David's Space...

Christmas Controversy.

I love Christmas. I know it is over along with Boxing Day and I know some of you guys are still reeling from a hang over after all the drunken binges, partying and holidaying. Well, I myself didn't get much of a chance to party except for a nice massage on Christmas eve. That was better than any party for me. Anyhow, I was doing a little bit of reading on the origins of Christmas on Wikipedia, which I felt compelled to share... hehe... I found it quite amusing really...

Throughout the holiday's history, Christmas has been the subject of both controversy and criticism from a wide variety of different sources. The first documented Christmas controversy was Christian-led, and began during the English Interregnum, when England was ruled by a Puritan Parliament. Puritans (including those who fled to America) sought to remove the remaining pagan elements of Christmas. During this period, the English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas entirely, considering it "a popish festival with no biblical justification", and a time of wasteful and immoral behavior.

Controversy and criticism continues in the present-day, where some Christian and non-Christians have claimed that an affront to Christmas (dubbed a "war on Christmas" by some) is ongoing. In the United States there has been a tendency to replace the greeting Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays. Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union have initiated court cases to bar the display of images and other material referring to Christmas from public property, including schools. Such groups argue that government-funded displays of Christmas imagery and traditions violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the establishment by Congress of a national religion. In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Lynch vs. Donnelly that a Christmas display (which included a Nativity scene) owned and displayed by the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island did not violate the First Amendment. In November 2009, the Federal appeals court in Philadelphia endorsed a school district's ban on the singing of Christmas carols.

In the private sphere also, it has been alleged that any specific mention of the term "Christmas" or its religious aspects was being increasingly censored, avoided, or discouraged by a number of advertisers and retailers. In response, the American Family Association and other groups have organized boycotts of individual retailers.[116] In the United Kingdom there have also been some controversies, one of the most famous being the temporary promotion of the Christmas period as Winterval by Birmingham City Council in 1998. There were also protests in November 2009 when the city of Dundee promoted its celebrations as the Winter Night Light festival, initially with no specific Christmas references.

Happy Holidays and Enjoy the Year End! 

(I took that picture from Time Magazine's World's Craziest Light Displays and this one is taken from the Bronx, New York www.time.com)

Mirror, mirror on the Wall... Who is the Ugliest of Them All?

There is a certain stark reality of staring at myself in a clear mirror. The beauty of my self-image fades with the imperfections of reality. I go on looking and looking at what I once thought of as beautiful but now, it looks absolutely repulsive. The more I look, the more nauseated I am with myself. 

Deep down, this is perhaps how I really see myself and I am totally embarrassed that everyone sees me this way and perhaps there is tingle of familiarity and comfort in confirming how I feel about myself from deep within. Feeling self-defeated in a perpetual cycle of liking and hating myself makes for a tiresome roller-coaster-ride of emotions that goes no where and I end up no where. Sigh! Sorry just some emotional gibberish. Will snap out of it and look outwards instead of inwards by the next post. 

The Season Of Giving...

Everybody loves Christmas and I love the songs, the Christmas tree, the decorations, the sales, the holiday and of course the gifts. Some think it is all just commercialism and I agree too but that doesn't keep me from loving it. I don't own a Christmas tree but I guess liking it doesn't mean I have to make my living space look like a shopping mall.

Christmas back in the old days meant, anticipating presents from my parents. Sometimes... well most of the time, my mum would just ask me what I want ahead of Christmas and she would just buy it for me. I know! I was spoilt rotten. Well, with the Dharma, it looks like I have to do the opposite and learn to give instead of always taking from my parents. Well this year, I haven't had time to go shopping yet but will do so this weekend and hopefully get the gifts in time for Christmas. 

Since I am talking about generosity and giving, I am also starting to think of fund-raising for KMP. I have not really done this before and would have to start. Kechara Media and Publications which is a Kechara department that I am working for that produces spiritual books. Book publishing requires serious money and the returns are not easy to be seen especially with high profit margins taken by distributors and 3 month credit terms, it is hard just to stay afloat.

At KMP, we do have funds to stay afloat but I need to find ways to market the books better and also to raise more funds so we can publish even more. So, it would be a great Christmas if I could find a generous sponsor for those who love books and love to spread knowledge and wisdom of Rinpoche's great works out into the world. Sponsor Kechara Media and Publications! That would be a very nice Christmas for me and everyone of us in KMP. Even coming out with ideas for fund-raising or marketing would be most welcomed. I am not sure if anybody heard me on this but if you do... do leave a comment. Thank you!

Are you a nerd or a geek?

Ethan here is the best Nerd of Kechara Care! Happy Belated birthday

if you see this...

