As I walk along..

45 years after leaving high school, we were back on 13 October 2014.

This is an event held annually in October along Sydney coastline from Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach. The crowd along the coastal walk.

If you are with the pack, you must keep to the pace of the pack. You may be slightly ahead to set the pace. If you run too fast ahead, you are leaving the pack and you are on your own.

Luck does not just fall from the sky. It is the reward for one's accumulated merits. Merits are accumulated through one's good deeds with contribution of effort, materials, wisdom, support and compassion to those who most needed it.

People in positions of power (due to their earlier accumulation of good merits) are in good positions to accumulate more merits through their wise use of their positions of power by formulating and implementing good policies.

1. Put your money where your mouth is. Your priority should be placed on everyday nutritiuos foods and not those unproven health food supplements sold to you at exhorbitant price.

2. One should not promise or take on something that one knows could not be delivered.

In any event of interest, you must actively involve in its planning and implementation, failing which you forfeit your right to question its outcome.

A process is designed to achieve a desired outcome.
Changing a process halfway would therefore lead to a different outcome, which may not be desirable.

阿弥陀佛. 我很感謝大家今天來送我们的爸爸走完人生的最后一程. 爸爸一生为人忠(锺)厚, 刻苦耐劳, 待人忱懇, 值得我们的尊敬与懷念.

Dear friends and relations. Thank you for attending this occasion. Today, the 2nd September 2011, we all come together to say farewell to our late father and to send him on his last journey in life. He was 96.

Most of you would have known our late father as an aged man of few words. He worked hard and took good care of his family. He kept healthy for the majority part of his life until lately when glaucoma gradually took away his eyesight. But beneath the aged body and his grey hairs, there was a man full of talent and wisdom. He was married to my mother and together they have 5 sons, two daughters, 13 grand-children and 2 great grand-children.

My late father was born in 1918. As a young boy during that era, he did not have the opportunity to receive formal education. However, he was able to teach himself reading and writing as he grew up, and was able to apply this skill in his everyday life.

My late father was creative and artistic. Since a very young age, when he worked in the batik-printing factory, he was the one that produced the latest design pattern for the batik. He was the one who personally carved the printing block on soft wood, the technology used at that time. He was the one that mixed the latest exotic colour to match his latest design. His talent exhibited in the batik factory extended to the operation sides and including procurement of the materials and services for the factory.

Later, as the family grew larger and when we moved to Penang Island, my late father took out a job in construction and became a supervisor with the contractor. Together with his construction team, they built the Air Itam Water Filtration Plant with the clock tower standing tall on the hill slope visible to all passing traffic. Later when I had the opportunity to work there operating the treatment plant, I could not help wondering what a marvellous work they have done in contributing to the progress of the Island.

In his later life, he diligently worked for a developer. His dedication and honesty won the heart of his employer who treated him like a family member. As usual, friends and colleagues always liked him. He was always cheerful towards life even under the most adverse conditions.

For most of his retired life, my late father was largely active and independent. He was able to ride a motorcycle in his late seventies taking mother around doing the shopping and visiting people. In his eighties, due to his fading eyesight, he and my mother moved in to stay with my third brother and my fifth brother. From the time onwards both the families had devoted much in giving excellent care to meet their needs. I wish to thank them for their love, their compassion, their dedication and their endless effort to make life easy for my late father.

Now that my late father had travelled to the end of his journey this life, we are here to bid him farewell. As he journeys to a new life, may he be liberated and all harmful circumstances are subdued. May he be protected from all situations that cause fear. And may his journey from this life to the next be without fear. May the enlightened beings be there to guide him.

My late father did not provide instruction about what he wanted for his funeral. However, all our brothers and sisters have discussed and agreed that a Buddhist funeral service would be most befitting for him. His remains would be cremated and his ashes would be placed in the newly build section at the Columbarium at Mt Erskine. It is easily accessible to all for paying homage in the future. This is an ideal resting place for father. Where mind is no obstacle, and where there is no fear.

