Remnant of the Days to Confirm Where to Fly

Date	Departure	Arrival	Flight Status
July 2007	Hometown	Kota Kinabalu	Landed
June 2011	Kota Kinabalu	UNKNOWN	CALLING

Graduation has long been delightedly portrayed a milestone in life for which it is marking a completion of integrated series of primary, secondary and tertiary formal education. Nevertheless, do people nowadays really view fresh graduates such positively, say the potential contributions to the respectively targeted industry and nations, more than ever in the era of globalization? It is about a certainty you’d have outpaced everyone in having the answer in mind.

Putting aside how cynical, if not optimistic, others’ perceptions and perspectives are on us, unsurprisingly, we could somehow hardly find ourselves remaining unfazed and unperturbed with the inner worries mounting from the authentically real situation of the day, which had been featuring unstable employment rate or opportunities, economical efficiency, multi capability-, rather high performance- and competitiveness-orientation.

In light of the incontrovertible reality and for the sake of positioning own fiscal survival at the self-conceptualized comfort zone, everyone would have been down the stream of the so called rife rivalry overflowing with the stench of unwholesome competing psyche coupled with an array of injurious tactics and ploys. It would be timely to question when only we as the sensual beings can be totally liberated from the samsara (sufferings) and the endless cycles of metempsychosis?

Of late, I and some friends had the opportunities in joining some Tibetan buddhism prayers and talks solemnly conducted by His Eminence Nyima Vosal Rinpoche. There is a paragraph of foreword written near the beginning pages of the scripture had grabbed my most attention for 2 reasons where firstly it is well-translated in Chinese wording and secondly it illustrates the core values of altruism in the Vajrayana and Mahayana practice. It generally stated: “we love happiness and demand no samsara, meanwhile other sensual beings are similar as us in the pursuit of happiness and avert sufferings. Since the immeasurable numbers of life in the past, utmost reasonable it is to treat every being as our own dearest father and mother.”

Outpoured with kindness and compassion, His Eminence Nyima Vosal Rinpoche did expound on the importance of upholding Triple Gems (Buddha, Buddha Teachings and Buddhism monastic) in the complicated working life ahead, rising of Bodhi Mind and great compassion, being calm to accommodate the variable and changeable landscape in the world and the karmic relationship attributed to our conduct, be it of benevolent or perishing, which would lead us perpetually unless and until we achieve buddhahood. In conjunction to the annual senior’s farewell commemoration, I wish all of the best and greatest for senior members who are going to “fly to next unknown destination” and junior members who comparably “have more days to decide where to fly next”.

Tashi Delek .

学靖

Ex-Vice Secretary-General of 8^th Buddhist Association

（www.hapygreen.blogspot.com）

A Big Stride Ahead, Promise Awaits Aspirant

Being gratified by messages as to the call for contribution towards the forthcoming annual Senior’s Farewell Commemoration had spurred me to come up with this writing. Presence of this English-written article would surely beget full of curiosity and if possibly up to a greater extent, create slight uproars among our dear Buddhist members. Thus placating the unnecessary arguments with reasons is what role I should play at the first place. Simply an undisputable fact that there are a number of English-oriented members insistently pursuing Buddha teachings in our association, I found none of conflicting elements as if I spearhead the move of yielding a foremost article written in English to cater for not only their interests, but all. Knowing fully well that the English-oriented members might have been facing lingual stumbling blocks in the pipeline of pursuing Buddha teachings, I feel willingly obliged to insist on!

Of late, having interacted with some of the acting top echelon thru Facebook, I somehow felt their trivial worries prevalently of the way they should take helm of the association. This phenomenon was proven to be normal as nobody gets born with charismatic leading ability congenitally endowed. Speaking in my capacity as an ex-central committee member, this fledgling Buddhist association purveys us all about learning – whenever we face problems in handling activities, there are constructive advices from our experienced SENIOR, thus we learnt! Whenever we are overwhelmed with personal frustrations and engulfed by the qualms of homesickness, there are warm concerns again from our lovely SENIOR, thus we got enlightened!

Managed to go through several series of photos together we all were taken in Buddhist association in the days which departed several months to years from today, it is dismayfully learned that time lapsed as swift as if we took years in merely an unwitting blink. Refreshing the moments together we came across, we learnt Buddha teachings, we planned and implemented activities, we argued on different perspectives, we attended to each others’ situations, we enjoyed the participatory excitation, we channeled our compassions out and “Jointly We Underwent Joys and Sorrows”, one, especially our seniors, might have felt contented and worthwhile so much so that being worried with the imminent partings.

