In memories of a great practitioner - Geshe Ngawang Longtho

In memories of 84-year-old Geshe Ngawang Longtho, who passed away this evening. Geshe la was from Gaden Shartse Monastery and visited Singapore Gaden Shartse Dro-Phen Ling numerous times.  Geshe-la was a great practitioner and adept in conducting powerful pujas. 

Message from Gaden Shartse Dro-Phen Ling: 

"Currently Geshe Ngawang Longtho remains in clear light meditation (thugdam) after clinical death. Thugdam is an honorific term for meditative practice during the period following the death of a great master, during which time they are absorbed in clear light. 

A realized practitioner may remain in that meditative state for a number of days. Geshe-la manifests extraordinary practice as there is still a certain color of glow in his face, his skin remains soft and flexible, his body does not become stiff, and there is still warmth at his heart."

Way even before I became aware of Geshe Ngawang Longtho's qualities as a great practitioner, I somehow knew he possessed certain special skills and power. And this was because of a dream I had once. 

In that brief dream, I was walking along a dark, empty and misty road, with no one in sight. Then Geshe-la appeared all of a sudden and was walking towards me. Relieved and happy to see him, I put both palms together to greet him. Geshe-la smiled and blessed me by putting both his hands on my head and chanting prayers. Then he turned to leave. However, he paused and turned back to me again and decided to continue his chanting, both hands on my head again. After a few minutes, to my amazement, I saw a gulf of black air, like droves of bees, coming out of my chest and escaped in rapid speed, which then disappeared into thin air. I believe that was somewhat a purification and healing ritual! When Geshe-la finished, he instructed me to adopt a certain deity practice on a daily basis. End of dream. 

It was kind of a special dream. Even though I have never chatted with Geshe-la in real life before (because he was  quite serious looking and did not smile much, plus we would have been a chicken and a duck talking), the dream convinced me to have faith in Geshe-la's abilities and powers during pujas.  Geshe-la was among the group of highly respected old geshes in Gaden Shartse Monastery who are really skilful in conducting pujas which are so effective in clearing obstacles. 

I last saw Geshe Ngawang Longtho in 2012 when we visited him. At that time, he was already quite thin, frail and weak. He gave us heartfelt advice and told us to keep His Holiness the Dalai Lama's precious teachings in mind. Inside his small room where almost 50 of us tried to huddle together, there were no dry eyes for most of us that day. Understandably, I knew it would be my last time seeing him. 

May Geshe-la continue to benefit many beings in all lifetimes wherever he chooses to take rebirth. He will be dearly missed. 

Good bye and see you soon, Geshe-la! 

Tulipmania!

If you love tulips, do check out Tulipmania this period at Gardens By The Bay. I was there yesterday on a cool day (anyway, the Flower Drome conservatory is air-conditioned) for a brief visit. Reminded me of my visit to Holland years ago. Nothing beats the real thing but our local version is not bad either, albeit a mini version. Flowers never fail to brighten your day. 

Musings

Sometimes, life is so amazing. This morning when I woke up, I suddenly thought of a very close friend and missing this friend. Then within the next hour, the Universe miraculously brought news of this friend to me through some means which I shall not reveal here. Many times it has happened, whenever I think of someone and wonder how that person was, I would get the answer somewhat immediately. The power of the workings of the universe and the mind. I'm quite sure the other person knows too. Amazing. And you know what, it's times like this that keep me sane. No matter what, I know that things are fine. I'm a very loyal friend to those I trust and strongly believe in, especially those whom I share great camadarie with.

Anyway, I collated my shoes shots from Instagram and realised I didn't really snap too much of this view (compared to some bloggers). That's all I have, haha! 

If you notice, you'll know I love red shoes, 60% of my shoes in my cabinet are red/maroon/orange. All are flats. I used to love boots but it's too hot for our weather. And I'm having a current interest in pants with prints. Wheeee....

I still remember each time or occasion these shots were snapped; the top left was in MBS during the Grand Puja setup,  top 2nd was in the MRT on the way to work in my cargo pants and a black George flats, top right was a pair of cheap orange flats I found at $13. Middle left was my favourite Rockport maroon travelling shoes, was trying to warm them up before a trip. Middle 2nd was a pair of flats with green prints I like, only $9.90 after discount! Middle right was a chequered pants with my red Naturalizer flats. Bottom left was taken when I was donating blood wearing a fav red leather Kenneth Cole flats from Dubai which was hugely discounted. Bottom 2nd was a flexi pair of striking orange tods, an unforgettable pair (see right photo, boohoo!). Bottom right was my old reliable Crocs in a coach with Dagyab Rinpoche on the way to Kuala Lumpur! 