Dear father, you were a man of great strength. Your strength lies in the burdens that you had carried. It was your gentle touch and the gentle words that you whispered. It was your generosity towards your friends amongst the adverse conditions. It was your honesty and acceptance of life that you had lived. It was how respected you were at home. And for that we will remember. We shall follow the good moral virtue that you have practiced life long.

Dear father, you came to this world without causing a ripple. Calmly and peacefully you departed. You were unimpeded in your mind. You were not afraid. You left far behind all delusive thinking and distorted dreams, and ultimately entered Nirvana. In future, we will remember you the way you lived, the example you have imparted upon us. At the rising and setting of the sun, we will remember you. At the season when the flowers bloom, we will remember you. At the season when the autumn leaves fall, we will remember you. You will be forever in our hearts.
Amitabha Buddha.


親愛的爸爸
今天你塵缘已竟, 远离塵埃, 心無掛儗, 走完人生最后一程.
我们祈求, 佛陀加持, 菩萨保佑, 愿你早日往生更美好的, 更快樂的镜界(世界).
在以後的日子, 在日出和日落的時刻, 我们將会想起你,
在春暖花开的季節, 我们將会懷念你.
在秋风落葉的季節, 我们將会懷念你.
阿弥陀佛.

The Buddha of us is in our hearts and our minds. The bathing of the Buddha represents the cleansing of our minds and hearts to get rid of our desire, hatred, and ignorance. We will replace the three evils with the three good deeds. Say good words, do good things and have good thoughts. Happy Vesak Day!

Stop worrying about things that we have no control. Stop doing things that do not work. Persevere on issues that matter.

Tradition dies hard. In this Dong Zhi Festival 22/12/2010 ( 冬至, arrival of winter), the Chinese celebrates it with Tang Yuan ( 湯圓, round glutinous rice balls in soup) as a symbol of family reunion. In ancient days, the arrival of winter meant that the farmers would lay down their tools and celebrate the harvest by coming home to their families. It is also the Winter Solstice in Northern Hemisphere when the night is longest. The days will be longer from now and the festival is symbolic with better days to come.

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone.

May peace and love, understanding and forgiving, caring and sharing continue to prevail and everyone attain an awe-inspiring virtue and ocean of prosperity.

虎年快樂 威德福海

For this New Year and the coming years, I like to share the following eight secrets of longevity with every one.

1. Eat Well. Cut down on salty, sweet and fatty foods. And add lots of colourful fruits and vegetables to your diet.

2. Regular Exercise. Exercise on the regular basis to keep physically healthy.

3. Relaxation lowers blood pressure, eases muscle tension and promotes sleep. Taking it easy also helps combat fatigue, which is the first noticeable symptom of all chronic disease.

4. Take an annual Holiday. Holiday allows one to break from the normal routine, to do something different. It need not be expensive, but it is a period away from routine.

5. Being socially active. Studies show that people with good, active social lives have less depression, stronger immune systems and a much lower incidence of heart disease.Keep the Mind Active.

6. Manage Stress. Continue to work to keep the body and mind busy. Manage work stress with self-discipline, time management, procedures or a decreased expectation.

7. Reduce weight and quite smoking if this is applicable to you.

8. And the most important, have a positive attitude towards everything.

Dear friends and relations. Thank you for attending this occasion. Today, we all come together to say farewell to Madam Teoh and to reflect on her life.

Most of you would have known Madam Teoh as your friends who were with you on the many meetings, parties, and outing visits. To me, Madam Teoh was not only my mother-in-law; she was part of our family. She was like my mother. My children called her grandma, and I called her grandma too.

Grandma came to stay with us a few months after my wife and I were married. In those earlier years, grandma had helped to take care of our two children and helping out the housework while we were working at offices. When we decided to migrate to Australia many years ago, we decided that we would not leave grandma overseas and had included her as our family in our application for migration.

