the ART of reBIRTH

It's been 4 years since i took a plane; just as well as i learnt from this conference that a europe-america round trip (8000km) burns similiar CO2 to us driving a car for an entire year! The cabin for the economy section is sooo-cramped; being in one of the larger plane, The Beoing 777 didnt help...the 3-3-3 configuration made us look like sardines in a tin can. I was thankful i manged to secure aisle seats for the 12hour, 10,000km flight to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is charming and somewat romantic with all the history and canals; we managed to catch a snapshot of this old trading town as we had 8 hours to burn till our connecting flight to Norway. The TUNZA conference with 700kids and 300 chaperons gave me the impression they were only expecting 1/5 the no of people there; in this nordic country with similiar population size but having the land size of Germany! Feels really weird, on top of the jet lag, that we only get like 3-4hours of nite during our week here. Sunsets at midnite an...

First written in 1987 and now translated into over 14 languages, Good Question Good Answer provides clear, thoughtful and lively answers to more than 130 commonly asked questions about Buddhism. As Bhante Dhammika receives more questions, it may differ somewhat from the printed version. If you like free copies of the book please write to The Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society, 567A Balestier Rd, Singapore 329884 or read online HERE

i came across this interesting org..Fa Lun Gong recently....as i was doing some research on Buddhist Cults...it's pretty daunting that wat started as a Qigong Society ended as such... As i read the founder's interview with Time magazine ...there were so much loopholes in his answers..he actually believe David Copperfield can levitate! and he has contact with aliens....oh my gosh... and to think there are anywhere from 60-100million people on this planet dat believes in him and treat him as a Bodhisattva.... need i go on?

As a buddhist , i feel sadden by the recent chain of events involving monks; in particular...the degradation of buddha's teachings these days... first it was Myanmar , now it's Tibet . We all know when sakyamuni buddha taught the dharma 2600yrs ago, he specifically state some rules monks should follow, and entering and engaging into politics is a taboo. Apart from that. did you notice how these poor monks are being manupulated by other interest groups, mainly western democractic /human rights group... Yes, i dun agree that china should occupy tibet . but have we wondered...if they allow tibet to go free... wat would happen to taiwan , xinjiang and other semi- autonomous regions? there are around close to 200 nation states on this planet currently...we dun need to to complicate things further....Singapore for eg... wasn't slated to go independent anyhow...Would the United States of America willing to forgo some of their 50 states they occupy? Look at how the indi...

J ust back from my 1 Week break from work and insanity...stayed at a local kampong; and was pretty pleased with the fact that i dun have my HP with me. No TV, no news and no internet. I was basically tug into the middle of nowhere at Lake Cini where the nearest town is 15km away. It took me a couple of days to get used to the lifestyle there and was pretty restless when i only had 2 meals a day. However, after a while, it actually felt like I'm back home...pretty strange feeling...I must have been living in an environment like dat in my previous life. The Lake's water level seem to have risen by quite a bit this time; flooding some of the islets and some of the bridges Rajan built; thanks to global warming. It's a pity nothing much has been done on preserving the ecology of the lake; weeds are just spreading like wildfire. Even the water hole below the wooden huts where i lived has risen by quite a bit. According to the seasons; it shouldnt be raining so much now already...

F rom the moment we open our eyes in the morning, to the quiet time we have (hopefully) just before bed; we consume, consume and consume. There is this quality we have, besides intelligence, no other animal or plant have; GREED It's not about going back to the stone-ages, to go around hugging trees or treat stray cats better than our fellow humans; But rather, the excessive consumerism that is ever so conveniently projected in our lives these days; confusing us the difference between a Need and a Want. It's all about being Environmentally Mindful... Mindful when we next go to the shopping mall/supermarket; Mindful when we use the next straw or plastic stirrer; Mindful when we celebrate festive occassions (from catering to decorations); that we are just one of the 6.6 billion humans living on Earth right now. that all the plants and animals can 'live happily ever after' without us BUT not vice versa that we have just been walking upright 200,000 years ago (earth is 4.5 b...

It's been a good two weeks up in the chilly year end winds. Not really northeast, as i hear the local farmers lamenting the winds blow in every directions...