5
Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of your life fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need.


6
Do not maintain anger or hatred. Learn to penetrate and transform them when they are still seeds in your consciousness. As soon as they arise, turn your attention to your breath in order to see and understand the nature of your hatred.


7
Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment. Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing both inside and around you. Plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding in yourself in order to facilitate the work of transformation in the depths of your consciousness.


8
Do not utter words that can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.


9
Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things of which you are not sure. Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.


10
Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community, however, should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.


11
Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live. Select a vocation that helps realise your ideal of compassion.


12
Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and prevent war.


13
Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.


14
Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect. Do not look on your body as only an instrument. Preserve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit) for the realisation of the Way. (For brothers and sisters who are not monks and nuns:) Sexual expression should not take place without love and commitment. In sexual relations, be aware of future suffering that may be caused. To preserve the happiness of others, respect the rights and commitments of others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new lives into the world. Meditate on the world into which you are bringing new beings.

Source

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

How it'll change

As more and more speech migrates online, to blogs and social-networking sites and the like, the ultimate power to decide who has an opportunity to be heard, and what we may say, lies increasingly with Internet service providers, search engines and other Internet companies like Google, Yahoo, AOL, Facebook and even eBay.

Source
So who will be in charge when the dust settles?

Scary.

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