"Every human being is the author of his own health or disease" and the weird people I meet

Attending the 3 full days Grand Healing Puja over the weekend conducted by The Healing Lama Kangyur Rinpoche was so blissful.  There were between 1500-2500 participants in each of the 6 different healing pujas and 3 blessing initiations.  I am still going through the tons of photos I took during the 3 days, and I will post a write up of this event soon. I would, instead, like to talk about some touching moments and people who left me both in joy and sometimes, with mixed emotions.

For the past 6 years, I have been attending quite a number of public Dharma events organised by Dro-Phen Ling which are very large-scale. In my early years, I have also attended other events which were of smaller capacity organised by other Buddhist centres. During these events, I met quite a number of regular participants, who, like me, have attended teachings, pujas and initiations conducted by visiting Rinpoches and realised masters.  Although these regular participants are strangers to me, as time passes by, I do recognise some of the familiar faces.

Aunty with bowed legs

There is a plump lady probably in her 50s or 60s who has trouble walking, with bowed legs. It is quite painful watching her take her steps, as if her legs are going to give way anytime. She must have felt a million times worse. I guess the problem lies in her knee caps, which I believe is due to a severe case of arthritis. I know, because my mom suffered the same condition many years ago. But my mom was fortunate, she went for the knee-cap operation on both legs and now she can walk with no more pain. For this aunty with bowed legs, she may not be so fortunate to be able to go for an operation. During the pujas, she would always try to sit in the front 2 rows, even though they were reserved for the other Sangha, VIPs and sponsors. I think she drew ire from the people sitting around her because of that and she ignored them, sat on seats which have already been taken (by removing the person's 'reserved' item from the chair). I do admit it was quite rude of her to do so without asking. One lunch time I saw her eating a packed lunch  (which was catered for DPL volunteers). I believe a volunteer must have been so kind to have offered her the lunch since she has difficulty in movement.

The uncle who steals snacks

There is another man also in his 50-60s, who always attends public pujas with his sister who is taking care of him. I have seen them countless times in the past few years. Usually during pujas, there would be a lot of food and flower offerings below the stage. During pujas, this uncle would be carrying a large plastic bag, and suddenly walked to the front and just help himself with the snacks, putting them all into his bag. Usually the volunteers have to stop him because the session was still on-going.  This time, he went up to grab the snacks 3 separate times. I have never hear him speak, and his sister could not control him. He is definitely not well mentally, or is it senile dementia? A few years ago, I attended an event with my godbro, the same thing happened. When the food offerings were laid on a table for participants to help themselves, this uncle grabbed all the snacks he could get hold of. When my shocked godbro commented to me about it, I think the uncle saw him, and he reacted by pouting, staring at us and tried to walk away quickly. His behaviour is exactly like a kid. I knew then, he is not in his right mind.

The devout Buddhist

There is another man with white hair probably around 70, who always attend these events with his wife, a nice quiet lady and she often exchanges smiles with me. Her husband looks very pious because he would be chanting in mandarin all the time with clasped palm. Even when he is walking he seems to be in meditation or in a world of his own, oblivious to his surroundings. He would walk slowly, circurmambulating the place, or kept looking at the stage where The Buddhas are. He would always take his time to do long prostrations even if the puja / teaching has already started. I saw him once at the Buddhist Lodge temple. However, he seemed a totally different person. He was quarrelling with the lady selling flowers on top of his voice. It seemed he was unhappy the flowers cost $3 instead of $2 which he claimed he could get somewhere else and refused to pay up. I was a little surprised at his outburst but I believe he has his own reasons.

