Apparently this is an Udumbara flower.

My idea of this flower was that it is much larger. This one measured just 1mm in diameter.

An udumbara flower is said to be so rare that it flowers every 3000 years. (Given our short history the last one if this one is real would have been circa 1000bc. Well, so much for legends.

Botanically it is quiet common and is a flower of the cluster fig tree. Both the tree and the flower are referred to as the udumbara (Sanskrit, Pali; Devanagari) in Buddhism.^[5] Udumbara can also refer to the blue lotus (Nila udumbara) flower. The udumbara flower appears in chapters 2 and 27 of the Lotus Sutra, an important Mahayana Buddhist text.

The Japanese word udonge (優曇華) was used by Dōgen Zenji to refer to the flower of the udumbara tree in chapter 68 of the Shōbōgenzō (”Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma‎”). Dōgen places the context of the udonge flower in the Flower Sermon given by Gautama Buddha on Vulture Peak.

In Hinduism (Arthava Veda)  it is given prominence as a means for acquiring prosperity and vanquishing foes.

The picture comes from here.

One of my most treasured books is ‘a Meditator’s Handbook’ by Ajahn Brahm. As the title implies, it serves as the best guide I have read so far. Sadly, action is another matter. J

Another book which I recommend is “Who Ordered This Truck Load of Dung”. It is really a book of anecdotes but more importantly those stories reveals many personal insights as well as life as a monk. Ajahn Brahm’s writings and talks are delightful to read and hear. Behind that wit, I am quite certain lies an enlightened mind.

You may be able to find them at the local stores but if Amazon’s the thing, here’s the link:
Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?: Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life’s Difficulties

As the heat of the festivities dies down this year, one thought popped.

Year in and year out, we make that mad rush home, braving the traffic snarls and crawls. Some brave snows, others heat and rain. We make that journey simply to be home with Family.

Once the elders are gone, the younger ones will eventually scatter out and set up their own homing roosts for their children. So the pattern continues. Of course a new reverse pattern is emerging where the older ones gather at the homes of their children.

Parents depend on their children and vice versa. There is comfort in the thought that we can often find shelter when needed. Most of the time, values are imposed both ways. There are bound to be expectations and behaviors to follow. This is good, well, as far as can be seen.

Perhaps there is another way of looking at things. Consider the swallows or most other birds. They nurture their nestlings until they grow wings and are able to fly. Once the young are able to fend for themselves, they become free and live independent of their parents. Can we apply this same model on humans?

The young learn to be independent. They learn to forage for themselves. They learn strength. They develop their own thoughts, hone their social and interactive skills and hopefully develop wisdom. They become themselves.

On the reverse side, naturally, the warmth of the humanity may be lost in the process. This brings to mind a word of advice, ” Be like the pidgeon. Go forth and seek your self but return home when the day is done.”

I rant not so much as to say that the whole social structure is not good but as an exploration of ways to make us more positive, better human beings.

HaLong Bay Vietnam

This picture I took of Ha Long Bay is just great.

Compared to two decades ago, Vietnam is now so accessible. Its natural beauty reminds me of Sihanoukville in Cambodia.

If you visit these places, it is difficult to resist jumping into the waters for a dip. Having seen beaches deteriorate in the name of development, its pristine beauty brings back beautiful memories. Quiet sandy beaches, lulling sounds of waves breaking against the sea shore…what more can I say?

Hope you enjoy this shot as much I did taking it.

If you are travelling or thinking of visiting Halong Bay, you can fly to Hanoi direct and catch a local tour from there. Tourism is an industry so there should not be any problem arranging a tour to Halong Bay. There are many operators but do check them out. The meals are often compromised so if you are into food, ask what they are offering if not you may get served ONLY one prawn each! (that is their version of seafood)

The peak season is summer but then the heat is stifling. This is where the vehicle taking you there is very important. It is worthwhile to check out with the tour operator what they use to get you there. Be careful with the 8 seater vans. I had one on the way back from Halong Bay to Hanoi and as it turned out, the aircon did not work and the seats were uncomfortable with no lean back and no leg room. So, do check them out before putting your money down.

Presenting … that grand old man of words … Mark Twain!

He was one of my favorite writers of old…er…my young days. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn,

One of his favorite phrases which I still remember was, “Giving up smoking is so easy I have done it a thousand times.” Or something like that.

I beg your pardon for the pages a little twisted but what is a great tale if not twisted? Hope you enjoy the man’s wit and inimitable style as much as I did. Still do.

The rest of the pages are here..

To know more about Mark Twain, click this.

Earlier I posted the Tibetan Book of the Dead. I hope that the following little that I have read about will be helpful.

