Mr CEO or Cleaning Auntie

Mr CEO or Cleaning Auntie



A CEO and a cleaning auntie died on the same day.

They met at the judgement room, awaiting their fate.

Auntie : ""Hello Mr CEO!"

"Who are you? Do I know you?" the CEO asked incredulously.

Auntie : "I worked in your company. I'm the cleaning auntie. I ... "

"Hah ..." the CEO interrupted with a snort and turned away, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Just then, the judge arrived and said,

"One of you has accumulated good kamma (merits) and is going to Heaven. Let me see who is it going to be."

The CEO thought to himself, "Of course it's me! I'm a CEO. She's just an old dirty, useless cleaning auntie. Heaven would never have a place for such people."

He looked earnestly at the judge, smiling expectantly as he adjusted his coat and tie to ready himself to be ushered to the Heaven's gates.

The judge looked up from his book of records and said, "Ah Auntie. you are going to Heaven. Congratulations! Stay humble now. Be good, OK?"

The CEO was so shocked his jaws literally dropped.

The Auntie humbly thanked the judge.

Turning to the CEO, she said, "Goodbye Mr CEO sir. I'm sure you will be even better than me," as the guard ushered her through the Heaven's gates.

The CEO ignored her, thinking to himself,

"Of course! If she can go to Heaven, surely I'll be going to a better place than her. Ahh...perhaps the most fortunate rebirth of all - as a human again cos' I did such a good ... no no no, excellent job as a CEO, and they see and appreciate my potential. Maybe I will be the president of a country this time ... or, maybe they want me to be enlighten, to lead the world to salvation ..." Mr CEO fantasized away.

Just then, the judge interrupted his fantasies.

"And for you, Sir ... "

"Yes! Yes! Judge, please tell me, where will I be heading for my next rebirth?" Mr CEO asked in fake modesty.

"You sir, are going to The Avici Hell."

"What?! Is there some kind of mistake? Please check through your records again. I'm the CEO of xxx company. How can that dirty stinky old woman be going to Heaven while I'm going to Hell?!" The CEO shouted and argued pompously, aggressively.

The judge cocked his eyebrows, thought to himself, "Ah ... the wolf is finally showing his tail ... "

The judge put on his glasses, looked through his records one more time, and replied flatly,

"There's no mistake. You, the CEO of xxx company, is going to The Avici Hell."

As the guards were about to lead him away, the CEO fought," Wait a minute! I want to know why? I created 300 new jobs for my company. How can I be going to Hell? I helped 300 people." .
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The judge replied, "Oh yeah. 300 new jobs - it's recorded here. But for the 300 new jobs, 600 others lost theirs because of it."

"They're old, worthless, useless. It's the new economy. What do you expect?! We've got to move on. Can't stay stagnant, you know. We've got to compete." Mr CEO countered.

"They've got families to feed, and 500 of them could not find another job after that."

"OK, fine. But I increased the salaries, bonuses, benefits etc of my staff by 50%." Mr CEO proudly announced.

"Yes, Yes. But it was only for yourself and the 100 managers who were directly beneath you. And, it's at the expense of all the other employees who had to suffer substantial pay cuts etc. You and the 100 managers were already enjoying huge and great benefits and luxuries, while the rest had to struggle to make ends meet."

"Well, it's their Kamma ... " Mr CEO stated matter of factly, nonchalantly.

"Yes, it's their Kamma, and it's also your Kamma that you didn't make full use of your position to do good, to help and benefit others that you are going to Hell. I hope you learn your lesson ... "

"Wait! I did do good, help and benefit others! I set up funds. I give to charities. Every year I donate $10,000 to charities. I do good. I help and benefit all those charities!" Mr CEO pleaded. This time, with panic and fear in his voice.

"Yes. I see you do that. But you did it for 'show'. For publicity. To show everyone you're good, you're kind' you're charitable. That you're Better Off than them.

It wasn't real generosity. You're NOT giving to let go. You're giving to Gain. That's NOT giving. That's NOT generosity.

Besides, you earn $10 million a year...... $10,000 to $10million is peanuts!

No more arguments. Off you go!"