The lady with a bun

I often see this elderly lady with bun up hair, always wearing a long flowery blouse and 3/4 black skirt. She looks like an Indonesian Chinese. She is an endearing lady who is very respectful to all the masters and people. I met her many times previously and always thought she is such a good model of being a Buddhist. Then 2-3 years ago, I stopped seeing her coming to the events. Recently, while I was on the bus, without any reason, I suddenly thought of this lady (although she is a stranger to me) and I wondered what had happened to her. Then in an amazing moment, this lady appeared and got up the bus I was in! She was carrying many plastic bags. I was totally stunned seeing her just when I thought of her and I was quietly happy that she is well. Last weekend, I was so happy to see her attending the pujas again, just like in the past. ;)

The sarcastic man

There is a man in his late 40s or early 50s whom I shall nickname him 'Rat' here. I have seen him on many occasions in the past few years, but only recently got to exchange conversation.  He seems to be a learned practitioner because I see him in special teaching sessions.  However, he would usually ask me questions about the Dharma (as if testing me), but in an extremely weird way which makes me wonder whether if he really understood some concepts. He has an eccentric way of speaking to you very softly, almost like whispering. Often his eyes would be looking at the floor. Otherwise he would be furtively looking around him as if to make sure others do not hear him. Whenever I see him, he would complain to me about many people. Mostly he is very sarcastic that every sentence he speaks, spew of negativity. During the past weekend, whenever he saw me, he would try to talk to me and again was very sarcastic in his words. I just brushed him off and changed subject or smiled without replying. I was thankful the hall was too noisy for me to hear him clearly.  My, I  really prayed for patience during those moments.

These are some of the people I encountered who left me in deep thoughts. While most of us would think they are 'abnormal' or weird, for example, the uncle who steals snacks and Mr Rat, I believe everyone of us has our own deluded eccentricity. It is just that some are more obvious, some are not or some are hidden. Some behave weirdly because they are sick and unwell, either physically or mentally, and these are due to past actions or deeds that made them thus. Even if not obviously unwell, the rest of us also do have our own problems.  In short, everyone is suffering. We often think that our problems or situation are the worst. We often forget there are others who are worse off than us. While we always dwell in our own problems, trying desperately to find a solution, we often forget that there are others who may not even know they have a problem, or worse, are unable to solve their problems indefinitely. 

I am glad that these people I met as well as the rest of the 2500 participants have  their great merits ripened in order to be able to attend the healing sessions by Kangyur Rinpoche. Even if their problems are not resolved, at least they will not worsen. Whether everyone gets healed or rid totally of their obstacles depends on the individual's karmic  past. How karma works depend upon individuals and their willingness to learn from their karmic situations, to overcome the obstacles. The beauty of the Dharma is, besides healing ourselves, we can learn to heal others. Through the kindness of the Three Jewels, in the form of the guru, it awakens our compassionate heart and through observing the problems faced by our fellow sentient beings, we learn to heal ourselves. And by healing ourselves, we can then, in turn, heal others. May the so-called 'weird' people I always have the knack of bumping into, be healed and may they be well.    

Life has its most interesting way of teaching us a lesson or two, ain't it?

My guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche said: "The one answer that takes care of everything, the one solution to all your life's problems, the one thing that fulfils all your wishes, is again your mind, your good heart, your bodhicitta."

Here's his short advice  on how to solve your life's problems. 

When a gift causes more harm...

Chit-chatted with a friend yesterday. We were talking about people we know (or those around us) who are experiencing some difficulties, ie. those who are seriously sick/dying, and those who are possessed or mentally disturbed. We also observed there are some who totally do not know they are suffering from something, because from the way they behave or speak, it is quite obvious they are not normal. However, otherwise, most of the time, these people look perfectly healthy and normal. We are saddened by the plight of these people who are suffering and who do not know how to seek help.

The conversation reminded me of an incident a long time ago.

Many years ago, I got to know a holy being, someone who has the power to  feel the energy and state of each individual. She is also somewhat a psychic, who can feel and give advice even without seeing the person face to face. She can feel one's energy (good or bad) just by talking on the phone, without even seeing the person.  On one occasion, she told me (even without me asking anything), that I am carrying with me or inside my house, there is something small like a tiny statue or pendant which is a little shiny/glossy. She said that that something has negative energy which was going to affect me or cause me harm. She asked me to get rid of it as soon as possible. I was a little stunned because... firstly, I was not in any serious trouble, secondly, I did not ask her, and thirdly, I did not even know what the thing she was referring to was.

Being freaked out a little, I began to crack my head, to recall what was that 'small thing" and searched my house.  I was very sure it was not something I was carrying with me in my bag because the stuff I have with me was mostly given to me personally and blessed by my gurus.

