生活物语 之 "Fir$t Deal"

Today's "Judgement Day" for my first deal.

It's part of a regular financial budget approval process for our organisation's management to decide on the funding for costly deals.

For the past few days, I've been working very hard with my bosses and our Finance division's colleagues to secure this multi-million dollar funding support for projects in my biomedical portfolio. It was quite a tough process as a first timer. Stressful pressures as my bosses are anxious and eager to put all the details in place for the timely review.

During the panel review session, my bosses presented the case and we managed to convince the management to support this deal.

Hurray! Cheers to my first successful deal! =)

生活物语 之 "Harps of the Emerald Isle"

Celtic Harps are national symbols of Ireland, the Emarald Isle. The mythical lore and storied past of Celtic harps make them a very special emblem of Ireland's pride. Indeed, one of the most remarkable ways in which the Emerald Isle distinguishes itself is that, as a tribute to the importance of music in Irish culture, Ireland is the only country in the world with a musical instrument as a national symbol.

Otherwise known as the heraldic harp or Gaelic harp, Celtic harps have been part of the Irish landscape for centuries and have become the national symbols of Ireland.

In the 16th century King Henry VIII of England made the harp the official symbol of colonial Ireland by putting it on Ireland's currency. The harps place in the Irish heart proceeded this action but it is at this time it became a recognized symbol of Ireland.

Today, our division was invited to Ireland's embassy for an event to receive Ireland's main Institutes of Technology, guests included key persons from our country's local institutes of higher learning. The embassador of Ireland was very welcoming as the host for this function at his private residence, an exclusive bungalow with nice specious greenery all around.

We had fruitful chats with deans and professors from Irish technological institutes. It was a good learning experience for us since we are looking at new Biotechnologies. The culinary spread was splendid! I like the tasty vege dishes and desserts... especially the Irish bread pudding with raisins and walnut, topped with vanilla sauce! =)

The Significance of Vesak Day

Adapted from the book "Be a Lamp Upon Yourself", Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

Vesak Day, which falls on the full moon day of the fifth month of the year, is the most important event for the Buddhist community. It commemorates the Birth, Enlightenment and Nirvana of the Buddha.

For some Buddhists, the observance of Vesak begins early in the morning when they assemble at temples to observe the Eight Precepts. Others may join the communal observance by going through the ceremony of taking the Threefold Refuge (expression through faith and commitment to the Buddha, His teaching and the Holy Community), observing the Five Precepts, making offerings at shrines and by chanting and recitation. They may also participate in processions and circumambulation, and listening to sermons of the Buddha's Teaching.

In some temples, Buddhists take part in the ceremonial bathing of the statue of baby Prince Siddhartha (before he became the Buddha) A small standing statue of the prince is placed in a basin of perfumed water strewn with flowers. The Buddhists scoop the perfumed water with a ladle and pour it over the statue. This act of bathing symbolises the purification of one's unwholesome actions.

Many Buddhists also take vegetarian meals on this day as they recall the teaching of universal compassion. The temples are often colourfully decorated with Buddhist flags and lights. The shrines are also filled with flowers, fruits and other offerings.

Significance of Buddhist Observations

Buddhism in practice is more than just learning about the life of Buddha and His Teachings. It includes many observances, some of which are common to all Buddhists while others are characteristics of a particular culture or country. The significance of some common observances is as follows:

Buddhist Shrines and Images

The Buddha image in the centre of shrine represents and reminds us of the Buddha and the ideal of Buddhahood with its perfect qualities of Wisdom and compassion. It serves to inspire us when we see it as we recall the greatness of the Buddha and His Teaching.

Folded Palms

Placing the palms together and raising them to the level of the chest is a traditional gesture to express deep reverence to the triple Gem -the Buddha, His Teaching and the Sangha (followers of his Teaching).

Bowing

Prostrating before an image of the Buddha or members of the Sangha is an expression of deep veneration. It also acknowledges that the Buddha has attained the perfect and supreme Enlightenment. Such an act helps the Buddhist to overcome egoistic feelings to become more ready to listen to the Teaching of the Buddha.

Making Offerings

Offerings expresses appreciation and veneration to the Triple Gem:

Light symbolises the brightness of wisdom attained on the path towards Enlightenment which drives away the darkness of ignorance.

Fresh and beautiful flowers which soon becomes withered, scentless and discoloured serves as a reminder of the impermanence of all things.