When we arrived in Australia 20 years ago together with Grandma, everything was new to all of us. We all had to learn to settle down quickly. At the time, Grandma was unable to speak any English. With our encouragement, grandma enrolled herself in English classes. At the time, she was already in her early 60s. Nevertheless, she showed her ability as an ardent serious student and picked up the English language well. Since then, Grandma continued to excel in her quest for learning English and was certified capable of basic conversation English. This had helped her greatly and enriched her daily life. She had then joined many learning classes for many years. This not only provided her with an opportunity for her quest for English and knowledge, it provided her with an opportunity to interact with people of all races.

Living in a new environment in Australia, life can be strange and unfamiliar. To further enrich her life, we had encouraged her to venture out more often beside the local shopping centres. She soon learned to walk a kilometre to the train station and caught a train to the city Chinatown to do her shopping.

With growing confidence, Grandma had joined a number of social groups where weekly gathering were held. Grandma was particularly keen on the Blacktown Chinese Women Group where every Friday, they have gathering to listen to speakers, held birthday or other parties, or make outings to Blue Mountains, the South Coast and other surrounding exotic places. Grandma was also a regular member of the Blacktown Crestwood Centre where a van came and picked her from our house every Monday. Grandma always looked forward to these gatherings, rain or sunshine.

As a family, we regularly went out for dinners during birthdays, special occasions, or on the days we decided not to cook at home. Grandma had always had dinner with us. When our children were studying Chinese school at the Nan Tian Temples, Grandma was always with us around the temple. Grandma had also attended the many school sports carnivals or school functions and the New Year Reunion Dinners at the Nan Tian temple with us.

In those days when our children were younger, we always went on holidays together as a family. We had been back to home country together since we migrated to Australia. When we were holidays in Gold Coast, in Port Macquarie, in the South Coast or in Dubbo, Grandma was with us. Even at her age, Grandma felt quite comfortable during those long drives. In her mid 60s, Grandma was still full of adrenalin. During our visit to the Dream World in Gold Coast, Grandma was quite game to take on the “Batman the Drive” and “the Flume” splashing down from a great height, despite warning signs discouraging the participation of aged people and those with weak hearts. Similarly at the Jamberoo Recreation Park, Grandma did not hesitate to ride the toboggan down those steep hills. And Grandma really enjoyed those rides.

Later, Grandma was diagnosed with heart problem and required an open-heart surgery with quadrupled bypass. Grandma faced it on with courage and she would not want her friends to worry about it. Grandma told her friends that she would be away for a few days for some medical check-up and hence unable to attend the weekly gathering. As it would have turned out, the operation was a great success and Grandma recovered quickly to resume her normal activities in no time. Grandma had always been a survivor. Although there were times of medical emergency, we were there first hand to assist and medical help had always arrived on time.

Even near her eighties, Grandma was able to carry on with her usual activities without fail. Although she had lost her way a couple of time walking from Parramatta train station to the Nan Tian Temple in Parramatta, she would eventually make it.

However, lately in her eighties, Grandma’s was not in very good health. During this period Grandma was admitted to hospital on a number of occasions. It was obvious that Grandma now required more intense care and medical attention. In consultation with Grandma, we had visited and inspected about 10 other nursing homes and had decided that the Bupa Nursing Home would be the most ideal. Upon discharged from hospital, Grandma had moved to Bupa. We visited here regularly until her final days. During her stay in Bupa Nursing Homes, she had received excellent care from the nurses and the staff. I thank them very much for their dedicated work and their compassion.

Now that Grandma had travelled to the end of her journey this life. We are here to bid her farewell. As Grandma journeys to a new life, may she be liberated and all harmful circumstances be subdued. May she be protected from all situations that cause fear. And may her journey from this life to the next be without fear. And may the enlightened beings be there to guide her.

As Grandma has wished, her remains would be cremated and her ashes would be buried in a memorial garden plot named “Yee Yuen” or “Leisure Land” in the Chinese Garden Long Poh Shan in Pinegrove Memorial Garden, Minchinbury. This memorial garden plot was acquired 10 years ago in accordance with Grandma’s wish. The trees at “Leisure Land” or “Yee Yuan” had grown very well and they include Grandma’s beloved yellow roses, the Chinese Kam Quet, Camelia, conifer shrubs and pine trees. This is an ideal resting place for Grandma. Where mind is no obstacle, and where there is no fear.