Then I found something in one of my drawers in my bedroom, which I suspected might be the one. It was a small statue of a female, with shiny specks on her. I asked this holy being  if that was the one and she said yes! 

Then I recalled a while ago, during the CNY period, I was passing by a pasar malam with a huge tentage in Chinatown. There was a man and his team selling medicated lotion, and they claimed it was so powerful in curing some ailments. The man claimed his master was a Thai monk and the special lotion was from his master's temple in Thailand. I was not interested in the lotion of course, but they were appealing for donation to the temple. One man approached me to appeal to me to donate or sponsor a monk's robes. I taught it was a meritorious act to offer the robes, and since it was the CNY, so I just donated money without buying the lotion. After that, the man gave me this statue which he claimed was blessed by his master as a gift of appreciation for my kind act. As it was a female statue, and not a Buddha statue, and I did not know what that statue was, I did not carry it with me, and I kept it aside at home. I did not think much of it until this holy being told me. Afterwards, I brought the statue to a popular temple, and requested them to get rid of it properly for me. This type of  'holy' thing should not be just simply thrown away or disposed of, otherwise the consequences might be worse. Some 'unclean' items possess negative energy which can harm the owner unknowingly.

A lesson learnt. That is why nowadays, I only make donations to any religious persons or organisations whom I know personally. I trust only authentic sources after my own checking and verification. For example, the buddhist centres I frequent and the monasteries they are affiliated to, ie. worldwide FPMT centres, Amitabha Buddhist Centre and Gaden Shartse Dro-Phen Ling. These Buddhist centres are where all my gurus hail from, whom I know are authentic and qualified high lamas. Of course one can donate to other religious organisations whom one frequents and trusts, but do ensure you do not bring home any 'souvenirs' from unverified sources.

Also, while we must respect all images of the Buddhas and Dharma text, I feel we have to be careful before  accepting any 'gifts' which are supposedly "blessed or consecrated" from just anyone or even friends. This applies to any other religions one belongs to.  To me, even if I know the exact source of the sacred items, I would only accept and keep those which I received directly and personally from my gurus/buddhist centres, and not through a third-party. So if any friends wish to give me a "blessed or consecrated" gift, I would decline politely. Once bitten, twice shy. This is an experience which I like to share with my readers. Do be careful and make sure you know the source of such gifts before sponsoring or accepting them. 

Penang street food specials

I am so glad to have found a place that sells a mean serving of authentic Penang Assam Laksa, and it is conveniently located along the shophouses right next to Aljunied MRT. 

This modest looking place is called Penang Food Restaurant. Besides serving lots of other standard Tze Char dishes, they also serve Curry Fishhead, Steamboat, and some unique dishes and rice set meals. However the main highlights should be their Penang specials.

The first thing I ordered was the famous staple street hawker food in Penang, the Penang Assam Laksa, which comes in 2 sizes;  $4 for the big, and $3 for the small bowl.  The assam laksa fish gravy was thick and yummy! It was very tangy tasty and spicy, full of minced mackerel. The prawn paste (the black sauce dribbled on top) called Haeko or Otak Udang, was a nice and necessary complement to the assam laksa.

The thick white rice noodles were chewy, garnished with thinly shredded cucumber, onions, pineapple, mint leaves, chopped ginger, chilli and prawn paste.  I remember when I was in my teens, when I first visited Penang and had my first serving of its Assam Laksa, I hated it, because it was so different from our local lemak milky Laksa. I did not even finished the dish then, and thought it was so fishy. Now, I love it so much, I always slurp up all its gravy.  The pungent, sour and fiery Assam Laksa is a very unique Malaysian creation from the Nonya heritage.

Next on the list was their Penang Prawn Noodles which comes in 2 sizes too and also you have the option of small prawns or big prawns. The small prawns shelled while the big prawns are unshelled. I would suggest the Big Prawns version which has more kick. The prawn noodle broth was thick and so comforting. 