I recently read this humourous article on CNN's website on the difference between geeks and nerds and I though I share it here. Apparently, the word 'geek' and 'nerd' are etymologically different in its meaning and usage. However, most people use them interchangeably these days anyway.

In the article, the origin of the word 'Geek' is really quite funny. 

The word "geek" started out meaning almost the exact opposite of the word "nerd." "It was used in the early 20th century as a term for a carnie who was so unskilled at doing tricks or entertaining people that the only thing he could do at the carnival to get an audience was to bite the heads off of live animals. What it denoted was a real loser who was really unskilled," Nugent said.

On the other hand, the word 'Nerd' actually came from a book by Dr Seuss...

"Nerd," Nugent said, was first printed in the 1950 Dr. Seuss book, "If I ran the zoo." One of the creatures in the zoo -- an angry looking old man -- is called a nerd, but bears little resemblance to what people generally think of as a nerd today.

In the middle of the article, it only came clear to me how to distinguish a nerd from a geek. Otherwise, it almost sounded like another one of those geek/nerd attempt on writing about something insignificant again. 

'Nerd' is an intellectual designation. 'Geek' is a social designation. You can be both and you can be one and not the other. 

Ok, it is insignificant but kinda fun. Don't you think? 

I think I am a nerd and a geek (Sad!). I think Kecharians are mostly nerds with a sprinkling of nerd geeks in its midst and a tiny dash of weirdo geeks. Hehe! 

Here is the original article....

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/12/02/nerd.or.geek/

Jean Ai and Jean Mei here are trying very hard to bridge the gab between nerd and geek! 

Photos of the Geeks, nerds and in-betweens are taken from Kechara's facebook page. 

For the Love of Buddha statues...

Last Saturday, Kechara Paradise had a stock party of all the Buddha images and stuff that they have brought back from a recent trip overseas. It was held at the new Kechara House Gompa. It was really exciting and beautiful collection of sacred statues. Here are some of my favourite statues that I wished I could invite back home. 

A small 7 inch antique Manjushri statue.... Just beautiful! 

Manjushri is the Buddha of Wisdom and if we pray to Manjushri, we will be blessed with excellent memory, sharp mind, creativity and empowering speech that is clear and precise in its meaning. I love Manjushri and my lack of these qualities is perhaps why I love him so much...

This is a 3-feet handsome Maitreya that is plated with silver and comes at a extremely powerful merit increasing price of RM108,000. I don't normally admire Maitreya but this image is rather unique and regal. Maitreya's name literally means Great Love and he is the future Buddha-to-be hence, his unusual sitting position, which is reminiscent of a reigning king instead of Bodhisattva. (Actually, he is depicted as the reigning Bodhisattva on the divine throne of Tushita) Having the statue of him and praying to him creates the cause for us to be reborn within his very circle of disciples when his time to descend on to earth comes. 

I love these Vajrayogini statues, especially the Sukhasiddhi form of Vajrayogini on the right. She is the amazing divine mother who kills our ego along with its negative karma and habituations and gives birth to us as fully enlightened Buddhas from her sacred womb. I have a similar statue at home that I invited many years ago from Kechara Paradise.

Vajrayogini in mid-flight. She totally transcends over the ego and takes us to inner and outer Kechara Paradise. What a beautiful object of refuge and prayer!

This is Arya Amoghapasa Lokeshvara and he is a multi-armed form of Avalokiteshvara that seems to have been popular in Nepal, China, Tibet and Japan since the middle ages. The name suggests that he is the Lord of the world with infallible noose which leads suffering beings to enlightenment.

Amoghapasa has one face and wears a saffron skirt. Amoghapasa Lokeshvara has eight hands with the right hands showing the gesture of fearlessness, the boon granting gesture, the noose and holding the string of beads while the left hands holding a trident, a scripture, a white lotus and a water pot.

Amoghapasa Lokeshvara has three divine eyes looking into the 3 major realms of existence of form, formless and desire realms. His first right hand in Abhaya Mudra symbolizes that one who practices the Dharma sincerely is protected from falling into lower realms. The second right hand displaying Varada Mudra shows that those who practice and generate compassion and Bodhichitta receive all desirable objects and conditions. The third hand holding Amoghapasa or infallible noose symbolizes that he has infallible skill and means to convert ignorant sentient beings onto the path of liberation. The fourth right hand holding a rosary signifies that by the recitation of the six syllable mantras of Avalokiteshvara, one frees oneself from the bondage of samsara.

Again among four left hands, one holding a water pot signifies that he has the capacity of empowering all the sentient beings into Buddhahood. The second left hand holding a lotus signifies that he frees the sentient beings residing in hell realms from the suffering of intense heat and cold just like a lotus emerges from muddy water. The third left hand holding a trident signifies that he purifies three poisons of sentient beings i.e. desire, hatred and ignorance. The fourth left hand holding a scripture signifies that he imparts wisdom to the devotees and thereby they attain liberation from cyclic existence.