We will remember Grandma the way she had lived. May our Lord Buddha bless her soul and ensure her reborn to an even better life. Amitabba Buddha.

Madam Teoh, softly she came, calmly and peacefully she departed. She was unimpeded in her mind. She was not afraid. She left far behind delusive thinking and distorted dream, and ultimately Nirvana. In future, we will remember her the way she lived. At the rising and setting of the sun, we will remember her. At the season where flowers bloom, and at the season the leaves fall, we will remember her. Amitabha Buddha.

We all get old daily. Very often we hear other people commenting that they are old and no longer youthful. They are resigned to slow down and do what old people do. Taking it easy, doing as little thing as possible in retirement or semi-retirement mode. Whilst it is true that everyone is getting old with increase in age, I question whether we must forgo our youthfulness.

I see growing up as a process of maturation. It is both physical and mental maturation. We gained physical and mental maturation as we grow up from a baby to a teenager and then to adulthood. Upon reaching adulthood, we may have stop growing taller physically, but we are still growing physically to maintain and sustain a meaningful and healthy life. However, we never stop growing in mental maturation in the acquisition of knowledge. In the process, we grow wiser either through the gain in knowledge or through personal experience. Because we are growing, we are living. By living, we go beyond the simple physical level of maturation and touch the deeper levels of life. By living meaningfully, we maintain our enthusiasm in life and therefore our youthfulness.

Youthfulness is an attitude of vitality and freshness that brings colour, life and love to a person. Youthfulness is blind to age. We do not have to forgo our youthfulness because we are getting old.

I went to see my doctor at the local medical centre the other day. I was suffering from a throat infection for nearly a week then and it hasn’t improved. I knew I needed some antibiotics.

When I arrived at the medical centre, I approached the counter and said to the receptionist, “I like to see the doctor”.

She looked at me and said, “Do you have an appointment?”

I said, “No.,”

She said, “Our appointments are all full today.”

I said, “ I rang up earlier, and you asked me to come in and wait.”

She said, “The doctor can see you in between seeing those with appointments. But it is a long wait. I can book an appointment for you next week.”

I said, “ I don’t want an appointment next week. I want to see the doctor today because I am sick.”

She said, “You don’t look sick!”

I said,” What about those who made appointments for today? How would they know they would be sick today?”

She gave me a frown and swapped my Medicare card. I said nothing and waited for the next 1 ½ hours before seeing the doctor for 3 minutes to get my prescription script. I wouldn’t want to be there if I did not need that desperate prescription.

During the long wait, I have more than sufficient time to ponder why the medical centre is always packed. I saw many elderly peoples and young mothers with children. Most of these people did not look sick to me. There were very few people of working age like me. It now struck me what the receptionist had just said, “You don’t look sick.” With due respect to those who are genuine sick and needed to see a doctor, or those who need to follow up with an existing medical condition, it drawn on me that those waiting to see a doctor appeared to be people who have the time to wait. And are they really sick?

Under the government’s very good health care system, it cost nothing to see a doctor. The patients only need to pay for the medicine. In our society, there are many people who have more than enough time and needed some socialising. Seeing the doctor is a form of interaction with the society, which costs nothing. This is particularly so for the elderly. It become less important whether they are sick or not. Hence appointments were made on a regular basis putting a big strain on the medical services system. Perhaps this is the root cause of overcrowding at the medical centre. Because it is a free consultation, it is easily subject to overuse or abuse. The end result is that genuine sick taxpayer who supported the economy are not accorded the proper health care they deserve.

If the patient who saw the doctor were asked to make a small payment towards the service, would it free up some appointment time for genuine sick patients? Would the not really sick patients consider spending that small amount of money elsewhere instead of at the medical centre to get some socialising? I suppose a small compulsory co-payment by each patient who sees a doctor would help to ease the situation of over usage of the medical system.