I must declare that what is written below are just a summary (and a very brief one at that) of my own readings. Some would be my own assumptions and simplifications. How real it is I do not really know. Perhaps the truth of it can only be realized by the individual. The more fortunate would ‘bump’ into a teacher who has realizations of what is taught in the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

The Book (of the dead) describes the process of dying into eight stages. I observed that it is in two major processes.

These two processes are:

1 the dissolution of the gross physical body

2 the dissolution of the consciousness winds

The Gross Physical Body

This is what we see walking around. Our physical body that we identify as ourselves is comprised of five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, space.

The other way of relating to these five elements is to think like this:

Earth = our cells, the solid organic matter that eventually decay to become earth or dust

Water = the liwuid part of us, the water in our cells and blood

Fire = the warmth or heat energy of our bodies

Wind = the cavities, the spaces between all cellular structures

Space = the gross consciousness (because there is also the subtle consciousness) which a part of the composition of us as a living thing.

The Consciousness winds

The critical part of the art of dying lies in the fact that there is that part of us that we cannot see. This is the subtle winds.

Before talking about winds, perhaps we need to know that there are 80 instinct patterns that comprise our makeup. A little technical but knowing this helps us to accept that these 80 patterns are driven by winds. These winds are the subject of the next stage of dissolution when we die.

As mentioned before in the earlier article, the winds, just like the gross physical body also dissolves in 4 stages.

The 8 stages of Dying

To sum it up, there are 8 processes to be aware of in the process of dying. These are:

1              earth dissolves (our cells die or lose its vitality) – things become blur . An image like water flowing down a highway is perceived

2              water dissolves – our body fluids dries up or stagnates. The image of being enveloped in smoke is perceived. We no longer hear well.

3              fire dissolves – our body heat subsides. The feeling of cold arises. An image of fireflies or bursts of sparks is perceived.

4              wind dissolves – breathing stops. Taste disappears. Body sense disappears. An image of being in the middle of a dying candle flame is perceived.

This is the point of being clinically dead.

The next 4 stages also gives rise to perceptions which arises from the dissolution of the winds and the ‘flying out’ of the indestructible  “subtle clear-light consciousness”. After this point we are truly dead.

Here are the next 4 stages and experiences which arises from the dissolution of the winds into the central channel.

5              gross consciousness dissolves. The male essence descends to the heart complex. An experience of a vast sky filled with white moonlight is perceived.

6              the luminance dissolves. The female essence rises to the heart complex. One experience a vast sky of orange sunlight.

7              radiance dissolves. The male and female essences meet at the heart and envelope the consciousness. One perceives pure darkness.

At this point one loses consciousness. Most will not know what happens after the next stage as it is too subtle to be perceived unless one has adequate training. The 8^th or last stage of dissolution is characterized by its non-dual nature and perceiving and making use of this stage offers the opportunity for enlightenment, ultimate wisdom and transcending the rounds of birth and death.

What often happens, it seems, is that most will not even know this last stage, going in and out of the 7^th stage of darkness as the reverse process of taking gross form takes its course – all driven by our karmic winds or imprints of past volitional actions.

The in-between state

While one is in the in-between state, one is embodied in ghostlike body effected by the imagery of the mind.

The important lesson I find most useful is to train our mind to go through these process in our meditation and to sharpen our awareness of them and to remain fully aware as they occur.

If this is of any help, visualizing the process and developing mindfulness and lucidity of our dream state is a good suggestion for practice. The Dalai Lama said that he practices this dissolution and generation 6 times daily.

Dream practice appears to be most useful and is a very useful tool. The process of sleep, it is said, contains all the experiences of death and being lucid of these stages helps one to understand the dying process.

It is a conjecture on my part but I believe that the traditional vipassana or awareness meditation also works in the same direction. The deeper levels of calm and awareness practices offers us opportunities of being familiar with our mind states as we go through the meditative states besides honing our insight into the Buddha’s four noble truths.

All errors are mine.

Living and dying. This is one aspect of our short life that is inescapable. Its actual nature is to most remain elusive.

I tend to think that death is not so frightening. What is most frightening is the actual process of dying. Having seen many friends dying, it fills me with dread and sorry for the pain and suffering they underwent.

Trying to understand death before coming to death’s door has always fascinated me. It would be a victory of sorts and immense satisfaction to know what comes with dying. Of course, eventually theknell will sound but for the time being, I am nowhere near having the answers.

Reading up and hearing about it helps but they are in no way substitute for the actual truth of knowing it for oneself. Among the many literature that I have read and tried to understand, the Bardo Thodrol, The Tibetan Book of The Dead seems to provide the best answers.

