Dreams and Goals

... an excerpt from a untitled novella I'm working on in my free time... (as in.. when I'm really really damn free... haha..)

Old Grikas was a lowly blacksmith under the House of Damok, which was the largest clan of wari north of Dalan. The clan had over three hundred staff under its household and operated a war academy, a Domon Temple, a weapon workshop, six plots of farmlands, and a bank. Its riches were unfathomable to orphans like Hamas. But Hamas had a glimpse of it by being under the tutelage of Grikas.

Being a staff, Grikas was able to arrange for Hamas to be schooled in the Domon Temple. Hamas was a diligent student and excelled in all the subjects taught. He was soon proficient in letters, poetry, history, geography, fencing, archery and horseback riding. His thirst for knowledge grew intensively as his teachers at the temple soon ran out of things to teach him. Even Grikas soon found out that there was little more he could impart to Hamas on blacksmithing. But what Hamas really wanted to learn was Philosophy and Art, the two subjects available to only the nobles in the House. Hamas was never to be allowed into the classes for these subjects.

Once, in a letters lessons, the students was required to compose a letter detailing their personal future. Hamas boldly wrote about his desire to become foremost in philosophy throughout Dalan. His tutor in letters reproached him severely when he read what was written. In his rage, he had Hamas whipped and made him redo his letters or he will be given a failing grade and be expelled from the temple.

The night was a long one for Hamas as he thought about his dream. The House of Damok was not his future. He needs to pursue his dreams boldly. Later that night, he sought out his Grikas, kneeled down and bowed respectfully to offer his thanks for taking him under his wings. The next day, he returned to the temple with a message for his tutor in letters.

“You can change my grades and expel me from the temple-school. But I cannot change my dreams. I will leave the House of Damok and seek my fortune elsewhere. You have my gratitude for teaching me much.”

= = = = =

Sometimes, we need to advance boldly towards our dreams.

Without dreams, we are but ships without compass,

ready to be devoured by the storms.

Without goals, it would be like running up and down the football field,

but never attempting to score.

How can we expect to win in life without dreams and goals?

Health and Sickness

“There is no need to fear illness but at the same time, we must not take it lightly.” – Josei Toda

Origin of illness

1. Disharmony of the four elements
   According to many philosophies, nature and things in the universe, including our human body consist of the four elements of fire, earth, wind and water. Disharmony of these elements refers to unseasonable weather and other conditions of discord in our natural world exerting a powerful influence on our human body, causing it to be ‘out of sync’.
   
2. Improper eating and drinking
   This cause of illness is easily understood. I believe we are all familiar with situation where we fall ill from not eating sufficiently or overeating. Eating unhygienic food and food which are not properly prepared will also cause harm to our human bodies.
   
3. Inappropriate practice of seated meditation
   Seated meditation is only a metaphor here. What this means here is that our health will be affected due to bad posture, insufficient sleep, exercise and simply being out of rhythm with everyday living.
   
4. Attack by demons
   Demons generally refer to external functions in our environment affecting our daily lives. These include effects due to the workings of microorganisms such as bacteria and virus, or even stress affecting our mental health.
   
5. Work of devils
   Devils, in contrast to demons, refer to internal functions in our lives affecting our daily lives. These include various inner impulses and obsessions resulting in bad judgments and wrong decisions.
   
6. Effects of karma
   The work of karma refers to causes derived from the inner depths of our life. They are inherent due to the karma committed in the past and are manifested as illness.

Preventive Measures against Illness

Naturally, no one wants to be sick. Understanding the above six causes of illness, we can then take proactive steps to prevent illness.

The first thing is to dress according to the changes in our environment by having warm clothes for cold days and cool clothes for hotter ones. We should refrain from overindulging in food and drink. We should also try to have enough sleep and exercise. In this way, we can avoid the first three causes of illness.

The fourth kind will require collective wisdom of the human species. By that, I refer to knowledge and discovery of medical science.

The fifth kind will require a deeper sense of self-discipline. By living a life dedicated to a noble cause and focusing our energies, we can prevent devils from taking advantage of our humanly weaknesses.

Illness from karma however, is rarely prevented. Instead, they are meant to be overcome.

Illness Arising from Karma

There are generally two types of illness which usually occur with respect to karma. They are terminal diseases and chronic ailments.

For terminal diseases, it is important to muster deep conviction and true courage to face the diseases. Hope is a prerequisite to achieve victory. It had been proven that a hopeful patient has a higher chance of recovery than a pessimistic one. The key is to realize that when we suffer from a serious illness, it means that we have a profound mission. The deeper our suffering, the more we can demonstrate the tremendous power of Buddhism when you surmount that suffering and the more you can contribute to kosen-rufu.