"CEO or cleaning auntie, young or old,

Regardless of who, what or how we are in this life,

We'll all have to face our own sunset one day.

A sunset that's painted and created by no one else BUT Ourselves."

"Ultimately, what really matters in life is neither riches, nor power, nor glory, nor fame and fortune;

Rather, it is the ability to love, to help, and to make our lives beneficial for ourselves and others."

"Nothing lasts. Whether whole or otherwise, we'll all end up one day in a pile of ash."

"Regardless of who, what or how we are in this life,

When we die,

We'll all end up as nothing but fertilizer for the soil."

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"When we die, our fame and fortune will stay behind.

Our family and loved ones will only take us up to our grave.

But the good and/or bad deeds (Kamma) that we did during our lifetime,

Will follow us,

Even beyond our grave."

"Give and forget you've given;

Take/Receive and Remember Always you've taken/received."

Cat or Dog

Cat or Dog


A couple was taking their evening stroll in the park when they heard, "Woof!" "Woof!".

The husband said to the wife, "Hmm ... there's a dog nearby."

The wife replied, "Nah. That's a cat."

The husband said again, "It's a dog. Listen carefully."

Getting annoyed, the wife replied, "It's a cat"


"Woof!" "Woof!"

"Stupid woman!" thought the husband as he impatiently said, "It's a dog!"

"Stubborn man!" thought the wife as she, too, insisted rather angrily, "No! It's a cat!"

Turning to face his wife, the husband barked, " I say it's a dog!"

She looked at him squarely in the face, "I say it's a cat! " She hissed back.

"OK, let's look for it and I'll prove to you it's a dog." The husband challenged fiercely.

"Sure! Why not? and I'll show you it's a cat!" The wife scratched back.


They turned angrily away from each other and started searching.

After half an hour of futile searching, the husband, feeling exhausted, sweaty, hungry and thirsty, turned and looked at his wife who's still busy searching.

As he stood and watched the perspiration trickling down her face, he remembered their courtship days. A deep sense of remorse swept through him.

Walking behind her, he slipped his arms round her waist and whispered in her ear, "Darling, I believe you are right. It's a cat. And it probably ran off when it saw us coming to look for him. Shall we stop searching?"

With tears in her eyes, the wife turned and rested her head on his chest, holding him tight.

"Thank you. It was a cat, right?" She cried softly, gently.

"Yes, it was. You hungry? Shall we get something to eat?"

She looked up into his eyes and nodded her head as he wiped away the tears from her face.

Holding hands, they walked down towards the beautiful sunset together ...


Unknown to the couple, perched high up on one of the trees was a bird who saw and witnessed the whole incident.

The bird thought to himself,

"Silly humans! What's there to search? I'm neither a cat nor a dog. I'm a bird!"

As he, too, spread his wings, soar to the sky and headed for home, woofing away. .

"Reality and Truths are NOT what they seem to be."

"After anger and hate, what follows is sorrow, sadness and pain.

Be careful.

Love, Harmony, Compassion and Wisdom are more important than being right."

"To understand things, we have to accept first.

For without acceptance, there can be no understanding, no realisations.

Being open does not mean accepting other's beliefs.

Being open means accepting that what (i.e the beliefs) we had held so dearly and strongly for so long to be the Truth, may actually be, Un-True.".

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"It is not only greed or attachment to pleasures caused by the senses or attachment to wealth and property, and the wish to defeat others and conquer countries;

But also attachment to ideals and ideas, to views, opinions and beliefs that lead to calamity and destruction, and bring about untold suffering to whole nations,

In fact, to the whole world."

- Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda

Myths or Truths

Myths or Truths


There are many myths and old wives' tales surrounding a lot of things.

Example, chicken pox.

One of the myths of chicken pox is not to wash your hair.

I can understand why such a myth exist.

Cos' it's true.

I had many water bubbles on my head, so much so that my head was like a landmine - you've got to tread carefully cos' they 'explode' easily.

I washed, combed, tugged and pulled at my hair during the initial few days.

Big mistake.

It feels 'shiok' (really good) at first, but you suffer like crazy after that. That was my greatest regret. It was a nightmare.