Lokeshvara Amoghapasa's description taken from http://www.shakyastatues.com/statue/amoghapasalokeshvara

and most of the pictures are courtesy of Peter Hoh

My name is A-long ~ Inspired by a real-life tale of a 6-year old with AIDS

I love Blackie! He is so fun to play with and will always lick me and run around with me all day long. He loves to smell me and come very close to me. No one else dares to do that anymore. I don't know what I did to scare them away. I was always very nice, cheerful and I was never mean to any of the village children but they all stayed away. 

Maybe they think I made my papa and mama very sick. Maybe they think I made my papa and mama die but.... I didn't do it! I swear! I love them very much. I really didn't do anything to them. I am a very good boy now. I have always been a very good boy. I cook by myself now, I also wash myself, go to toilet and I even learn to read... all by myself. Last time, I went to school and the teacher taught me a few words and so I always try to read at night. 

I used to be very scared at night and I would cry to sleep every night. Now, I cry sometimes because I miss my papa and mama very much but they are gone now. Ah Mah told me that they have gone to heaven and are very happy there. I wish they would take me too. I miss them very much. Ah Mah is very kind. She comes to feed the chickens and cooks lunch for me. She taught me how to clean my clothes and wash myself.

But she won't stay and she won't take me with her. I saw uncle come and scold her for coming to see me. He is very mean man and he don't like me but Ah Mah still comes everyday. Sometimes, Ah Mah would come and bring big friends. They dress very nice and some carry big black camera and take pictures of me. They are very nice and ask me a lot of questions. They would even give me sweets and some food but they would leave also. 

Anyway, I am happy. Ah Mah told me that I should be happy and I must tell them I am happy. With Ah Mah and Blackie, I am very happy. They are very nice to me and I love them very much. When I grow up, I will go out of this village and make a lot of money to make Ah Mah and Blackie very happy.

---------

This story was inspired by the real life account of A-long in Tsem Rinpoche's blog:-  http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2010/11/6-year-old-aids-orphan-lives-alone.html

Happenings of the Past Week

I kinda got off track with my blog for the past week so I would just give you a run down of the emotional roller-coaster ride of the past week. After the Gompa opening, we celebrated our Lama Tsongkhapa day at the new Kechara House. We had the great fortune to have Rinpoche grace the occasion, just 3 days after the Gompa opening. 

I gave a little explanation of Lama Tsongkhapa day or Gaden Ngamcho. This is the day of Lama Tsongkhapa's passing into full Enlightenment. Rinpoche on the other hand, gave a wonderful talk and explanation of the body, speech and mind offerings and a whole lot more! 

I managed to squeeze in two movies during the week, one was Inception and the other was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The much hyped Inception movie was a mind-blower. I mean it blew my mind away with its novel idea of entering into people's minds and messing them up. In some ways it was rather Dharmic because the characters in the movie begin to question their reality at some point. The plot was somewhat complicated if you are not quick to pick up on the explanations of how they create dreams within dreams - simulated reality within another fake reality. Great movie! 

Harry Potter on the other hand was not too bad. I think the cast are a little too old for their roles. The plot thickens as Voldermort grows in power and seeks to destroy Harry Potter. Unfortunately, he can't kill Mr Potter with his wand so he seeks other means to get Potter. So circumstances forced Potter to make a run for his very life. It is the most adult and darkest of all the Potter movies. Unfortunately, the movies ends with a horrible cliffhanger. The makers are obviously trying to prolong this franchise and milk as much money/publicity as they possibly can. 

Besides movies, I had a really fun time shopping with Rinpoche along with many others at Giants'. It was a Kechara departmental thingy and we got literally heaps of groceries, good, toiletries and stuff for our various departments and Dharma Houses. It was a massive shopping expedition and a whole lot of fun buying food and stuff for staff and volunteers of all our departments. I think many people who haven't seen Rinpoche in a long time got their chance to talk and be near him. That made many people very happy and energised them. That is an amazing quality that Rinpoche possesses.

Last night was one of the few moments in my life I felt real stupid. I guess calling myself stupid is a huge escape and what really happened was that I had been in a lull of laziness to the point of being irresponsible. I was told it was self-sabotage and I am always tripping myself all the time. That's true but anyway, there is nothing new in this for those who know me. I just have to pick up the pieces and move on and somehow become stronger, push myself ahead and move with everyone else. I got to grow up and take charge of my life. <--I need to remind myself daily now. I find being lazy is real tough actually and I am somehow caught in its vicious cycle of laziness and paying the price. Sorry, don't want to bore you with more poor me stories and will get out of this rut and move on with the 'program' soon!