The constant protest and demonstrations against the Olympics Torch Relay and the Olympicss is of concern to everyone. There are a few theories and possible reasons behind all these fiascos. Lets examine some issues and some possible reasons why there are people constantly protesting and disrupting the torch relay and calling for the boycott the Olympics.

1. China is a success story. The protesters were bombarded with western media such as TV and newspapers, which are prejudiced against China’s success. From suffering poverty and hunger to exporting of food and technology, from hand building of The Great Wall to launching of rockets into space, from riding bicycle to driving motorcars, whatever you can think of, it is impossible to call it a success. Look around your home and it is not difficult to find many items made in China. Some sections of people of the western world may be not be happy about the rise of this nation to the world stage. The Tibetan issue comes handy as an excuse to vent their frustration.

2. Issues with Tibet: The protesters say that Tibetans are a different people, have different language and with different culture. Hence they must be independent from China. If this argument is valid, why not free Hawaii, or Alaska, or Acheh or Jaffna or Kurdish? They are different peoples with different cultures too. The argument that because Tibetans are a different people, so they must have independent is not a valid reason. They say Tibetans are treated poorly. The people in China are made up of more than 50 tribes, including the Tibetans tribe and the majority Han Chinese. Many tourists travel to various parts of China, including Tibet, to experience the cultures of the minority tribes. China has made great effort in preserving the cultures of the minority tribes. You can find 500 monks in just one temple. How many priests can you find in a church? Tibetans are also not subject to the strict China one-child policy, meaning Tibetans can have many children.

3. History of Tibet: China and Tibet has long historical tie. In the 7th century, the Tibetans were all nomadic people living in the wild, at most at tents without religion. The Chinese Princess Wencheng married the Tibetans King Songtson Gambo in the year 634 and introduced agriculture, poultry farming, printing and other technologies to Tibet. Above all, Buddhism was introduced and practiced until now. The Jhongkang Temple and the Potala Palace, both famous tourist attractions in Lhasa, Tibet, were built by the Chinese engineers and trades person during the 7th centuries. Tibetans has gained a lot in terms of knowledge and technology due to the influence of China. See the following link. It makes good bedtime story too.
http://www.wku.edu/~yuanh/China/tales/princesswencheng_b.htm

4. Opportunity for the Ordinary Chinese People: The majority of China 1.3 billion is still poor and suffering. The Olympics is an opportunity for the Chinese people to get together to improve their contacts with the rest of the world and to improve their livelihood. By disrupting the Olympics, we will be doing a great disservice to the 1.3 billion ordinary Chinese people in China and suppressing their wishes of to open up to the world through the Olympics. To deny them of this opportunity is to do a great disservice to human right.

5. Progressive Reform: In welcoming the Olympics, 200 millions Chinese are learning English. More westerners will visit China and influence Chinese people and its Government as well on some good western way of life and the western democratic ideas. China is progressively opening up. The Beijing Olympics is a golden opportunity to further open up China. Those who are against the Beijing Olympics may not be aware that by doing so they are helping to kill this opportunity.

There are many other reasons why some people want to disrupt the Olympics. Whatever we do, I believe it is counter productive to boycott the Olympics or to injure the spirit of the Olympics Game. We should look into ourself and think we can help to make China or any country more progressive.I believe that it is wrong to take the moral high ground and condemn others for what we do not like or for what we do not know fully.

This rat roamed the streets of Sydney this morning.

Time went by. It is another year and tomorrow is Chinese New Year. Welcome to the Year of the Rat. It all seems like yesterday that we have celebrated Chinese New Year of the Pig by watching the parade on the streets of Sydney. We are now going to watch the Parade of the Rats this Sunday. The streets will definitely swamped with all kinds of rats.

