David's Space...

Why Do You Sell Dharma Books?

KMP, the publications office that I am working for is currently having a roadshow in 1 Utama - a popular suburban mall. However, the roadshow spans over 21 days and our manpower is really stretched out. We even had Deborah Pereira (pictured above), our dear production's manager help out with manning the roadshow both. It was a quiet weekday, with lots of Chinese New Year shoppers shuffling about.It was going to be another ordinary weekday until a man stopped by and started a conversation with her.

Man         : Are you a Buddhist?

Deborah  : No, I am not...  (She is a good Catholic girl)

Man         : Then... Why do you sell Dharma books?

Deborah  : Because I am spiritual... 

This silenced the man and he left soon after, presumably embarrassed by Deborah's reply. I heard this from Fang, KMP's designer and I just love Deborah's witty reply. I am glad she said that and I very proud that she is part of KMP.

Red Planning

We had a briefing today at Kechara House Gompa with Liaison Paul Yap leading it. It was all prim and proper with a name list of people in charged along with the itinerary for the two-day event. When all was settled, the liaisons and Kechara Care ushers went downstairs to for a trial run of the escort.

Paul had a whole formation of men mapped out to escort Rinpoche the moment he steps off his car. It was all very meticulously drawn and planned out on paper and in his mind. A Kechara event has never been planned out so meticulously! Kudos to Liaison Paul and his crew for doing such a great work organising the Grand Dzambala and Setrap Puja. 

Check out the event:- http://www.kechara.com/gsdp/

This picture was taken from the Kechara facebook page. The red lanterns have been recently hung to create the festive mood, which is also an idea of Rinpoche's. 

 

Poor Dog, Poor Men

 

The news is abuzz with a video footage of a brown poodle being abusively trained to stand. What's amazing about this video footage is the amount of publicity it rallied and as a result, so many people want to see the perpetrator behind bars now. I guess that's the power of Facebook and the Internet. 

I am actually amazed that people are so upset over this video but they ignore hundreds and thousands of videos of even worse brutality that occur daily in slaughterhouses around the world. Why get so angry over this man's actions when the very meat that people eat daily supports worse brutality. It's soOOoo contradictory! I am not even an animal-loving person but after watching enough poultry slaughtering, I am cutting out all types of meats from my diet. I am not trying to sound 'holier-than-thou' but being vegetarian makes me feel less guilty during meal times. 

That's why when I saw this video, I didn't feel angry, I didn't swear and I didn't even wish the foolish man behind bars. I actually felt sad for him because he doesn't know the severe repercussions that is waiting for him. What do you think that the poodle did in his previous lives to deserve such torture? Why only feel pity for the dog when the man is heading towards a similar situation as the dog. 

Chinese New Year Garbs

Our dear lady boss of KMP, Li Kim took the whole KMP team out for Chinese New Year shopping yesterday at 1 Utama shopping mall. I couldn't follow because I was at the airport waiting to pick up Paul and Datuk May Phng, who had just arrived from Taiwan. Upon my return to KMP, I found a bag of two shirt on my table. Fang and Paris urged me to try it on to make sure it fits. Apparently, Fang chose them and I must say that she does have rather good taste. Don't you think? 

Here are photos of me modeling the 2 shirts last night. Thank you Li Kim, Fang, Paris and everyone else in the team! 

Setrap Rejuvenates!

I am feeling a little tired and listless after a weekend of flea marketing. It was fun but the whole lot of fun have left me drained. Earlier this evening, I was feeling that I needed rejuvenation. Perhaps a soothing evening massage but I decided to drag my ass for puja at Kechara House instead. Needless to say, the mantras, prayers and recitations (of Setrap Puja) was calming.

Pujas was also a great place to get to know people and I did meet an old classmate, who does art now. I also got a Kudos for coming to Setrap Puja more regularly now, which was an encouragement of sorts. Don't worry folks! I will try to make it every week now! Gotta bring my vajra and bell (my special prayer implements that is gathering a little too much cobwebs) next time. He he!

A Very Special Contest!