I remembered on the 3rd or 4th night, my head was so itchy.

It was like a million zillion ants crawling and biting my head.

Even pranayama (yogic breathing techniques) doesn't help.

Luckily, meditation helps to ease the itch.

And, fortunately for me, that was the only time I suffered from extreme itchiness (I only remember of 2 other times when it was a bit itchy.)

However, thereafter was like going from one 'Hell' to another cos' I was not able to sleep or rest.

I can't lay my head on the pillow.

Not even sideways cos' it was so painful.

Serve me right! What do I expect?

After enjoying all the estatic pleasures of multiple 'explosions', naturally suffering will follow.

Anyway I told my sister that if I had known I was going to get chicken pox, I would have shaved my head.

My sister stared at me. She was shocked. She looked worried when she asked me what happens after that?

I told her the hair will grow back.

That's when her face showed a sense of relief.

From my experience, the myth of not washing hair makes sense.

And, if you do know in advance that you're going to get chicken pox, Shave Your Head.

It makes washing so much easier.

If you do not wish to shave, then avoid washing, combing, tugging or pulling your hair during the first week.


Another old wives' tale that surrounds chickenpox was not to stand by/at the front door.

Cos' if you do, you'll get it again.

I stood by my front door so many times I believe my wish of wanting to get chicken pox again and again may actually come true!

Hmmm..... That's nice.

Of course that's nonsense.

There's no truth in it.

Think about it : If standing by/at the front door means I'll get it again, doesn't closing and locking the door means I'll will never get it ever again?

O no! So sad....

I don't know what you feel/think about the above myth, but to me it does not make sense, so I reject it.


As the Buddha said in The Kalama Sutta :

"Do not blindly believe anything that's said by the teachers or those in authorities,

Or that has been spoken or rumoured by many,

Or that has been written in scriptures and passed down through many generations.

Only upon careful observation, investigation and analysis,

If the teaching when practised, do NO harm, and brings about more love, peace, harmony and wisdom to the world,

Is for the good and benefit of one and all, do you then practise it and abide by it."

Now, that makes a lot of sense.

"Those who believe blindly and/or easily taken what others say are foolish."

- The Buddha

Mindfulness or Mindlessness

Mindfulness or Mindlessness



Being down with an illness is a wonderful experience.

It slows you/a person down.

Everything you do is slow-mo(tion).

Eat, drink, walk, sit etc is slowed down.

Forced to slow down cos' the body can't move fast.

I noticed this in the beginning of the 3rd week after chicken pox.

I was doing things faster. There was a lot of difference.

That's when it started me thinking, wondering, "How come?"

When we are well, we do things very fast, heedlessly, mindlessly, mechanically even.

But when we're sick and down, everything slows down.

You eat slowly, chewing your food slowly.

You drink slowly, sipping your water slowly.

I tried chewing the lettuce slowly and I could taste the sweetness and crispness of it.

I was finally learning to taste my food!

I become more aware.

It was a strange feeling.



My sister mentioned that chicken pox is scary, get it once is enough.

I believe many people feel the same.

However, I hold a different view.

I think it was a wonderful experience that taught me so much.

I think we should not get it as a kid but as an adult - then we will really feel.

It really wasn't that bad. I was having so much fun! Very enjoyable.

It was the best holiday of my life.

And it's an experience I know I definitely would not mind having again and again for all the beautiful lessons it has taught me.



Very often, we get caught up in the race, get sucked in the dramas of everyday life.

Illnesses help to slow us down, put things in perspective (provided we 'see' it) and teach us (provided we are willing to learn).

As a matter of fact, if you think about it, everything in life is teaching us.

Never fear or dislike illnesses or whatever that happens in your life.

Embrace it. Totally, fully, completely. Be One with It.

That's when you really experience life, and 'taste' it as it is.

Cos' very often, we are much stronger than our fears.

And more competent than our worries. Try it.



The next time you come across a problem/fear, pause.

Look back, and you'll realise you have come across this problem/fear before.

After all, why the hurry? Why the haste? Why rush?