Chronic ailment sufferers, however, often find it harder to arouse strong resolve to recover. It is thus, very important to adopt a positive mind towards our chronic ailments and make progressive efforts and at the same thing, summon the expansive life state to be able to take the bad times for granted. It is important to note that no ailments can be an obstacle to our happiness and our efforts for kosen-rufu as long as we can summon the ‘Lion Roar’.

“At life’s most fundamental level, health and sickness are one. There are times when our life manifests a healthy condition and times when it manifests illness. The two conditions are interconnected. Thus, by making earnest efforts in faith, and fighting against illness, we can establish a state of genuine health both mentally and physically.” – Daisaku Ikeda

Wishing all readers of my humble blog good health! =)

Faith for a Harmonious Family

One of my first prayers will be for family harmony. And there are two aspects to it -- Maintaining harmonious family with my parents and siblings as well as to work towards starting a nuclear family unit of my own.

My father was hardly around as I was growing up. But my mother was a thorough woman and her way of bringing us up reaped benefits. I would proudly say that her children all turned up pretty well and I love her deeply for that.

My elder brother is dependable and mature. Without a father figure in my growing years, he was the one I looked up to for a manhood example. I would like to think that I am pretty independent, and hence, did not have much need to call upon my elder brother, but he was there when necessary. He had since married and became a major care-giver for the rest of us.

My younger sister and I were much closer in terms of age compared to the age gap with my elder brother. Hence, there were many times that I think of her as my peer rather than a junior member of the family. In fact, as we grow from childhood to adulthood, there are times when her maturity exceeds me. The only thing that my sister lacked compared to the rest of the family is the spiritual depth of our faith which we hoped she would develop.

Being a nature introvert, I would claim that I am never the most active element in my family dynamics. But harmony is prevalent and is also the first of the Golden Guidelines of Faith offered by Toda Sensei.

I read segments of the Song of Triumph chapter of the New Human Revolution today. In it, Sensei presided over the marriage of two pairs of young couples. He had shared before that if a man and wife could work hand-in-hand for Kosen-Rufu, they will be able to create tremendous energy in bringing happiness to the people around them as well as themselves.

My life is dedicated to Kosen-Rufu. I made that vow to my mentor before and I would not forget it. And I am truly and deeply overwhelmed with gratitude that the girlfriend also cherishes the same conviction for Kosen-Rufu and I have been offering my thanks before the Gohonzon. Sensei may not be able to preside over our union, but I am sure he is watching over our growth. Our relationship may be new and is only budding. But I will do my utmost to make it a value-creating one.

Pulsating Waves

Dinner at Max Brenner Chocolate Bar;
Phantom of the Opera at the Esplanade;
Capped with a stroll by the beach at Sentosa;

remembering 14 April 2007...

Gentle breeze, silent stars
Yet the pulsating waves raged on
Bringing in the tides
And pounding in the heart

Gentle fingers, silent gaze
Yet the pulsating waves raged on
Fearing the unknown
And sounding in the soul

Gentle voices, silent smiles
Yet the pulsating waves raged on
Promising to be worthy
And vowing to be true

Genie Series # 1

Once upon a time, there was a genie named Juken. Juken was fresh out of the Magick Academy and was really eager to start using his magical ability to help people. So he was walking down the street one day and found a pathetic, ugly looking beggar by the roadside and decided to help this poor fellow.

So he approached this beggar and asked how he could help him.

The beggar looked up and grinned. It was a really ugly grin as his teeth were all crooked and decaying. And then, without much hesitation, the beggar asked for money, lots and lots of money. And so, Juken snapped his fingers, and a nice little box appeared in his hands.

“This is an unlimited personal automated teller machine, also known as the UP-ATM. You can withdraw unlimited amount of money with it.”

And so with that, Juken left the beggar.

Two weeks later, he visited the beggar again. This time, the beggar had beautiful clothes and living in a magnificent castle. After a few words of thanks from the beggar, Juken asked if the beggar was happy.

The beggar thought for a while and answered, “I may be rich. But I am ugly and sickly. The women only tolerate me because of my money. Make me handsome and healthy”

Juken thought for a while and made the beggar a pretty boy with a healthy and sporty body like the ancient Greek gods.

Another two weeks passed. This time, the beggar’s castle was filled with beautiful women who seek his attention. Each one of them will listen intently to all he said and giggled at all his jokes.

“So are you happy now?” asked Juken.

The beggar thought for a while and answer, “I have no friends. No one really think highly of me despite my good looks and wealth. I think I would be happier if I were to have some kind of talent.”

And so Juken gave the beggar the ability to compose wonderful poetry to impress his friends.

Another two weeks passed. Before Juken could enter the castle this time, the beggar rushed out of his house to meet him. He was crying.

