Reflection on the Thailand Trip

Reflection on the Thailand Trip

"Happiness is making the best out of the conditions that you have."
Simple Bear 10.01.2014.

One of the most striking things about the Thai people that I encountered in Bangkok, Thailand is the resilience that I see in them, working hard to make their lives better regardless of the conditions that they have.

I took a photo of a little young girl managing a fried fish ball stall on my first day in Bangkok, Thailand. The little boss of the fish ball stall is probably around 13 years of age and she impressed me with her politeness, confidence and silent resilience that I felt when I saw her.

Maybe it's her age, maybe it's the silent strength of resilience that I felt from her. I couldn't help but to reflect on it. When we complained about the not so optimal conditions of the roadside stalls, the refusal of the stall owners to reduce prices, fatigue from shopping etc, we forgotten to be grateful for the good conditions for us to be tourists in their countries, to have the financial means to travel and buy what we like.

A sense of shame arose in me. There is so much more that I have.

I see beggars on the streets of Bangkok, the bridges, the stairs, outside the malls and all I can do for them is a silent wish that they will have better conditions in the future, for the relief and eradication of sufferings.

A good trip of good food, shopping and also a trip to help remind myself of gratitude.

May all be well, healthy and happy.

Bali Trip Reflections 3

Reflection on a thunderstorm

I was trying to sleep on the plane back to Singapore when flashes of light outside the plane window kept me awake. I looked outside and saw flashes of lightning among the clouds not too far away. It was a beautiful sight to behold and then this thought came to my mind, would I have thought the same if I was caught in the storm clouds.

The people watching the storm unfolding in the distance won't be able to experience the experience of being caught in the storm in the same moment. Perhaps, we all have experience of being caught in the storm but every moment is different, we are not in it now.

The people caught in the storm right now won't be able to experience the storm from the perspective of the people in the plane watching it from a distance in the same moment. Even if they may have prior experience of watching the storm from a distance but in this very moment, this experiential memory is not being retrieved.

Use this analogy on empathy, and perhaps we can be more empathetic; when we say we understand, we basically mean we may have experienced similar situations before but never the same experience as the person who is experiencing the situation now. We may have the tendency to think we do but in reality we don't. The differences in past experiences of the individual, the salient cognitions and affect of the individual in the experience now is different from we, when we experience similar situations.

Perhaps our empathy when used in understanding others can be enhanced by understanding this difference; we can be more sensitive to the current experience of the individual. The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus once said, "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." No matter how similar in terms of past experiences, personality of the person experiencing the situation now and we, it cannot be the same. The experience of the storm is also different for two persons experience the storm side by side, much less someone who had experienced a storm, but not the storm.

Empathy or the vicarious experiencing of the cognitions, affect and behavior of another individual, the adoption of the others' perspectives are based on much assumptions. The assumptions of 'how we think' the other is feeling, thinking right now based on 'what we experienced'. When we assume, the possibilities of semantics increases in our communication, and we need to be aware and take note of it in our interpersonal communications.

Being mindful of this difference may allow us to be better communicators and enhances our empathetic ability, by placing less emphasis on one's own experiences and more, on the other, who is experiencing the experience right now. The experiencing of empathy allows for the arising of compassion, volitional action to alleviate the perceived sufferings of others. This is a topic for another day, I think I better get back to my academic assignment.

May we all learn to be better at empathy, and in the process, be better individuals.

With Metta
Simple Bear 04.02.2014.

P.S. The above are all just random thoughts that came through my mind when I was watching the thunderstorm unfolding from my plane's window. I maybe wrong but at least it is a start.

Bali Trip Reflection 2

Contemplation on fear and gratitude for conditions

Decided to take a walk from the shopping mall back to my accommodation yesterday. Didn't expected it to take hours but I guess it was worth it. Without any maps or network, I can only depend on my spatial memory of the area when the cab took me to the mall earlier. I was aware of fear which arose due to unfamiliarity of the area, language; and my timid nature didn't help in alleviating the fear. We fear what we don't know and I decided to challenge myself.

What brought me comfort initially was the familiar signs of food outlets on the streets like Starbucks and MacDonald I guess it reduces the unfamiliarity of the place a little. The statues of Buddha that I saw along the road also help to alleviate my fear.

As I walked on through abandoned sites dominated by wild vegetation. I saw a sign that captured my attention; it read 'Vihara Buddha Dharma Buddhayana Temple'. Right in front of me is a deserted deviation from the main road and there is a Buddhist temple along the small road. I told myself conditions must be right for me and walked into the small road.

Surrounded by construction sites and a river or canal flowing in front, the Mahayana Buddhist temple had an aura of serenity. My fears were alleviated and I went in to do my postrations and offerings.

I was filled with elation at the opportunity to do Dana and offerings in a foreign land. Then this thought dawned on me, did I have the same elation when I did Dana and offerings back at home?

The scarcity of this opportunity is what made it so perceptually precious and joy inspiring. then this thought came to my mind, to have know the Dharma itself is rare, the chance to do offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattva are rare, to have experience the Dharma is rare, I am a lucky bear and yet I don't always readily realise that in everyday life in Singapore.

As I sat in my room in contemplation, this thought came to me, I have taken for granted what is indeed rare, an aggregation of the right conditions to know the Buddha, encounter the Dharma and understanding of the Dharma through learning from the Sangha. This mentality serves as an impediment to the practice and the remedy is gratitude.

May I be grateful and rejoice in the good conditions that brought me to the Triple Gems and experience the Dharma in my life.

May we all be well and happy.

With Metta
Simple Bear 03.02.2014.

Bali Trip Reflections 1

Second day in Bali.

My accommodation is far away from the beaches, bars that Bali is famous for. Went walking around the local estate and town area, the salient scene that struck me wasn't the spas, villas but the stark, in-your-face contrast on the streets.

Personal villas, hotels with swimming pools, spas with tubs filled with roses are side by side along uneven roads with demolished, abandoned buildings. Some of the locals sitting at the roadside staring in a direction, in space. It seems as if their dreams found their resting place in the sands which others had dreamt of.

I wonder while we, the tourists enjoyed the sun, and the great hospitality of the Bali people, how many of us stop and reflect on the reality of the place, a snapshot of life itself.

Happiness, or in this case, hedonic happiness is just across the street from sufferings in our mind. Sometimes we choose to engage in pleasures and ignore the possible sufferings induced from our intentional ignorance of reality.

Seriously, I should take a break and stop being so serious about everything. Please forgive me as I go back to sipping my green tea and cheesecake.