Have the hours and minutes tick faster these day? Or are we in such a hurry that we always find the lack of time to do any things, other than the routines? It would appear that we were on a very fast train, zooming through life. The train was moving so fast that we were oblivious to the places we passed through. Even if we noticed a view or something, we were met with move views. We were unable to comprehend or appreciate what we saw in the limited time between the previous view and the next view

For instance, when we are in a hurry, we eat fast food. Slowly, we are losing our appreciation for the joy of eating. We communicate too much through high-speed Internet using abbreviated e-mails and messages. Slowly we are losing our ability to write properly. With the advancement of technology, we are doing things faster now a day. While it is a good thing to improve efficiency and fast track things through use of technology, we need to ponder whether we have been robbed of the experience of life we should enjoy on the way to a better life. We may live in such a rush that we forget about our inner feelings on life.

In the eve of this Rat race year, I stop for a moment and ponder. Do I need to travel that fast to take in more views or do I need to slow down a little to allow me to appreciate each and every passing view? What price have I paid by rushing to see the next view? How much have I lost by not pausing now and then to enjoy my journey through life?

May the New Year of the Rat bring us all peace and happiness.

With Christmas just around the corner, I can feel that the festive mood has intensified with each day passing. Around homes and offices, people are busy putting up the Christmas decorations. The car parks in and around department stores are getting more packed with the Christmas shopping frenzy unleased. Apart from being an important event in the Christianity community, the festive mood transcends races and religions. Everybody joins in the celebration. In shopping centres, children of all cultures queue up to have photos taken with Santa.

Different people will spent their Christmas break in different ways. Some may choose to go away for a holiday to have a break from the routine. Some may visit amusement parks, watch movies in cinemas or dinning out. Many may also take this as an opportunity to have extended time at the pubs.

To most people, the yearly Christmas break presents a great opportunity for family members and friends to get together. This is the time where most offices and factories are closed (apart from essential services) and majority of the population are off work.

My tip for the Christmas break is that one should spend the time as one planned or desired and comfortable. Above all, I would encourage friends and family members to spend at least one day together for a BBQ, a dinner or a drink at home. I would encourage each one to bring along a photo album of their memorable events during the year, such as weddings, birthdays, graduations, holidays, etc. to share around and discuss those beautiful moments with friends and family members. On this, photos on CD would be a big plus to play on a big plasma TV. Apart from trying to solve all the problems in the world after a backyard BBQ, I believe that the sharing of your important and memorable moments in life with your family members and friends would enhance your existing relationship.

I like to wish all of you a very Merry and Safe Christmas.

Some times ago, I was referred by my GP to see a Specialist. Normally the consultation fee charged was higher than that allowed for by Medicare and I was expected to pay the difference. After the consultation and the paper work, the lady at the admin section asked me to pay the difference which I did. I was told that the portion to be paid by Medicare would be sent as a cheque made payable to the doctor, but the cheque would be sent to my house. I then had to bring the cheque to them. The arrangement seemed fine.

Two weeks later, I received the cheque in my mail box. Unfortunately, the cheque was made to my name and not the doctor's name. So I rang the Specialist Centre to enquire what I needed to do next. I was told that I need to contact Medicare and request Medicare to cancel this cheque and reissue a new cheque to the doctor's name. When I rang Medicare, the officer checked and advised me that the admin lady from the Specialist Centre had made a mistake in the submission of the request form. Hence the cheque was issued to my name. I was told that for Medicare to cancel this cheque and reissue a new one to the Doctor's name, I had to write in officially to make the request. The process would take at least a few weeks. I was advised that the easiest way out of this issue was for me to cash up the cheque and take the money to the Doctor.

A few days later, I cashed the cheque and then took the money to the Centre. The Centre opened from 8am to 5 pm. I was there on Friday afternoon at 4.15 pm. I explained the issue to the admin lady and informed her that I wish to pay the money to her. To my surprise, she started to whinge and complained that Medicare was wrong and they have mess up the thing. I said to her that what ever happened, here was the money and I just wished to pay her. To my further surprise, she said that she had just closed the account for the week and she could not accept my payment. Not either cash payment or credit card payment. I have to come back another day at earlier time. I said " Look, I just want to pay you the money." She said " Sorry, we can't help you". I had no choice but to leave. I would have to come back another time just to pay her the money. Or should I not come back at all?

I felt sorry for the doctor. I cannot imagine the admin lady was so bureaucratic and have no concern for the cash flow of the business. If she was to be my employee, I would have sacked her long ago.

