Go back to where you came from

It is now the most watched documentary in Australia.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/go-back-a-ratings-winner-for-sbs-20110622-1ged3.html 

To watch it online. 

http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/goback/episodes/page/i/1/h/Episodes/ 

Happy watching. 

The cast of  "Go back to where you came from".

请多保重

偷拍. 

被发现啦. 

在Jungle Trekking时, 看到了这温馨的一幕.

十分钟里, 俩人并没有交谈. 就那样静静的坐着. 

一切尽在不言中. 

亲爱的朋友们, 请多保重. 让我们一起慢慢变老.

老来互相调侃， 当然也互相勉励.

我可是会活的很老的.呵呵. 

魔术师

乍看一下， 很像魔术师， 就抛下朋友， 跟了上去。
拍完照后， 把他跟丢了， 还蛮失落的。
事后回想， 会失落是因为那一顺间， 我把他当成了我生命里的魔术师，
可以把我不喜欢的都变走的魔术师。

再见他的话， 会对他说：" Hey mate, so... Harry is your friend ?"  呵呵。

Dhammacakka Day Gift

HS, thanks and I owe you once. 

Eighth core value: Reflection

  

Long long time ago, in a monastery, all the monks practice meditation every evening.  There is a kitten in the monastery always kacau the monks when they are meditating.  So the old Abbot tied this kitten on the pillar every time before they go to meditate.  After long long time, the Abbot passed away but the kitten is still being tied on the pillar every time they meditate until it grows old and dies. Then the monks buy another kitten and tied it on the pillar every time they want to meditate. They practise this for a long long time. Until there is a sutra and catatan on the benefits of tying a kitten on the pillar while meditating.  The moral of the story is we cannot follow tradition merely without asking why. We cannot follow things blindly but must understand why we do that.  E.g. why we must bounce three times when paying respect? Why we must offer fruit, flower and water to the Triple Gems so on and so forth.  The Buddha never taught us to do all these. The Buddha only shared with us the essential things that will lead us to the Nibbana which are the Four-Noble truths and Noble Eight-fold path.  This is because the Buddha knew that human mind is very easy to create ideology.  The way we do Puja is a cultural thing or a way of paying respect.  Once ideology is being created, human mind will cling on it and believe that it is the truth.  Clinging creates attachments.  Attachments are afflictions.  It is this affliction which keeps us in the Samsara and makes us not able to be freed.

We can do reflection in a truthful way to achieve liberation from affliction. Affliction refers to attachment due to greed, hatred and delusions.  We have to reflect every day: Do I have greedy thought today? Do I act greedily today? Do I say something which will lead to greedy action? Do I have any hatred thought? Do I get angry today? Why do I get angry? What are the objects and subjects that make me feel angry? Do I have frivolous thought, action and speech today?  We must reflect sincerely and truthfully. Or else it will become justification but not reflection.

One can study Buddhism very well, like an Abhidhammist.  But still there are Abhidhammists who are depressed. So, knowledge has to be coupled with reflection then only it is called as LEARNING.

Learning is not simply adding on information.  Learning only happen when a person reflects and finally realizes the truth then only a person can be transformed. A teacher cannot transform us. A teacher can only inform. Inform us the knowledge. We have to always reflect and walk the path on our own. The Buddha didn't save Angulimala. It was Angulimala did the reflection on the Buddha's word. Then he realized that was true and finally transformed himself to a better person. 

Adding more knowledge is like adding more water to a fountain.  But it is not like lighting a lamp which will dispel the darkness. Only wisdom can dispel darkness.

Footnote: 

Eight core values

·        Compassion: The passion to the community. Be passion in helping and supporting each other. 

·        Courage: Able to cope with adversities and having the courage to go on.

·        Respect

·        Integrity

·        Service

·        Faith

·        Learning

·        Reflection

Song dedication to a VVIP

I would like to dedicate a song to a VVIP in my life.
Message to her is " 这些年来， 辛苦了。
"Many thanks to you for all these wonderful years. Love you."

Her name is Lee Yean Low. 呵呵呵。 :D

Songwriters: Baker, Gary / Wilson, William Lon

I know this pain
Why do lock yourself up in these chains?
No one can change your life except for you
Don't ever let anyone step all over you
Just open your heart and your mind, mmm
Is it really fair to feel this way inside?

Chorus

Ooh some day somebody's gonna make you want to
Turn around and say goodbye
Until then baby are you going to let them
Hold you down and make you cry
Don't you know?
Don't you know things can change
Things'll go your way
If you hold on for one more day
Can you hold on for one more day
Things'll go your way
Hold on for one more day (one more day)

You could sustain (you could sustain , you could sustain)
Mmm or are you comfortable with the pain?
You've got no one to blame for your unhappiness (no baby)
You got yourself into your own mess (ooooooo)
Lettin' your worries pass you by (lettin' your worries pass you by)
Baby don't you think it's worth your time
To change your mind?