Called Penang Hokkien Mee, the prawn noodles were topped with 2-3 gigantic prawns, hard-boiled egg, lean slices of pork, kang kong, beansprouts, and shallots. The soup was steeped in a rich and flavourful prawn stock. Simply satisfying.

The next must-try is the Penang Char Kway Teow. They use kway-teow, or flat noodles to create a stir fry dry version.  Ingredients used include shrimp, cockles, egg, chinese sausages, beansprouts, chives, lard and top with a fresh lime to be squeezed on top of the dish. The Char Kway Teow has wok hei (ie. charred aroma from frying) and done nicely. Yummilicious!

A nice rice set to try is the Mongolian King Ribs Rice. The meaty ribs (deboned) are slightly spicy with a little gravy and stirfried with spices, onions, curry leaves, black pepper etc... all of which went very well with warm steamed rice. It is a nice meal by itself if you are in a hurry.

Other more common dishes are the Hor Fun, which is the usual 'wet' version with fishcake, lean pork, chye sim, egg, squid and shrimp. I think this is quite ordinary.

Another Hor Fun I tried was the 'dry' version, which closely resembles our local Char Kway Teow, stir fried in dark sauce but with the same ingredients as the wet version.  I find it was a tad oily for my liking.

My mom was not feeling very well that day when we visited the restaurant. So she ordered just this Spinach Centruy Egg Soup to go with steamed rice. Ingredients for this delicious and simple dish are young spinach, garlic, century egg, salted duck egg, fried tiny white ikan bilis and wolfberries, with condiments like salt, pepper, and chinese cooking wine. This was very nice with slightly thick broth. 

A side dish we tried was the Golden Tofu, which was deep fried and served with salad cream. While the outer crispy layer was crunchy, the soft tofu inside melted in the mouth. I think they mixed tofu with other ingredients, and delivered this tofu dish with a punch. I am drooling just thinking about this dish now.

All in all, a very nice try in this coffeeshop restaurant.  My family enjoyed it. We are going to try some of their ala-carte dishes next time, or their steamboat or curry fishhead. I would not mind going back just for the Penang Assam Laksa alone.  The owner cum one of the chefs is a friendly guy always with a smile.

The address:

Penang Food Restaurant

76 Lorong 25A Geylang

(Next to Aljunied MRT)

Tel: +65 6841 3002

I dreamt of a white Kuan Yin!

I am a little overwhelmed with the dream I had at dawn today. 

Yesterday 1 Oct was the first day of the 3 days Grand Healing event by the Great Healing Lama, His Eminence Kangyur Rinpoche, 大医活佛.  After 2 pujas in the day, in the evening Rinpoche bestowed on us a Blessing Initiation of a special Chenrezig, which was the Kuan Yin Who Liberates From The Lower Realms, 恶趣遍解脱观音.  This was the first time I received initiation of this particular Kuan Yin, specially instructed and chosen by Rinpoche. I believe Rinpoche has his own reason for choosing this initiation of this particular Kuan Yin. A few months ago I was a little sad that I had to miss the initiation of 1000-Armed Chenrezig conducted by Dagyab Rinpoche. So after the initiation last night, I felt really blessed and happy that I finally had a chance to be bestowed this initiation as I feel I do have the affinity with Kuan Yin.

This morning at dawn I had a dream. I cannot recall the first part of the dream, only the second part. I was in a place which looked like a longish room without windows, and the floor was carpeted. The room was empty, without any furniture at all.  I entered this room and thought it was an office (but strangely with no furniture).  Suddenly a small group of people appeared out of nowhere, and immediately, appeared at the door was my precious root guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche!  Everyone in the room clasped their hands and bowed, greeting Rinpoche. In the dream, I also did the same, very excited to see my guru again! I was at the furthest corner of the room.  As Rinpoche walked slowly in, greeting each and every person who went forward to him. In typical Lama Zopa Rinpoche's style, he blessed each and everyone who offered him the khata (white scarf) and blessed by pressing on our crown and chanted many mantras into our ears. It seemed like ages to me as I was waiting for my turn, because he blessed each person for a long time. Finally my turn came, I seemed to be the last one in the room. Rinpoche smiled as I greeted him with khata and bowed head "Hello Rinpoche!". He replied "How are you?" and proceeded to bless me, touching my head, and chanting many mantras to me. His chanting is music to my ears.  