What makes me happy

Perhaps a cliche subject but I'm going to try to come up with as many as possible. Because...... just because I had the worst past few days lying in bed (in between work, very brief errands and prayers) with cough, stuffy nose, fever and excruciating bodyache. So I got to cheer myself up by thinking happy thoughts.

1. Having late night suppers with friends, in fact any meals with friends. I used to hang out in Old Hong Kong with my BFFs for supper and we had chat till past midnight because they were open 24 hours (I mean the cafe, and my friends too! Haha!)

2. Witnessing friends who show random acts of kindness towards strangers. I've a friend who always touched me with her kindness and compassion towards old people, ie. she always walk up to the elderly person who is peddling some stuff on the street or selling something in a stall, she had just drop in some cash. So she's my source of inspiration and model.

3. Happy photos. Naturally I like to remember the good times of the photos I've taken, with people/animals I care about or had fun with. Sometimes seeing even photos of the food I had with some friends makes me happy (some friends do not understand why I should snap photos of food every time or they do not like their photos to be taken). But precisely because most photos are taken when one's happy and not when one's in a lousy mood. And it is often the company that matters, happy photos, happy times, happy imprints. 

4. When gurus remember me. A little narcissistic but anyone would feel happy when someone whom you admire or in awe of, recognises you and remembers you through his huge smile and excited eyes. So what more, when my very own guru, whom I hold dearly as the Buddha, talk to me, blesses me or knocks his head gently on mine, and ask how I am. 

5. Winning 4D/Toto or any forms of cash/gifts. I'm being practical, haha! But let me assure you it's shortlived (although I still dream of winning a car or condo one day, haha). When I received cheques from Google, it's a reminder that my dying blog is still being appreciated. In fact I'm just thankful it's still consistently garnering more than 1000 hits per day. I think it's auto pilot now. 

6. Chubby little kids, especially little chubby baby boys. I don't know why but I love their innocent eyes and so pinchable cheeks and their baby smell. I had my share of babysitting my younger cousins and niece and nephew and those moments still bring back lovely memories. 

7. Reading something and it suddenly hits me with some understanding /realisation (eureka! moment). Especially so regarding the Dharma. I may not be the most intelligent person around, I'm not an outspoken person and I don't ask lots of questions. In our society of assessing people by their outspokenness or smart quips, I think I'm a dying breed. I just prefer to put my thoughts into writing rather than spontaneous outbursts/blurbs. 

8. Divine help. Naturally if one believes in the divine, one would be blissed out. Take for example, the other day, I was late for an appointment and decided to take a cab.  I saw the spot which was usually quite easy to flag a cab (not a taxi stand) had two guys already there waiting. And right at that moment another 3 ladies arrived and chose to wait for a cab right before me! My initial thought was 'shit!' but decided to pray for divine help from a certain Dharma protector. I had decided to pray that those 5 people in front of me quickly get their cabs fast so that I might be able to get mine too. Just barely a minute after I muttered my prayers, one cab came and the first guy got in. Another cab also arrived, and while the other guy and the 3 ladies before me were flagging furiously, it went past them and stopped right in front of me. Prayers answered (I've often tried this and it worked 90% of the time). ;)

9. Going places. The destination doesn't have to be somewhere in another country, as long as it's a place which brings back nostalgic happy memories. But I think travelling always makes one happy. I am in awe of holy places in India and Nepal. I always remember trips with friends to Turkey, Dubai, and nearby Bangkok and Malaysia. And I'll never forget family trips to the entire Europe, China and Australia. 

10. No airs. no flares, an equal society. Ideally in an equilibrium state of society, we do not wish the see the ugliness and suffering of mankind manifesting. I would very much like to see that in any organisation, or social scene, but sadly it's not to be. However at rare times I do see that it does exist. Take for instance, when my father was hospitalised for more than a month in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the medical team as well as the support staff took excellent care of him physically. Despite limited resources of the hospital at times, whether the patient is rich and influential, or poor, he/she receives the same equal amount of care and attention with no biasness, no flare ups, no inconsistencies. This is what our world should be about, something I hope to witness more. 

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche - The golden mountain and its radiance

I was particularly touched when I watched this footage of His Holiness Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910 - 1991) who was a great Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, teacher and head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism from 1987 to 1991. He was also one of His Holiness Dalai Lama's main gurus. 

In fact, every time I watch videos of him, I would start to tear.  I did not have the affinity to meet the previous Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in this lifetime. I wish I did. His teachings have some how touched me. Perhaps I find him endearing because of the way he gave brilliant analogies in his teachings as well as coupled with beautiful poetic flair. 