After a relative passed away a week ago, I looked up one of my old books and started reading it again. The book I opened was ‘The Tibetan Book of The Dead – Liberation Through Understanding in the Between’ by Robert Thurman.

This book is in many ways useful for the uninitiated to the Tibetan view of dying. It provides a very good background of the the Bardo Thodrol, its origins and the fascinating history associated with it.

There were many instances where the author exercised some carefree abandon in interpreting concepts in his own words which I found distracting but he was trying his best to convey the ideas. Can’t fault him too much for that.

The book did well to present dying as a process which is the ideal occasion to gain liberation. In speaking of liberation, it is from the Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist viewpoint of knowing one’s true uncorrupted nature. It is a many profound subject, this uncorrupted nature. Some called it the true nature of mind. Whatever term, we label it, the essence is that it is through the ability of recognizing the true nature that dawns in the state after dying that we must work towards.

It is not an easy act. But there is hope for the hopeful, like me for instance, who hope to do something when the time comes for us to die.

The actual translations are presented in easy to understand terms. In fact, the translations are also intended for reading to the dying as well as the just dead. There are instructions which appear clear enough but following them may be another matter altogether.

Particular concepts are dealt with foe example the six realms of existence, the Buddha bodies and most importantly the stages of death. All these are concise explanations of the key concepts that are critical in glimpsing what realization is all about. It is useful irrespective of whether one believes in the Buddhist philosophy or some other religious philosophy.

Within are also prayers and the author has taken the approach of intending them for non-Buddhists as well. After all, angels are still angels although our concept and perception of them may be different because of our individual leanings.

Outlined are ordinary and extraordinary preparations for death. Of these, the three main ethical practices of generosity, sensitivity to others and tolerance.  This looks like the easiest to incorporate into one’s daily life.

The act of giving for example is explained. One is asked to give away things that we care about not just those things that we do not like. It is also not the size of the gift but rather the quality and the amount of mental attachment that one needs to overcome. We are advised to give away small things and not to bankrupt ourselves from a momentary positive impulse.

Thoughts like patience in relationships and concern for oneself as well as others are also taught. The main theme is that death is ever present and one could die just right then and there. All very sobering thoughts. For those familiar with the preliminary practices of the Tibetan Buddhist path would recognize and find them such strong reminders of their practice. It gives a sense of urgency towards working harder on our individual spiritual path.

For those inclined towards meditation there is a section that is devoted to this. Calm meditation and other meditation are discussed, all attached with easy advice.

Whichever way you look at it, be it as a casual read or as a tool for enhancing meditation and preparation for death, this book is a must-read. There has to be a meaning to life. There has to be a bigger picture, a picture much bigger than ourselves, our mansions, our cars and our families. In understanding dying and more critically in preparing oneself for this inevitable, the more we know and understand the better. I find this argument hard to counter.

I provide here the link for more reading and if you cannot source one at the local bookshop, here’s the link to Amazoncom.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

May all be happy and free from hurt and harm.

Tarot Cards Images

The Tarot is a good tool to delve into the unseen and unknown.

As a young fellow, I was very fascinated with Tarot cards. It was always a dream to own ‘my’ own set but back then they were very hard to get hold of. So we substituted them with playing cards. Mine was a pack of worn out Aladdins which had seen better days discarded by a group of carpenters. You can imagine the attachment I had for them!

Naturally, playing cards can never match the real thing. The major arcana, those 22 mysterious cards that bring forth vivid imageries were absent. And a Tarot is just not a tarot without them! But like they say, if you can’t have fish, prawns will do.

Without the major arcana, you may think that they are incomplete. Well, I once had the benefit of a reading from a Mrs Bak, who to this day I recall as a true seer. Her reading was accurate and she told me things which only I knew. The future she told from her deck of playing cards was proven correct. All she accepted as payment were some apples. Strictly no money. Many politicians and royalty flock to her for advice albeit secretly.

As things turn out, from that obsession of owning one deck, I now have too many! It gives great pleasure to just feel them but somehow, the favorite has always been the Rider deck. Next follows the Mythic Tarot. But having said that, I am also fascinated by the simplicity of ‘Tarot of the Witches’ and the ‘Ukiyoe’.

Most modern decks try but somehow most do not meet the mark. Somehting or other is always missing. I guess each and everyone will have different affinities so it is very much up to the individual.

There are many ways of summoning the secrets from the tarot. The accepted way is through spreads. By far the most common seem to be the Celtic Cross. Ah..that alone is mystic sounding enough. The Celts are filled with so much mythology and the Cross harps back to medieval times. They summon images of gypsies and omen-bearing woman in cloaks and frocks. Add a broomstick and the picture is complete!