 Dear friends,

I have a special request of my blog readers. You can change lives, change thinking, change attitudes and change outcomes if you try and all from the comfort of your homes and Pc’s….You just have to care. Please care. It’s beautiful to focus out..

Cruelty towards animals is against genuine spiritual developement, unethical and inhumane. You should do you best to stop it as much as possible. The first step is to create awareness. Awareness/education are instrumental for fundamental shifts.

 

I have a special request. And with folded hands and great humility I request the below:

1. Take the time to watch all the videos. And write one comment for each of the videos below that is 150 words minimum or more. So that is 19 comments in total.

2.  Either blog, tweet (on 10 categories with link back to this post) or facebook with link back to this post ALL 19 videos. And write in comments where you placed them here. You must write in the comments section where you have blogged, tweeted or facebooked the videos. So it can be verified.

3. Go Vegetarian for a week or more. Everyday on the comments of this post write what you ate that day.

If you do the above and it is verified by KECHARA (Ethan, Bryan, and Nicholas). I will be honoured and very happy to send you a Buddha Pendant or Buddha tsatsa. Shipping will be included.

For Pendants you may pick: 2 armed Dukkar, Tara, Shakyamuni, Setrap or Tsongkapa Pendant.

If you choose tsatsa, then, it can be Tara, Shakyamuni, Buddha or Tsongkapa. They are beautiful.

(As supplies last).

If you repeat all the above once a month continuously for 6 months straight and update on the comments with links where possible, then I will be happy to send you a 9″ brass traditional Buddha Statue of either Tara, Tsongkapa, Medicine Buddha or Shakyamuni. (As supplies last)

 

Why am I doing this, I wish to gift you with special thanks for your compassion in helping me spread the word around regarding cruelty towards animals.

As a Buddhist, spiritual being, or a person with a conscience, WE SHOULD DO OUR BEST TO SAVE THESE ANIMALS. We should put in our resources, time, energy, love into saving animals as much as we can without excuses and without further delays.

Tsem Rinpoche

 

If you have questions or for prize claiming you may contact:

 

Nicholas [email protected]

Ethan [email protected]

Bryan [email protected]

 

Their profiles can be seen here: http://www.kechara.com/support/about-us/our-team/

Terms and Conditions: 
1) Only one pendant per winner per month
2) Winners to submit an email to Nicholas, Ethan or Bryan providing details of the qualifying postings (and links to those posts) for verification

 

 

Is this what you like to eat???

If from the moment that I was born, I get my lips cut off, my skin scalded by a hot branding iron, my ears cut off with a pair of scissors (all WITHOUT anesthetics, so I cry and scream in excruciating pain)…I get forced to eat growth hormones EVERYDAY….I sleep, POOP, pee and EAT in a 10ft x 10ft with another person my size who does the same thing….I sleep on my friend’s poop and pee, then continue to eat from there….I go mentally-unstable because it’s just too hot, too cold, too cramped….ITS SO NOISY….I can’t move AT ALL….I get badly kicked, severely punched, harshly dragged….I get my bones broken…I’m too big so my legs break from my weight…

Have I lived a good and normal life so far??

Minutes…Hours…Days…YEARS pass by SO SO slowly…I then get pushed into a very small car with 20 friends…get pushed out…get electrocuted at all the wrong places….someone then comes and kicks me, punches me in the face, stands on my back and starts jumping up and down…

What have I done to them??

….I get hung up UPSIDE-DOWN on a moving conveyor belt along with all of my friends…I can still hear some of them being tortured in the other room…I see my friend in front of me starting to shake really hard, he’s screaming and crying very very loud….I’m so scared and confused!!…..I feel a sharp pain around my neck and so I scream and scream…I try to get off the conveyor belt but I can’t…I start getting really tired and sleepy but I’m in so much pain…I try to scream again but I quickly begin to drown in my own blood.

If I was still alive, I’d see myself being skinned, chopped, cleaned, cooked …. and finally I end up on someone’s plate.

Did they not know what happened to me or how I got here? Why are they okay with it???

PLEASE DO NOT BE OK WITH THIS……THANK YOU.

(Watch ALL 19 Videos here --> http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2010/06/19-videos-on-animal-cruelty.html

Way Up North...