Why not slow down, stop and take a breath instead?

Why do we have to be doing things all the time?

Why can't we put them down once in a while, and do nothing?

Some people may say, "Then the world won't move."



The world will always move, with or without you.

Cos' there will always be people who'll keep the world moving, who'll want the world to move, who can't let go.

And that person does not have to be you.

Think about it.



A Buddha is one who was in the race, but stopped. Looked, observed, Analysed.

Turned around and walked the other way-

Away from the crowd.

Away from everyone else.

Away from the world.

Who are you going to be?

Who, would you like to be?






"The ordinary man always sees the darkness and the misery of this world, but the yogi sees the grand beauty and the real nature of the world."

- Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda

"Modern man is so busy with his business of earning for a living that he has no time to live."

- Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda

"Why rush? The more you rush, the faster and the earlier you'll land in your grave."

Gratitude

Gratitude

After a couple of days into my chicken pox, my mum asked if I know/feel hunger yet. I said no.

Not only do I not feel/know hunger, I do not know/feel thirst as well.

I felt this body could go without food and drink.

Actually, I had one such experience once - during one of my meditation session.

Hunger and thirst were not issues at all.

I do believe this is possible.

Unfortunately, I don't have the opportunity to find out.

Cos' I was swamped with food and drink everyday.

There was so much to eat and drink all the time I wonder if I'm having chicken pox.

It sure doesn't feel like it.

My mum and this particular student (and friend) of mine fed me so well I won't be surprised if I put on weight instead of losing weight (like most people) after the illness.

My family and friends do not need to buy me all those fruits, cook all those food and boil all the herbal drinks for me, but they did.

Especially that friend of mine.

She would come to my house everyday, without fail, bringing me one whole basket full of goodies.

And my sister.

She does not need to mop my room everyday, but she did.

I asked myself, " Of what do I deserve such kindness and generosity from my family and friends?"

It was something that was heartening, that touches me deep into the core, that overwhelms me and makes me cry.

Not tears of sadness.

Nor tears of joy.

But tears of immerse gratitude and appreciation for the love and care from my family and friends.

I feel I am very fortunate.

To my family, friends and all those who worked behind the scenes :

Maitre-Light thanks you.

Sincerely from the heart.

For taking such great care of me during the 2 weeks.

For all the love, the care, the hard work, the effort, the time and the energy which all of you gave to me.

Thank you.

I'm very grateful and thankful to all of you.

Namaste :)

Chicken Pox and Me

Chicken Pox and Me



On March 6th, I was diagnosed with chicken pox.

What an experience! It practically took my breath away.

It enriched my mind and life totally.

It's amazing how something as mundane and common like chicken pox can teach us many things about Life.

There were many nights which I could not sleep.

As a matter of fact, I could not sleep most of the time during the chicken pox period.

I remember one particular night when I could not sleep.

So, with my blanket wrapped around me, I walked, to and fro, in my room.

It was during this 'walk' that this entry was 'born'.


It was a wonderful experience.

My body was in pain. I felt old. So old.

But it helped me understand a few things:


1) This body will decay (grow old) just as a flower bloom, blossom, wither and die.

2) This body will diseased just as a plant with white spots on its leaves.

3) This body will die just as the leaves that we find on the ground after a rain.


Regardless of young or old, we're all subjected to these.

Cos' this body is not ours to begin with.

If it is, we should be able to control it, but we can't.

We can't ask the body not to grow old, not to fall sick, or not to get chicken pox, and not to die.

It's a natural process of things.

Nature's Laws.


This body is impermanent, unsatisfactory and not 'Me' - not self.

If it was permanent, why do I feel cold one moment, and hot the next?

Why can't I 'tune' the temperature to be constant?

If it was satisfactory, why do I feel aches and pains in my body?

That caused me not to be able to sleep, lie down, or even sit?


Most important of all,

If it was 'self' (i.e me), why can't I ask the body to be well?

That the aches and pains to go away?

That the red sores and water bubbles that pop up on my face and body that makes me look like a hideous monster, to disappear?

Why is this body so old, weak, torn and tattered when I want it to be energetic and young?