Fragrant incense which fills the air symbolises the purifying effect of wholesome conduct.

Water symbolises purity, clarity and calmness.

Fruit symbolises the ultimate fruit of Enlightenment which is the goal of Buddhists.

Chanting and recitation

Verses may be recited in praise of the Triple Gem. Sermons of the Buddha can also be recited. Short phrases or syllables (mantras) that symbolises certain teachings or qualities of the Buddha may also be chanted. Chanting and recitation, like meditation, also helps one to concentrate and develop a calm and peaceful state of mind.

The Three-Steps-One-Bow Ceremony

On Vesak Day, devotees line up in a procession before sunrise to meditatively circumambulate around the perimeter of the temple - bowing once every three steps while chanting "Homage to the Original Teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha (南无本师释迦牟尼佛)".

Prostration

Upon every prostration, the Buddha can be visualized standing upon one's open palm which symbolise lotuses (that denote purity). Every prostration is thus paying respects to the Buddha or the countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of every direction. This practice helps to purify the mind, humble the ego, and lessen obstacles along the spiritual path as one repents past misdeeds of body, speech and mind and aspires towards spiritual improvement. It is also an occasion to express gratitude to the Buddha for His compassion.

Concentration and calmness achieved as one become constantly mindful of the processes of the body, speech and mind during the practice. Unanswered spiritual questions are sometimes answered as one enters deep concentration and realises the roots of the problems.

Perseverance

As the ceremony is lengthy and over undulating land, it reminds one of the long and difficult journeys towards Enlightenment. But it also serves to remind us that as long as one has determination, all difficulties can be overcome. Persistence in completing the journey despite its difficulties also strengthens one's faith in the Buddha and His Teaching to lead us towards Enlightenment.

Break of Dawn

The break of dawn at the end of the ceremony represents the light of wisdom dispelling the darkness of ignorance as one advances on the spiritual path towards Enlightenment. Participating in this special event, among others, on Vesak Day is considered very meritorious. It is extremely difficult to describe the spiritual joy one feels upon completion of the ceremony and is definitely something one has to experience for oneself.

The Night of Infinite Light

This practice has similar significance to the three-steps-one-bow Ceremony. Instead of prostration, devotees each hold a lotus-shaped candle to their chest level as they pave around the perimeter of the temple in walking meditation while chanting "南无本师释迦牟尼佛."

Wisdom

The "light passing" ceremony is symbolic of the passing of the light of wisdom to every direction of the world to dispel the darkness of ignorance. It also refers to the offering and sharing of the Truth with others. On a personal level, it has the significance of lighting up one's inner lamp of wisdom. The passing on of the light indefinitely to countless others without one's own flame dying out illustrates the fact that wisdom can be shared indefinitely without any loss on one's part, i.e. only goodness can come from such an act.

Impermanence

The burning of the wick and the melting of the candle also serves to remind us of the impermanence and transience of all conditioned things - which include our own bodies and lives. Reflecting so helps us to treasure every moment alive without attachment. The candles also symbolise Bodhisattvas who sacrifice themselves to light up the lives of suffering sentient beings.

Mindfulness

As the procession goes on, mindfulness has to be practised to not let the flame be extinguished. This is symbolic of the importance of constantly guarding one's mind against any negative factors detrimental to the spiritual life. It is most inspiring and moving to see a single flame light up to a sea of darkness into countless lamps which bring further brightness to each other.

For this year's Vesak Day celebrations, we participated in the passing of lights ceremony along with hundreds of devotees at the monastery on Vesak Day's eve. Among the observations that I made during the symbolic journey around the monastery with a lotus of light in relation to Buddhism teachings, the most significant one is when we passed the main shrine ~ a scene that I've seen in my dreams previously. In closing, we prayed for thousands of unfortunate victims that suffered in recent natural fatal disasters - China's Earthquake and Myanmar's Cyclone.

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

生活物语 之 "The Art of Safety"

The above picture is about the inter-chaining of ‘safety pins’ to form a uniform art piece. The same goes in the line of industrial safety where every safety regulation should be complied with care and vigilance to minimise the occurrences of industrial risks.