Chorus

Noo noo, some day somebody's gonna make you want to
Turn around and say goodbye
Until then baby are you going to let them
Hold you down and make you cry
Don't you know?
Don't you know things can change
Things'll go your way
If you hold on for one more day
Can you hold on for one more day
Things'll go your way (oh things'll go your way)
Hold on for one more day

I know that there is pain
But you hold on for one more day
And you break free from the chains
Yeah I know that there is pain
But you hold for one more day-acap

Self Service

We always think that doing voluntary work is a sort of giving.
In fact, we are the ones who gain the most when we give.
When you're doing service, you're serving yourself the most.

Be daring to give or to share as you won't lose anything.
Be mindful when selecting voluntary work that you want to get involved as it cost you the most expensive resource in your life which is time.

树在脱皮

冬天，树在脱皮， 意境就像蝴蝶破蛹。
“树皮一层层的，仿佛要脱掉旧衣换新裳一般”。
这些树都长在我家门前。
天天经过， 提醒我要一层层的认识我自己，
接受丑陋的自己， 慢慢净化自己， 就像大树脱皮一样。

蝴蝶破蛹，大树脱皮，人也要不停的重组才能成长。

脱皮 (1)

脱皮 (2)

脱皮 (3)

脱皮 (4)

人其实很小。。。

如果你的视野很广的话。

甘孜州.

Dandenong Ranges National Park, Melbourne.

Self-check 8: It's never too late ...

... to grow old disgracefully.

You are as old as your mind,
not the calendar.
Make each day a new day.
Refuse to relive old days.
Make bold plans.
Set new personal bests.
Journey into the unknown with abandon.

"Remember to learn something and unlearn something every day."
metta

Genomics is there to stay

I was amazed...

I guess John Quackenbush was right when he said genomics is there to stay. Thanks for sharing, Prof!

小心, 隔墙有耳！！

如有雷同，纯属巧合。 :)

Mind labels with perception

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
Our life is the creation of our mind.
The Buddha

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
Shakespeare

看不清楚是因为戴了有色眼镜(perception).
So how does perception begin to form in our mind?

Daniel Gilbert 在 Stumbling on Happiness 书中提到, 验究显示因为我们有 memory (we remember how we felt)所以才会有perception. We perceive things as we think they are. When we are doing this, the brain gets information from memory (past experience), visual perception (present experience) and visual imagination(prospection).

越说越觉得跟 Paticca Samuppada 有关...

It's time 是时候了

前几天父亲节打电话回家时， 察觉老爸老了， 而我长得很大了。
退休后的他，生活素质下降了。时间都花在睡午觉及看电视。

当时是这样想的， 是时候我来当爸爸的爸爸了。
It's time for me to be my father's father and my mother's mother wholeheartedly and unconditionally.

首先，催他去换副眼镜。 看得清楚是很重要的！呵呵
再来，鼓励他在家门前空地种些小菜。
然后，让他帮我跑点腿。
。。。

要记住的是， 我不是要改造他， 只是要帮他再次的找到自己。
老爸， 接招吧。

Happiness

Happiness arises from the timely company of friends.
Happiness arises from having few needs.
Happiness arises from accumulated virtue at life's end.
Happiness arises from seeing beyond suffering.
~ Dhp v331 ~

Welcome!!

May you have a beautiful life!!

Success vs Value

Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.
~ Albert Einstein ~

A man of value is a man of success. How true it is?

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude to get what he desires.
~ Thomas Jefferson ~

Hibernating ...

想冬眠，因为觉得我又在迷失于花花世界里了。
让我静静的， 一个人再次的找到平衡点。

生活，不过如此吧。
呵呵
跌倒了，再爬起。
迷路了，再走过。
做错了，再改过。
没什么大不了的。

想冬眠，也可能是因为现在是冬天吧。
低温让人懒洋洋的。
冬天，是我想家的季节。:)
还好，还有个家让我想。 哈哈哈

Dalai Lama

''Peace of mind, you can't buy it from a supermarket. You can buy a diamond ring, but you can't buy peace of mind,'' Dalai Lama declares.

Who can give you the peace of mind?
Answer: Yourself

Koala - Phascolarctos cinereus

Ajahn Kalyano said koala represents 'metta',my Buddhist name, that's why people like to hug kaola.

So... I'm a koala.

No wonder I enjoy hugging and sleeping so much. :)

Loving You by MinnIE RipErton

Happy Wedding, Yar Ching!