Because, as in many things in life, this body is not permanent, not satisfactory, and definitely, not me, not mine, and not self.

It was suffering.

I could go neither left nor right.

I felt like I want to die but could not.

I was suffering. In pain.

This body, this life, is suffering, painful.

That makes me wonder : Why is it that people cannot die, or are afraid to die, or don't want to die?

Because of attachment, craving, desire.

We hold on to things.

We want things to stay the same.

We want to be young, youthful, fresh, green, energetic.

We want only pleasures and not pain.

We can't accept the realities of life. The truths of things.

That's why.


With chicken pox, I see that this body is ugly.

It's nothing but a mass of heaped up sores filled with pus, unknown liquids, scars etc.

How beautiful can that be?

"All that's mine, beloved and pleasing, will change and vanish."

So says The Buddha.

How true!


People who see/think the human body is beautiful, or trying to maintain/keep it beautiful, or beautify it by going to the gyms, spas, surgeries, etc are just wasting their time and money, and hiding behind the shades of delusion/ignorance.

Just as a house or building etc that's beautiful on the outside does not mean it's beautiful on the inside.

Or, a beautiful house does not mean the occupants are just as beautiful.

At the end of the day, it's really only our deeds that tell more about us, than our beautiful 'facade' (this body).

5 Remembrances -

I am of the nature to decay.

I have not gone beyond decay.

I am of the nature to be diseased.

I have not gone beyond disease.

I am of the nature to die.

I have not gone beyond death.

All that is mine,

Beloved and pleasing, will change and vanish.

I am the owner of my kamma;

Heir to my kamma;

Born of my kamma;

Related to my kamma;

Abide supported by my kamma.

Whatever kamma ( i.e. good or evil ) I shall do, of that I shall be the Heir.

- The Buddha

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"Your wealth can only edify your house but not you.

Only your own virtue can edify you.

Your dress can adorn your body but not you.

Only your good conduct can."

- Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda

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Earth - Do You Know She's in Pain ?

Earth - Do You Know She's in Pain ?



Once upon a time, there was a girl called Earth.

Earth was born with vast forests, nature and lush greenery.

She was a happy child, surrounded by lots of love and positive energy.

Earth had a childhood sweetheart called Humans.

Earth loved Humans very much.

One day, Humans told Earth that he wants to move out of the forests, into the city, and asked Earth to go along with him.

Earth loved Humans dearly, and because of her deep love and affection for Humans, she agreed.

When they arrived in the city, Earth was very surprised.

There were no trees or forests, but buildings and factories.

Everyone was in a rush, and the energy was not kind and gentle, but very cold and unfeeling.

Even the air - it wasn't clean and fresh.

In the buildings, it was all stale, recycled air conditioning, and outside was all smog and haze.

Construction was everywhere.

Land was cleared; trees, forests and nature felled, burned and destroyed to make way for buildings, and more buildings to be added to the already congested concrete landscape.

Earth thought to herself, "Why do they have to dig so much? If they continue digging, one day this place will sink."



Earth didn't like the city at all.

In fact, she felt miserable.

But for Humans' sake, she tried to adapt.

The days passed and Earth got herself a job.

She thought she would be happy but she soon found out that she was wrong.

It was all work and no rest.

The office environment was also not pleasant.

The people were mean and nasty.

Earth observed that there was so much politics and fighting.

Everyone was fighting for personal gain or playing political games.

Everyday was like in a war zone - shooting and firing, burning and bloodshed.

Earth didn't like it at all. She was depressed. She was tired.

She felt burnt-out with all the work, stress and negativity.

But she could not tell Humans. Cos' Humans seemed disturbed lately.

Besides, she didn't want to be a burden.

So, she bottled her emotions.

As the air was terribly polluted, Earth soon developed a cough, which became chronic.

She also came down with a flu that didn't seem to go away.

As Earth's lungs weakened, she discovered more ailments.

She constantly feel hot.

Her body seemed to heat up by itself, and many times, she found herself perspiring profusely.

Sometimes, she felt as if she was going to explode.

On and off, she would also get chest pains.

As if that was not bad enough, her relationship with Humans deteriorated.