After he finished, I suddenly noticed a door behind me, with a staircase going down. I am not sure where that staircase was leading to but in the dream I somehow knew it was an exit and Rinpoche was heading there. I followed behind. The ceiling seemed quite low at the staircase, and just as Rinpoche walked down a few steps, I saw that he was almost touching the slant ceiling which had something on it. I shouted "Be careful, Rinpoche!" I saw the something which was white, seemed to be moving at the bottom which was touching Rinpoche's head. Tilted my head, I realised it was a very white statue with a lotus seat at the bottom. I looked higher up, I realised it was Kuan Yin who is all white, except for the trimmings of her robe being maroon in colour. She was slightly taller and bigger than a human. This photo is the closest I could find from the internet that most resembled what I saw in the dream. 

In the dream, I gasped in awe and quickly clasped my hands. Rinpoche was laughing, and trying to explain to me, speaking in a very fast and incoherent manner. He was gesturing and pointing to the foot of Kuan Yin on the lotus which was above his crown.  "You see....... this is Kuan Yin.... (he pointed to the lotus above his crown).... on top of me.... (he pointed to the top of his head)..... this is blessing......it's ok....". Rinpoche talked very fast, and gesturing me to go down the staircase with him, and pointed to the crown of my head and instructed me to tap my head upwards to the foot of the very white Kuan Yin.  Then I woke up. 

As I laid on my bed at 7am, still in a blur sleepy state, I realised I had a very good restful sleep although I slept at about 2am. I was feeling a strange wave of calm. Then I suddenly recalled I had this dream. I became fully awake and totally totally totally amazed, because I just received the blessing initiation of Kuan Yin from the Healing Lama the previous night!  

I am very grateful to the Healing Lama, Kangyur Rinpoche who compassionately gave this initiation, and very thankful to see Lama Zopa Rinpoche in my dream again! Looking forward to the last day of the Grand Healing event tomorrow.  Do not miss this  precious and rare opportunity to meet and to receive healing and blessings from an authentic high lama.  May all be auspicious! Om mani padme hum!!!!

What a blow job!

I received an email from my friend, regarding this below article.

Not long ago a friend took her ten-year-old boy to my house looking for my wife, saying that her child had hiccups all day long. The child was very uncomfortable and unable to eat at all. After she checked, my wife said there was a muscle spasm in his diaphragm. Without hesitation, she took out a blow dryer, turned on the power and started blowing at the boy's stomach. About 10 minutes later, the boy burped and felt relieved. We were surprised that this thing can do the trick. But my wife just smiled.

A few days later, I had a stiff neck when I woke up in the morning. I could hardly turn my head. I recalled my stiff neck problem was treated a few times by acupuncture and cupping when I was younger. I asked my wife for the similar treatment. She said there weren't any needles at home nor any suitable small jars for cupping. She just took out a hair dryer. I couldn't help laughing. Again? This thing can cure stiff neck too? Amazing! 

She blew on my shoulders and my neck for about 15 minutes. My neck was really loosened up. I could turn my head now. Later in the evening, she repeated that on me once more. The pain in my neck was significantly reduced. I crowned her the "queen of blow drying".

She explained that this was inspired by the method people used in the old days. In hospitals, with all the modern equipments we have, doctors do not need blow dryers. Back in the old days, in rural villages especially, doctors were poorly equipped with medical supplies. So they came up with other means to treat patients with common pains.

Suddenly I realized this is the thermal effect on pains with the heat generated by a blow dryer. Modern physiotherapy equipment such as electric, laser, thermal, ultrasound and others can easily generate heat for effective treatment. They are, of course, more powerful than a blow dryer. However, when they are not available, using a blow dryer to generate heat will also work, temporarily at least, on common pains such as back pain, muscle spasm, stiff neck, leg cramps, etc. It is easily accessible and easy to operate as long as there is electricity. The blow dryer is really amazing. Try it. Hope it works for you too.

Written by Z.D. Zhou