Today, I attended a safety orientation course which is meant to drill some basic safety knowledge for those who will be working in heavy industries such as Oil/Petrochemical. The trainer, Hassan talks about safe practices and his own experiences working in the industry. He showed us many visual images of industrial accidents, video recordings of real-life accidents and a touching video about “The Story of Bong”. Those are too much to be described on my blog. I will tell you next time we meet… please remind me okay? =)

However, the trainer side-tracked to talk about something else that is out of the context of industrial safety. He brought up the topic about the recent calamities around the world and I m quite impressed that he has managed to present it in a simple and logical manner.

Crude oil from below earth surface acts as an insulator between the inner hot earth and the surface of earth. Without this insulator, the heat from the inner earth can get to the surface easily.

Hassan started with oil rigging business… The way to do it is to drill into an oilfield and pump in water to displace the oil to surface since water is denser. When the crude oil is pumped completely, the gaps are filled with water and sealed. Imagine over the years, these water are in close contact with the hot inner earth and boiled to form steam. Over time, it developed into ‘super steam’ and there will be a time where the pressure is too high and a large explosion is caused. It seemed that the 2004 tsunami was caused this way. It was an explosion in the middle of Andaman sea that causes huge ripples that turned into Tsunami. These ‘super steam’ underneath can cause a lot of environmental calamities over time. Just look at the recent disasters that are happening around the world today, earthquakes, cyclones, etc. Somehow it can be associated with oil and the ways man are infringing into the balance in our ecosystem and geological structures around the earth today.

One day, our earth will come to an end, some say in another 300-500 years later. I do not know… but from the way we were living now, the waves of technological developments comes with a heavy price tag!

生活物语 之 "皈依三宝"

Today's an important date where we made a firm commitment to register ourselves with Buddhism in a formal ceremony ("皈依三宝").

The learning journey towards enlightenment begins...

生活物语 之 "Fly Me To Singapore"

Today's our first corporate event for 2008 where we went up the Singapore Flyer for a 360-degree ride. I m among the organising committee for this event. It was a busy day for me... apart from getting things done by the last day of the week, I need to play tour guide to my colleagues since this is our new 2008 team's first event.

It's a panaromic experience from the top of Marina Bay and I did a 3G link with Chumani during the ride. =)

We took many photos as there is a post-event photo competition...

Mandala

Mandala (ancient sanskrit denotes "circle" or "completion") is a term of Hindu origin used to refer to various objects and it is also used in other Indian religions, such as Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, they have been developed into sandpainting. In practice, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the Universe from the human perspective.

In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts, a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. Its symbolic nature can help one "to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises."

The mandala shows a way of bringing peace and harmony in our world, through genuine practices of the mind of Great Compassion, the Wisdom of Emptiness, and the meditations of Mandala with their respective deities. We can generate the respective qualities as mentioned and thereby bring about a positive change in our own world.

Just to glimpse the Mandala, however, will create a positive impression on the mind-stream of the observer, who for a moment is in touch with the profound potential for perfect Enlightenment, which exists within the mind of all beings. Every aspect of the constructed Mandala has deep meaning.

In the construction process of Tibetan's Mandala sandpainting, every grain of coloured sand is placed with care and precision. The work process is tedious and time-consuming. The product is a splendid and colourful visual art display. However, despite all the hard work put in to construct the Mandala, it will be erased in a few hand strokes, where the whole Mandala disintegrates into a mess of 'emptiness'. This is a way to show the impermanence of life. No matter how well you led your life achieving the best in luxuries, career achievements, and other possessions... A final moment will come and you alone must face the reality of 'emptiness' when the angel of death knocks on your doors.

Our knowledge in Buddhism s definitely building up each day just like every grain on the Mandala sandpainting, knowing very well that one day I will also face the 'emptiness' too. It may sound unbelievable, but how many people among their busy schedules or enjoying the luxuries would think of the unpredictables in life? Before that final moment, I hope to be ready for it and know where I m heading next.

I recalled vividly in one of my recent dreams, I felt consciously awake but alone in the Bodhisattva hall... concentrating on a dialogue with the Bodhisattva about the journey towards enlightenment. In the end, I made a firm commitment to embark on the journey and was given a name. It's amazing! =)

Ever since that dream, I have been regularly attending Buddhism classes and improving myself in accordance with the precepts and teachings. The classes are structured in an interactive way where the teachers follow a syllabus based on Buddhism sutras and also share their life experiences. Our class consists of people from different ages and from all walks of life. On this learning journey, we share our knowledge, experiences and help each other along the way.