"Floriade" is the annual spring festival held in Canberra on the park next to Lake Burley Griffin.
The park is full of vibrant colours.

In a social scene, we find that some people can converse easily with others while others have difficulties doing so. For some, the conversation can carry on from one topic to the other, whereas for others, the conversation ended too soon. Obviously, there are some people who are more reserved and inward looking thereby limiting their ability or their wish to carry out prolonged conversation. For most others, they just seem to wish to be seen as sociable, or knowledgeable and they talk non-stop often to the annoyance of the others.

I have since learned a few things about engaging in a conversation. First, conversation is a two way communication process. Even if the conversation is about an interesting topic, which we know a lot about, it is important not to speak all the time and to allow other to speak. In a normal social conversation (as oppose to lecturing or giving a speech, one should aim at speaking 30% and listening to the other 70% of the time. I often find a lot of people ask questions and then proceed to answer those questions themselves. This is because they just simply do not wish to hear the answers. Whether it is a statement or it is a question, they just want to talk. If we ask a question, we need to pause to allow the other to have time to answer it. Some people may be slow in reacting to a question, while others may want to think over the question before saying something. Therefore to ensure a good conversation, one must be patient and allow time for the other to speak.

It is also important not to hijack the conversation. We must be patient and pay attention to listening when someone is talking on a certain topic. We need to refrain from interrupting and proceed to talk about what we know or to change the topic abruptly. It is important not to behave like Mr. Know-All and starts giving advice or passing judgement as if we are teachers giving lectures to the students. It is important to respect other people’s opinion and not to allow disagreement on an issue becoming personal. Above all, it is essential not to enter into an argument. After all, it is a conversation.

When asking a question, it is necessary to make it easy to understand so that the other person has a reasonable chance to response. Unless we know the other person very well, ask generic questions that can be easily answered. We should try not to be invasive by asking questions that are too personal. Conversation that appears to be an interrogating is definitely not fun.

Observe the other person’s body language to judge whether it is time to stop talking. You know it when the person you are talking to is looking at his/her watch or is looking elsewhere. Contrary to most people think, a person who is good in conversation is one who listens more than he/she talks.

Bo1 Re3 Bo1 Luo2 Mi4 Duo1 Xin1 Jing1 般 若 波 羅 蜜 多 心 經
(The Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra)

Guan1 Zi4 Zai4 Pu2 Sa4, Xing2 shen1 bo1 re3 bo1 luo2 mi4 duo1 shi2
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, at the time of practicing deeply the Pranja Paramita,

Zao4 jian4 wu3 yun4 jie1 kong1, Du4 yi2 qie4 ku3 er4
He illuminated and saw (perceived) that all five skandhas (Form, Sensation, Perception, Formation, Consciousness) are empty, He crossed beyond (overcame) all suffering and difficulty/distress.

She3 Li4 Ze3, serk4 bu4 yi4 kong1, kong1 bu4 yi4 serk4
Shariputra, Form is no different from Emptiness, Emptiness is no different from Form;

Serk4 jit4 shi4 kong1, kong1 jit4 shi4 serk4
Form is exactly Emptiness, Emptiness exactly Form;

Shou4 xiang3 xing2 shi4, yi4 fut4 ru2 shi4
feeling/sensation, cognition/perception, formation/mental reaction, consciousness are also like this.

She3 Li4 Ze3, shi4 zhu1 fa3 kong1 xiang4, bu4 sheng1 bu4 mient4,
Shariputra, all Dharma are empty of characteristics. not born, not destroyed

Bu4 guo4 bu4 jing4, bu4 zeng1 bu4 jian3
not stained, not pure, no increase/gain, no decrease/loss,

Shi4 gu4 kong1 zong1, wu2 serk4, wu2 shou4 xiang3 xing2 shi4,
Therefore in Emptiness there is no Form, no feeling, perception, mental reaction, and consciousness;

Wu2 yan3, er3, bi2, shet4, shen1, yi4,
no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind;