Over the weekend, I went up to the island state of Penang. Here are some of the pictures I took on my Blackberry...

I saw this picture when I went to visit the Tzu Chi Foundation center there. I recalled many times that Rinpoche had likened Kechara to be a ship crossing the turbulent ocean of Samsara to rescue those caught up by its waves. Some make it up the ship while others prefer to remain in the water. The captain is of course Tsem Rinpoche and the liaisons are the oarsmen or whatever they call them. Ahoy! All crew on board! Let's set sail!

I also paid a visit to the quiet and contemplative Jingsi Books and Cafe in Penang. I liked the minimalist decor and books but majority of the literature were in Chinese and the few English books were not really up my alley. But I must say that the organic instant rice and noodles were rather enticing but a tad bit too wholesome for my toxic dump of a body. Everybody was so quiet, goody-goody and just so prim and proper which gave birth to nasty thoughts of screaming and laughing real loud or breaking into an obnoxious Hokkien song. Of course I wouldn't do those nasty things! I finally just relaxed to a multigrain cuppa and was struggling to stay awake. Don't get me wrong, it was all great. I was just sleepy. 

 
No trip to Penang is complete without a visit to Kechara Paradise on Chulia Street. I know I am a true blue Kecharian when I felt at home here with all the quaint Tibetan Buddha statues and thangkas. Lama Tsongkhapa never felt more welcoming than ever and I felt really proud because even in this distant Penang branch of Kechara Paradise, we are as beautiful as ever. Pasty Gooi lovingly takes care of Kechara Paradise along with other activities that she does up there in Penang. Check out more pictures of this store at http://www.kechara.com/shopping/locations/kechara-paradise-penang/

 Patsy Gooi in Kechara Paradise Penang

Escape to Nepal

Bouddhanath Stupa

                                            Kechara Lounge @ Bouddhanath

Some friends just returned from Nepal and they got me dreaming about Nepal. I would like to go to Nepal too but I guess I can't afford it at this time. The next best thing would be to travel with my mind. The picture above is very iconic of Nepal and it is the largest Stupa in Nepal called the Bouddhanath Stupa. It was built a long, long time ago and is believed to contain relics of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni. Hence, it is one of the biggest mecca for Buddhists, from around the world. It is so old that Atisha, Guru Rinpoche and many other great Indian and traveling Tibetan masters have been here to do pilgrimage. It is amazing! We have since set up Kechara Lounge just facing the circumambulation circuit around the Stupa. The second picture is that of Kechara Lounge and it is facing the Stupa. Here is a link on our official website - http://www.kechara.com/lounge/kechara-in-nepal/kechara-in-nepal/

Patan's Durbar Square

I love these ancient buildings and the hustle and bustle there because just being there made me feel like I was transported back into time during the great Patan Kings. I just have to replace the cars and bikes with horses and bullock-carts. The old grand buildings are little royal temples and the actual square belonged to the royal palace of the old kings. Almost every corner of this vast square makes an excellent photo opportunity. 

Chenrezig Temple

This Chenrezig temple is really an old temple with amazing bas-relief images of the various forms of Chenrezig carved all around the temple. The temple's inner sanctum is inaccessible to all except the caretaker or a priest. However, it is not very big so one can see the white hallowed face of Chenrezig within and make offerings of flowers, incense or butter lamps and recall our own spiritual aspirations. The caretaker will take your offerings and place it within. 

Dukkar or Sitatapatra or White Umbrella with a thousand hands and thousand faces

I saw this amazing White Umbrella statue at a store in Nepal. I just love it and at around 3-4 feet, this is the biggest statue of White Umbrella I have ever seen. I think someone did mention seeing a similar statue at one of those antique shops in KL and they were retailing it for over RM200k!! I dare not ask the price though and I doubt this statue is still in there after all these years if I returned to ask. But it would have been a grand image for my altar. (I know, I am such a pagan Buddhist...Hehehe!)