As to what title my text goes by, I urge that my “former comrades in arm” to stride a big step ahead, be fully equipped with skills, professions and self-confidence as well which are indispensably instrumental to confront with various sorts of challenges ahead, may it be of employment or pursuit of advanced study. On the other hands, you all are too encouraged to do more good deeds in concurrence of what Buddha and Sifu taught. It is vital as many had seemingly deviated from the right way, let alone committed lots of conscience-stricken actions, allegedly in order to compete with others in today’s complex community. Once reaching financial sustainability, do remember that there are dark corners all around the world which comprise of under-privileged living in utterly deplorable conditions and those akin really needs YOU. By the way, I kept alert me that my writing had occupied some 2 pages of the freshly-published pamphlets, thus I end it by quoting the late Master Shen Yan as saying:

“To let the circumstances dictate one’s state of mind is human;
to let the mind dictate the circumstances is sage.”


劲哥 \(^v^)/
Ex-Vice Secretary-General of 8th Buddhist Association
(http://www.hapygreen.blogspot.com/)

**This post had been published in 《心语弦音》leaflet dated 28 March 2010 in commemoration of annual senior farewell party.

“POLITICAL” AMBITION AT IMPASSE

“What is your ambition?” grabbed my attention the most in the class since childhood. It is certainly not that I was eagerly seeking others’ answers, yet I enjoyed the moments whenever I utter it – LAWMAKER!

Albeit the position is somewhat resembling “LAWYER” from the superficial aspect, the activities carried out by the former is totally distinguishing far from the latter. “Lawmaker makes the law, while lawyer being law consultant” best exemplifies their pivotal differences. Serving the people resided within constituency and getting the governmental masterplan across are under the ambit of a democratically selected lawmaker too. I’d been enlightened that to be an upright and conscientious lawmaker, the wage sometimes is not on par with, otherwise in a more precise term, lesser than the amount of service purveyed!

One may not qualify to choose the path in becoming a legislator in case he or she fails to overturn the striking dissents from family members, parents in particular. It’s learnt one of those dominant forces that dictates their minds to come out with such intense objections would be the vivid dark cases happened in our “political arena” which were still at the back of their minds. An agonizing death of a vulnerable political aide at a date which was not too distant from today could be a fresh instance that compounds their worries and anxieties.

Another remarkable testament to the blackened political case would be the political massacre in Philippine. Reportedly, a spate of utterly ATROCIOUS, STRONG-ARMED, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, ILLEGAL MURDERING had been exploited merely to combat the opponent party for which it was on the way to file candidacy for the upcoming governor’s election.

Have I come a long way in overcoming all those complicated stumbling blocks? Am I capable to survive the “water-logged” universe? Am I stout enough to pursue what my ambition tells? Frankly, I have no idea, yet for the time being, due answer is an obligation.

第一届沙巴大学中秋联欢晚会

10th Buddha Camp Memories (1)

主席的话

转眼间，沙大佛友联谊会的大专佛法营已迈入了十周年。经由筹委们努力不懈的宣传，换来了今天破百的总人数，其中五十二位为工委及五十位为营员。此外，正所谓佛法是不分区域、不分界限的，很荣幸地本届大专营亦接获了纳闽区沙大分校数位同学的热烈支持及报名。

犹记得数月前,小弟在几场沙大佛友联谊会的活动（如迎新会及佛法班）上宣传时曾经讲述：本届大专营乃结合了九年来在大专营中所萃取出的精华！其实，这句话说得没错，因为届复一届的大专营皆是去芙成精的持续性过程，一代又一代的学长们把优质的保留，把劣质的去除，进而让学弟妹们在办大专营的过程中更为顺利。

《一个选择，一个转机》看似与市面上激励营的主题切合，但它更是与佛法有着密切的关系呢！藉由此主题，筹委们希望看到营员们“选择”参加了大专营后，将营中所修习到的佛法贯彻于生活中，从而时时观察自心，摒弃恶习，进而无时无刻心生善念，口说善语，身行善事。由于调正了身心后，慢慢地发现与曾因自己易怒的性格而导致友情破裂的朋友们重修旧好了、因感恩心而与家人的感情更和乐融洽了、因包容心而在功课上与同学们的合作更顺利了、在职场上与同事们更合作无间了。。。这些岂不是所谓的“转机”了吗？

在此，小弟真切地抱着感恩的心，感谢第十届大专佛法营所有筹委们这半年来在筹备工作上相互的扶持及无求的付出。筹备工作和功课的压力都没能把你们撼倒，你们的确是小弟眼中最棒的一群哦！另外，我也借此机会，特别鸣谢寂静禅林的师父们和一群不辞劳苦为佛教事业打拼的本届大专营赞助人-寂静禅林护法团及阿芳姐。

愿各位法喜充满，福慧双修！^_^

学劲 合十

～放下 ～ 自在 ～

“唏哩哩。。。”

肆无忌惮地小雨滴打在无辜的小叶上，

无邪的小叶片仅轻松晃了一晃，

不见一丝仇恨，

不见染沾一滴祸水，

悠哉地挺身而立。

任凭满腹牢骚的大雨倾盆，

尽管末日般地暴雨狂风，

叶片依然不失其青翠的色泽，

更练就了一身柔韧的曲线！