Humans became unreasonable and demanding.

He was no longer kind, loving and gentle.

Instead, he was selfish and greedy.

For no rhyme or reason, he would vent his anger and frustrations on Earth.

Earth thought that Humans was stressed with city life and work, and so, even though she was very hurt, she continued to be loving and kind, patient and understanding, and gave in to Humans' demands.

But Humans was ungrateful and totally ignored Earth's efforts.

Even though Earth was unhappy, she would keep it to herself.

Earth felt sad. Every night, she would cry herself to sleep.

One day, Earth saw Humans with another girl, Craving/Greed/Lust.

She thought they were colleagues of friends.

But when they started behaving intimately, she was shocked.

She could not contain her emotions anymore.

She was hurting badly inside. Her chest was in pain. Her heart was pounding furiously and her body temperature kept increasing. She felt the blood rushing to her head.

As she held one hand over her chest, she went up to confront Humans.

But Humans was unrepentant.

He abused Earth instead.

Earth was devastated. She was heartbroken. She felt as if her whole body was torn apart, and her heart shattering to pieces.

All of a sudden, all the bottled emotions seemed to rush out.

Earth started shaking violently and breaking out in cold sweats.

That's when she went to see a doctor who told her that if her body temperature and heart rate continue to rise, her arteries may burst, she may get a heart attack and die.

To help calm herself down, Earth decided to seek alternative therapy.

The energy healer told Earth that her aura was very weak.

That she needed long-term intense healing surrounded with lots of positive and loving energy in an unpolluted environment.

Earth also tried attending different religious services.

Both helped to calm and relax her for a while, but because the environment is such that there's lots of negativity and pollution, her ailments kept recurring, with no recovery in sight.

One day, as Earth sat on a bench in a park near her home.

She reminisced about the good old days -

Where there were trees and nature and space, and not buildings, factories and waste.

Where the air is fresh and clean, and not smog and haze.

Where the people are always helpful, and not fighting for some political power or personal gain.

Where the people are nice and friendly, and not cold, mean and nasty.

Where the energy is positive, loving and kind, and not negative and filled with anger, enmity and hate.

Where there's lots of giving and generosity, and not selfishness and greed.

Where Humans used to love and take care of her, and not abuse, take advantage and neglect her.

Where she was healthy, strong and in the pink of health, and always happy, and not sick and weak and depressed like now.

As Earth was thinking, she fell into a deep sleep.

Will Humans realise the mistake, start making amends, and learn to respect Earth again,

Or will Earth self-destruct and die a slow and painful death?

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"As we create, we destroy."

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"The 'end' of the world lies not in the forces of nature, nor in the hands of some Supreme Being (God/s), or any other beings (ETs, UFOs etc) BUT in the hands of mankind/humankind.

Mankind/Humankind alone, through an ignorant, delusioned and selfish mind, can and will destroy civilisation.

It's through the irresponsible and egoistic acts of Mankind/Humankind that civilisation will be destroyed.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions, tsunamis etc are all symptoms/results of anger, enmity and hate that is expressed by humans -collective anger, enmity, hate etc of human and living beings manifesting in/through nature.

It's the mind that needs to be changed.

Everything begins from the mind, and therefore will have to end with the mind. (The way in is the way out)

If we don't change our minds (ie. our thinking, attitude, action etc), we'll self-destroy ourselves."

"Man can change the atmosphere of the Universe.

If man is cruel and wicked, always lives against the laws of nature and the cosmic law; through his acts, words and thoughts, he pollutes the whole atmosphere.

As a result of such misdeeds and thoughts, nature may not produce things which man requires for his living but instead man may be faced epidemics and various kinds of disasters.

If, on the other hand, man lives in accordance with this natural law, leads a righteous way of life, purifies the atmosphere through the merits of his virtues and radiates his loving kindness towards other living beings, he can change the atmosphere in order to bring about better results for the happiness of man."

- Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda

P.S : Did you spot the deforestation, global warming, depletion/weakening of the ozone layer, wars, mankind's anger, mankind's abuses on Earth, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis etc?

If you did not, read Again ... :)