 

Vajracharya Priest and his Flock

I saw this sepia photo of a Vajracharya along with his 'flock' in the hotel. I love it so much that I took a picture of it and unfortunately the glass on the photo was highly reflective. This is the old Nepalese society and even then, the monastics of Buddhism did not survive and was largely replaced by the lay Vajracharya priests that perform Tantric rituals for the benefit of the community. The star design on his robes hint that he might be a Vajrayogini priest. I found that intriguing and that was another reason why I snapped this picture.  

Manjushri's spot on Swayambhunath Hill

This is another exceptionally sacred spot on Swayambhunath hill. This spot is near the famous Swayambhunath Stupa, another great icon of Nepal. This place is largely an empty square lined with trees and abundant fluttering prayer flags. According to Rinpoche, this place is sacred to Manjushri, the Buddha's student, who is also considered to be the Buddha of wisdom as well. He is believed to appear at a certain time of the year to teach the worldly gods. However, only those with clairvoyance or with the third eye can perceive him  and many people have in the past. In this picture, we were propitiating Manjushri's blessings by receiving oral transmission of his mantra and propitiating him with his praise.  

A Naropa Statue in His Meditational Cell

This statue was offered to represent Naropa in a small little cell that was said to be his cave centuries ago. Naropa is said to have experienced extreme privation under the tutelage of his Guru, Tilopa and is believed to have achieved enlightenment soon after receiving teachings and a Vajravarahi initiation. He beheld Vajravarahi in a new form that is now known as Vajrayogini, who initiated him into her practice. Thus, Rinpoche's lineage of Vajrayogini stems from this divine beginnings. We were so fortunate to be able to make offerings, mantras and prayers here. Naropa's pure devotion to his master was a source our inspiration and we prayed to have similar devotion in our practice so we achieve his same state of pure awakening. 

For more pictures and stories of Nepal, check out Vajrayogini Coffee Table Book:- http://vajrasecrets.com/products-by-category/books/english-books/vajrayogini-and-other-sacred-power-places-in-nepal.html

Telling An Old Lady To Be Patient

I had the most 'wonderful' experience earlier today telling an old lady to be patient with her maid. This lady can't stand constantly reminding her maid and how slow she is. I still told her to be patient but my advice has fallen on deaf ears, I am afraid. My advice made her rant on and on about how much she had to put up with this maid and she stuck 3 fingers in my face and told me that it has been 3 months. Her frustration was all written all over her face. I am thinking... "That's it?"

I can't really justify why I have the audacity to tell an older lady to be patient but I have noticed how meek the maid is and on the other hand, how stubborn and selfish this lady is. This lady just recovered from  a terminal illness and I have seen her drive herself but she prefers to get other people to ferry her around. Honestly, I am irritated by her and at the same time, I feel sorry for her. Her illness didn't do her any good and how much time is left to dwell on such petty things. I don't want to be judgmental of her when there are plenty of people who can't stand me but I just had to say something to her today when I overheard how she screamed/nag at her maid. 

A Moving Account of Gaden Monastery In Tibet

(This account of Gaden Monastery was given in Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen's biography in http://www.tdling.org/teacher. The description is so vivid, I had tears well up in my eyes just from reading it. Wow!)

Geshe-la set out on the thirty-three day trek across twenty-five mountain passes, the only monk in a party of fifteen merchants and pilgrims. Near Lhasa, they stopped near Gaden Monastery where some monks invited Geshe-la for tea the following day. The next morning as he climbed the hill toward Gaden, he saw the great monastery for the first time looking as though it would touch the sky. He wept tears of joy and knew without question that it was here, and not Sera, where he would continue his studies. That day was the anniversary of Lama Tsong Khapa's enlightenment. In the evening the light offerings of butter lamps and the sound of chanting filled every room in the monastery and Geshe-la felt deeply moved by its spiritual atmosphere.

He joined Shartse College, one of Gaden's two main colleges. The abbot at that time was the late Kyabje Zong Rinpoche who took a special interest in the young monk's progress. Geshe Gyeltsen studied logic, wisdom, compassion, ethics, phenomenology and mind training at Gaden for twenty years and later became a teacher of junior monks.

                Geshe Tultim Gyeltsen

         H. E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche's Guru