Below are some random excerpts of his teachings I picked: 

On true spiritual friends

"Spending your time with true spiritual friends will fill you with love for all beings and help you to see how negative attachments and hatred are. Being with such friends and following their example will naturally imbue you with their good qualities just as all the birds flying around the golden mountain are bathed in its golden radiance."

On devotion

"Devotion is as precious as having a skilled hand that can accomplish all crafts. It is like a great treasure which fulfills all needs, the panacea which cures all illness. Entrust your heart and mind to the Three Jewels like throwing a stone into deep water." 

On practising Dharma

"If you truly put the teachings into practice, as the Dharma takes birth and grows in your mindstream, all your faults will naturally diminish and all your positive qualities will spontaneously blossom, just as the sun, as it rises higher in the morning, gradually spreads increasing light throughout the world." 

On practising Dharma

"Do not waste a single moment, like a warrior who, pierced to the heart by an arrow, knows he has only few minutes to live. It is now, while we are in good health and in possession of all our physical and mental faculties, that we should practice Dharma."

On faith and devotion

"Without being concentrated by a magnifying glass, dry grass cannot be set alight by the rays of the sun, even though they bathe the whole earth evenly in their warmth. In the same way, it is only when focused through the magnifying glass of your faith and devotion that the all- pervading warm rays of the buddhas’ compassion can make blessings blaze up in your being, like dry grass on fire."

On abandoning attachments

"If we cease to have strong clinging to our body, possessions, and relatives, we will naturally stop feeling aggression toward those we consider as our enemies and compulsive attraction toward those we consider as friends. A true bodhisattva makes no distinction between a person touching one side of his body with a silken scarf and someone cutting his flesh on the other side."

On the absolute truth

"When your realization of emptiness becomes as vast as the sky, you will gain an even greater conviction about the law of cause and effect, and you will see just how important your conduct really is. Relative truth functions inexorably within absolute truth." 

On renunciation

"A prisoner locked in jail thinks all the time about different ways of getting free - how he might climb over the walls, ask powerful people to intervene, or raise money to bribe someone. So, too, seeing the suffering and imperfection of samsara, never stop thinking about how to gain liberation, with a deep feeling of renunciation." 

On renunciation

"A bedridden patient only thinks about getting well again. He or she has no wish to remain sick forever. Likewise, a practitioner who yearns to leave the miseries of samsara behind will make use of all the ways in which that can be done, such as taking refuge, generating the mind set on attaining enlightenment for the sake of others, undertaking positive actions and so on, with a firm determination to get out of samsara constantly in mind." 

On death

"Mindfulness of death is a nectarlike medicine that restores you to health and a sentinel that watches over the discipline of your practice, never letting it stray into distractions." 

On emptiness

"Once you have understood the union of emptiness and the dependent arising of phenomena, you will see clearly how deluded and deceiving the ways of the world really are, and, like an old man forced to play children’s games, you will find them very tiresome." 

On emptiness

"When sunlight falls on a crystal, lights of all colours of the rainbow appear; yet they have no substance that you can grasp. Likewise, all thoughts in their infinite variety - devotion, compassion, harmfulness, desire - are utterly without substance. This is the mind of the Buddha. There is no thought that is something other than emptiness; if you recognize the void nature of thoughts at the very moment they arise, they will dissolve. Attachment and hatred will never be able to disturb the mind. Deluded emotions will collapse by themselves. No negative actions will be accumulated, so no suffering will follow."

The Boudanath Stupa in Nepal was continuously lighted with 100,000 butter lamp offerings near Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's monastery during the 49 days of his parinirvana in 1991. _(i)_ 

HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991)

Month of March

Here's how my month of March went.

My guru Dagyab Rinpoche left Singapore after a month of teachings and initiations and CNY celebrations with us. I'm really grateful this time, Rinpoche taught something which I had wanted to ask and which he clarified through his teaching. I'm also blessed to have received from him a particular initiation I've been waiting for for a long time. 

A blessed long life puja offered to Dagyab Rinpoche. 

A new lease of new life after shifting to new office with a view. 

This period I particularly miss Lhamo very much. 

Celebrated my father's birthday after more than one month of being hospitalised. Hope he will recuperate well to be normal again. 

I have a liking for big breakfast set. Found a small joint selling hot dogs selling a whole day breakfast Big Brekky set for about $10. 

My cousin in Thailand got married with a beautiful grand wedding. May she and her hubby have a blissful marriage filled with love, happiness, and kindness. 