“I have wealth, I am healthy and attractive, and I am the royal poet and everyone loves me. Yet I feel something is lacking and I am miserable. Can you give me happiness?”

Juken thought hard about it. The gift of happiness was not taught at the academy. But just as he was about to give up, he remembered. And he snapped his fingers. The castle was gone, the UP-ATM was gone. The beggar is ugly and sickly again and he could not even speak properly. The beggar was the beggar again. And then Juken left.

The next two weeks was the longest and most miserable for the beggar. And when Juken came to visit him again, the beggar hugged Juken and cried.

“I finally know what happiness is,” the beggar exclaimed. Juken looked intently at the beggar and waited for the answer.

After wiping off his tears, the beggar finally said, “Happiness is to cherish a sense of appreciation. Thank you for teaching me that.”

Juken smiled and winked. “I am a genie. I help people.”

= = = = = = =

There are people who wanted so much to have my job. They are praying for it day and night. Although it is tough and difficult, I should still appreciate that I have this job. And I should strive to do the best that I can.

3 + 4 = 7

Dawn. Refresh.

It had come to pass that I am starting another new blog to commemorate a new departure for me -- a quantum adjustment to my personal life where I cast aside my past and march forth to the future again.

Prior to this incarnation of my blogging experience, I ran two separate blogs at:

• RA-RANT
• MRC-University

One of them details random ranting by me and the other houses various inspirations I obtain in my journey through life which I wished to share with my students. Maintaining two separate personas, of which one is that of me as a private man and the other of an aspiring educator, had been a challenge. But recently, I had come to realize that such is not necessary. I am, but one man. I am who I am... no point splitting myself up. There are many identities we may assume but the one that gives me the greatest pride is that of a disciple of a truly great man – Dr Daisaku Ikeda. It is from him, that I learnt everything I needed in life.

As this marks a new departure, I thought it necessary to give my own life a simple appraisal and to reintroduce myself to the world. Personally, I would rate myself with an interesting contrast of high spirituality and low emotionality.

I prided myself in my attainment in the spiritual realm. I am a Buddhist. To be more specific, I practice Nichiren Buddhism, which is the school of Buddhism that focuses on the Lotus Sutra, considered to be the highest teachings of all Buddhist doctrines. And I practice them with the Soka Gakkai, an international organization which had inherited the spirit of Nichiren Daishonin, the founder of this school of Buddhism.

I remembered that as a child of maybe about five, I started to question the adults around me on the concept of life and death. It did not take long for me to realize that even the adults do not have a ready answer for such a question and my desire to understand my mortality begins.

As I grew a bit older, I was given formal education in mission schools. The experience provided me with quite an adequate understanding of the Christian faith. But as I compared what I had learnt with my observation of the world around me, I find the teachings of the bible unsatisfactory for my spiritual quest. In the midst of my journey, my mother started to collect a lot of literature on Nichiren Buddhism. I devoured those books with fervor and soon, I started to realize that many of my doubts are clearing. But my seeking mind to ever learn more about religions never waned. When the issue of global terrorism rises to the forth to become a major problem in our contemporary civilization, I took to studying Islam as well to forge a better understanding of my fellow human beings.

I had always cherished the dream of becoming a writer. Which is one of the main reasons why I blog. I love to write. The irony is that I was denied the chance to study Literature when I was in school. But my passion for churning out tales had not diminished and I may proceed to include some of my flash fictions here. Anyway, failing to become an author, I eventually became an educator, teaching mathematics and computer applications in a secondary school (high school in some parts of the world). Education had become an axel from which my life revolves.

My romance with the idea of being an educator took concrete form when I come to realize that thoughts are the only thing that last. As a lover of historical tales, folklore and legends, it had come to pass one day, that all the great empires and achievements in the past count for nothing in light of eternality. The greatest heritage from our past is not the mighty architectures from the Mayans, the Ancient Greek and Romans, the Great Indian and Chinese Empires. They pale in significant to the moral ideals, the system of thoughts and inspirational ideas that are perpetuated to the future. And education is the process of sharing the thoughts with the next generation.

Phew, I guess the above will suffice as an introduction to this new literary journey of mine. The following may not have been mentioned in this entry, but I thought I would just like to list the various categories of things I would be likely to write about here.

1. Daily_Life (This is mainly my mundane everyday activities.)
   
2. Loves (And hates too! But I will try to be positive. =p)
   
3. Tales (of any kind really when imagination goes on wanderlust.)
   
4. Religion (My spiritual gymnastics.)
   
5. Peace (Yes… I am a pacifist!)
   
6. Culture (Where art and science fused with meaning and aesthetics.)
   
7. Education (The teacher, the sovereign, the parent.)