Wu2 serk4, sheng1, xiang1, wei4, chu4, fa3,
no sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or object of thought (Dharma, way or method);

Wu2 yan3 jie4, nai3 zhi4 wu2 yi4 shi4 jie4
no field of the eyes, up to and including no field of mind and consciousness;

Wu2 wu2 ming2, yi4 wu2 wu2 ming2 jing4,
no ignorance and also no ending of ignorance,

Nai3 zhi4 wu2 lau3 shi3, yi4 wu2 lao3 shi3 jing4
up to and including no old age and death, and no ending of old age and death;

Wu2 ku3 jit2 mient4 dao4,
no suffering, accumulating, extinction, way (no pathway to the cessation of suffering);

Wu2 zhi1 yi4 wu2 der2,
no wisdom/understanding and no attainment.

Yi 3 wu2 suo3 der3 gu4, Pu2 Ti2 Sar1 Duo2, yi1 bo1 re3 bo1 luo2 mi4 duo1
Because there is nothing to attain, the Bodhisattva, relying on the Prajna Paramita,

Gu4 xin1 wu2 qua4 ai4, wu2 qua4 ai4 gu4, wu2 you3 kong3 bu4
Is unimpeded/unobstructed in his mind, because he is unimpeded in his mind; he is not afraid,

Yuan3 li2 dian1 dao3 mong4 xiang3, jiu4 jing4 nien1 pan2
leaves far behind delusive thinking and distorted dream, and ultimately Nirvana.

San1 shi4 zhu1 for2, yi1 bo1 re 3 bo1 luo2 mi4 duo1,
All Buddhas of past, present and future relying on (live by) Prajna Paramita,

Gu4 der2 oh1 nou4 duo1 luo2, san1 miao2 san1 pu2 ti2
therefore can attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (fully awaken mind).

Gu4 zhi1 bo1 re3 bo1 luo2 mi4 duo1, shi4 dar4 shen2 zhou4, shi4 dar4 ming2 zhou4,
Therefore know that Prajna Paramita, is the great sacred mantra, is the great bright mantra,

Shi4 wu2 shang4 zhou4, shi4 wu2 deng3 deng3 zhou4
Is the supreme mantra, is the unequalled mantra,

Neng2 chu2 yi2 qie4 ku3, zhen1 shi4 bu4 she1
which can removes all suffering. It is genuine and not false.

Gu4 shuo1 bo1 re3 bo1 luo2 mi4 duo1 zhou4
That is why the mantra of Prajna Paramita was spoken.

Ji4 shuo1 zhou4 yue1
Recite it like this:

“Jie1 Di4 Jie1 Di4, Bo1 Luo2 Jie1 Di4, Bo1 Luo2 Seng1 Jie1 Di4, Pu2 Ti2 Sa1 Po2 Her1”
Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha!
Meaning of the Mantra “Gone, Gone, Gone all the way to the other shore, Everyone gone all the way to the other shore. Enlightenment, Hail”

I must be a very lucky person. Every now and then, I received phone calls telling me that I have won prizes through some lucky draws or that I have been randomly selected to receive a free carpet cleaning. Sometimes, I receive a letter telling me that they have found some money hidden somewhere that belongs to me. Better still, I receive on the daily basis in my e-mail inbox e-mail each typically telling me that I have inherited a large sum of money from an unknown uncle somewhere in the world.
All of these phone calls, letters, e-mail etc all have one thing in common. They want me to send them a small sum of money to cover for the postage, or for the taxes, or for the administration fees for transferring the money to me, or they would ask me to provide them with my personal and banking details.
If I were to accept all these offers, I would have been a multi-millionaire by now. Unfortunately, every time when they called, I was always busy bathing the baby and so I could not talk to them much. I also have a big recycle bin that I need to fill up with these unsolicited letters. As for the e-mails, I just hit the delete button or drag them to the junk mail folder and put the spam guard on them.

The Election Day came and gone. The new government was elected. Business is back to usual and life goes on. I am thankful that in this country, we have peaceful elections each and every time.