I started doing Tarot just like everyone else. Memorising and learning their meanings. Then in Australia, deep in the jungles of Dandenong, a master showed his unique way of summoning the secrets. This master whom I shall for now not name allows the free forces to show us the way. No spreads are involved. He allows the deck to fall and uses his inner intuition to read the cards as they appear.

How unconventional. When he first taught it, I said to myself, he is just trying to be different. He was an ultra, if I may say, but over the years, I am beginning to see the logic and the relevance of what he did.

The Tarot, conventional Tarot that is, comprises 72 cards. 22 from the major arcana and 50 suit cards. I like to look at the major arcana as pointers to our spiritual journey. The minor arcana (those 50 other cards) are the physical side of our lives, the goings and comings of everyday affairs and activities.

If you have the need to use a Tarot, try to get one. Own one. Keep it as your own personal friend and in time, you may agree with me that they slowly become a part of you. Learning the various spreads and meanings of course helps but I believe in keeping that initial learning process to a limit. Learn them, yes, but up to a point and then stop. Being too technical arrests that special quality, that special intuition and psychic talent from manifesting.

One way taught to me by Mama is to take out 3 cards from the deck at random. Prepare the deck in any which way one chooses, clear your mind of all thoughts and then remove 3 cards. Look at them and allow whatever feelings and thoughts to surface.

The key is to allow our mind and inner senses to flow with the cards. I find that the same card may come up on different readings but their portents are always different. Just like dreams, they tell me of my inner self and they are a wonderful tool into my inner being. They point the way.

It may appear overwhelming in the beginning but eventually the tarot will become a friend. There are no rules and there is no right or wrong way of calling up the Tarot.

India Milk Tea and Pakorra

Chai or milk tea is one of the wonders of India.

Anyone who travels India will not miss this wonderful broth. It is made from boiling tea leaves in milk and water. I hear the best combination is 1 part water and 1 part milk with some sugar to suit your taste.

Chai..ai.. that’s one of the sweetest sounds on any long train ride. All train rides are long. Chaiwallas, yes, them young ‘uns who lug pails of tea, tiny glasses (real glass not plastic) coin pouch and the ubiquitous towel for wiping is that one part of the trainscape of India you will carry home with you.

Train chai is, I must say, cannot be compared to the road side ones. They are bit too sweet and the tea rather thin. No clouds in the tea as they say.

The long wait makes the tea taste better

My favorite this time round is the same chai but with a difference. I call a “special”, cinnamon and a teaspoon scoop of cream. It makes wonders to the tea. Come 4 in the evening, I will begin to fantasize and within the half hour I will have begun walking that dusty stretch to my favorite chai stall. In fact, I think that the North Indian winter and hot chai stands at the top of India’s delight.

Another wonder of Northern India is Pakorra. It is dhal bean paste mixed with onions and deep fried in oil. The best so far is in Biharigal a short hour out of Dehra Dun on the downhill route to New Delhi. My driver , Solu, took me to what he says is the best.

The Picture of Sai Baba is just behind the Boss

It is on the north bound side of the road. The stall owner is a Muslim and I can only suggest you look for the water standpipe and a picture of Sai Baba on the wall. Not much help perhaps but trust your luck. Try the water too. It comes straight off the ground. I don’t really know how deep they sink those pipes but everyone I look at seems hale and hearty.

Tibetan Prayer Flags Yushu

Watching the movie 2012 was fun but who would believe that the world would end in 2012. Not for another million years! Well, in the movie it did. Well…almost did. (I will not tell you the ending so as not to spoil your fun, just in case you have yet to watch it).

I have a friend who is really seriously concerned that the Mayan prediction that the world will end in 2012 is true. He is still really serious – making his career and money!

It was a movie to be enjoyed. Not much emphasis on the doomsday thing but there is something on human values. What value that is, you will have to watch to find out. But there is one part featuring Tibetans which I find purposeful.

Although I only know the Tibetans and their culture in a superficial way, I do think that they have suffered much injustice at the hands of the Chinese. It has been 50 years or so now that the red army marched in and took over Tibet and claimed it as part of China. Atrocities and cruelty were unleashed onto defenseless herdsmen while the world silently watched.

Tibet’s misfortune is the world’s fortune. Tibet has been the archive of the full collection of Buddhist teachings and with them scattered like ants across the globe, precious teachings which would otherwise have remained locked within the Land of Snow.

Tibet today remains colonized.

Thus, I am glad that the movie 2012 has a part where Tibetans are featured. Kudos to the producers, writers and all else on the team! Most may not understand the language spoken but at the very least, people may know Tibet still exists and hopefully try to understand their plight more.

I hope soon the leaders and people of China will have the wisdom to give Tibet back to the Tibetans. Now they are prisoners in their own land.