I'm beginning to like interesting pants. Here is a chequered one, haha. 

My all time favourite supper - Seng Kee kidney mee sua. I love to have supper with friends for a midnight chit chat over the weekend. 

Really grateful to this batch of monks from Gaden Shartse Monastery for being here this time. They were very hardworking, dedicated and very skilful in their pujas. 

Singapore is really beautiful in a different light at Marina Bay Sands. Recently in Huffnington Post,  MBS was listed by them to be one of the 19 places in Southeast Asia that will actually change your life. Haha! I laughed at this incredible claim but nonetheless we are so lucky to live in a clean city in Singapore. 

Day of Miracles

Yesterday was a very special day, Chotrul Duchen, the ‘Day of Miracles’ which commemorates one of the four great deeds of the Buddha. It occurs on the full moon (the fifteenth day) of the first Tibetan month. The first fifteen days of the New Year (Losar) celebrate the fifteen days on which, in order to increase the merit and the devotion of future disciples, Buddha Shakyamuni displayed a different miracle.

I share here some of the photos posted on the Day Of Miracles by friends in Facebook. 

Long life prayers and offering a special statue for His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala.

Fog in Margate, England. 

Baby deer finds warmth in a bird nest. 

A great shot by a friend Esther holidaying in Norway. Here she was dining by the wharf Fiskekompaniet, Tromso.

The 23 year old McDonald's in King Albert Park closed at 11.59pm. It was a place with many fond memories for many Singaporeans. Here is one photo with my classmates umpteen years ago. 

On this auspicious full moon day, children painted their faces and for the adults taking a yoga meditation course in Pokhara Buddhist Meditation Centre, Nepal. 

A rare but beautiful photo depicting the harsh life in Afghanistan. 

It is even more incredible when you realise this was taken in light-polluted Singapore.

The whole world awaits news of the missing MH370, amidst bomohs, coconuts, conspiracy theories, conflicting stories and much astonishment and disbelief. 

End of Losar celebration in Kopan Monastery, Nepal. Here is the school building where the monks study. 

Full house during puja in Dro Phen-Ling, obstacle-clearing, empowered blessings for many during Losar period. 

The little miracle... welcomed heavy rain across the island after 60 days of 'drought' and haze in Singapore on this Day of Miracles. 

PM Lee Hsien Loong urged Singaporeans to be more gracious and kind in his post yesterday. Indeed, as Bob Ferrey puts it, "Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and the most underrated agent of human change". 

Last but not least, me with the late His Holiness Kyabje Trijiang Dorje Chang on this Day of Miracles. 

White Tara, the Mother of Longevity

I love to look at the delicate details of each Buddha and deity. And I feel so happy whenever I see something I like.... like this picture of Mother Tara. 

White Tara, also known for compassion, long life, healing and serenity who has the power of granting Longevity. She is also the special Goddess who helps devotees in overcoming life's obstacles. May all enjoy a long life free from sickness, pain and suffering. 

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Mama Ayuh Punya Jñana Pustim Kuru Svaha!
 

A little celebration in Little India

We had an earlier celebration for one of my best friends over the past weekend. Being rather adventurous, the birthday girl requested that we dine at an Indian restaurant this time and everyone must come dressed in Indian garb too. This was quite a challenge for a couple of friends because, firstly, they do not fancy indian food, and secondly, they do not have anything Indian in their wardrobe, and thirdly, they hardly step into Little India. For me it was no problem because I love anything Indian (almost!).

We decided on Apolo Banana Leaf Restaurant at Race Course Road, just because we had visited this restaurant together umpteen years ago.  We had wanted to relive the earlier memories.  This was my share on a banana leaf - naan with an assortment of dishes and gravies! 

We had curry fish head, tandoori chicken, navratna khorma, palak paneer, lamb etc.... It did not look a lot but it was quite filling for 5 of us.

My buddy for the longest time, and so were the rest. Happy birthday to her!! May we all be friends forever.  I am quite thankful for them as we have seen each other through our individual ups and downs, and I am very sure they would stand by me through the good times and definitely through my bad times. For that day, I think we all passed with the Indian theme party. It was a success. Now we've already planned our next theme for the next birthday celebration.

Before our late lunch, I took the opportunity to snap a few shots of Little India. I am always excited when I visit Little India, because there is so much life and a mesmerising different culture - I love the sense of vibrancy and interesting stuff we see along the streets and shops.

Hope you enjoyed my Little India snapshots. What a wonderful weekend spent with a little celebration with closest friends.  I am looking forward to our next birthday gathering and a different theme. Very happening, eh?