Aspirations or Attainments?

Attended a Dharma talk by 常护法师 from Dharma Drum Mountain Singapore on Tuesday night. Left the talk with a few points which I spent my time reflecting and I thought of sharing.

1. When we are inspired and moved by the charitable, voluntary and spiritual works of others, we need to ask ourselves since the cause and work is so noble, so inspiring, why are we not doing the same good works that they are doing and be the inspiration ourselves?

2. When we commit ourselves to our work as employees, as volunteers, are we a positive addition to the team or a negative one?; when we criticise the works of others, are we better than them in terms of our commitment, our initiatives, our quality of work, our responses to the changes which happened?

3. When we criticise, are those criticism, a projection of our own sufferings, arising due to a need to protect the mind from the pain from acknowledging the inherent source of suffering.

4. When we start our work spiritual and volunteering, we started with selfless aspirations, and time passes by, we start to see achievements for our hard work done and expectations for future attainments may arises; we may start to get frustrated with our progression if we don't see any attainment of our expectations. Are we gradually confused with achievements and aspirations? Are we working for achievements or are we working for aspirations?

5. When we utilise methods to achieve our aspirations, the motivation behind efforts in utilising the methods, are we bound by and clinging on to the methods that we used and had gradually forgotten the aspirations which motivates us in the first place?

It seems all too human and I, have to admit I had let myself fallen carelessly time and time again. I am grateful for the points for me to reflect on it.

Thank you DDYP SG for organising the Dharma Talk. Do send my gratitude and appreciation to Venerable for his precious sharing and the volunteers for making this sharing possible.

May all be well and happy

Sacrifice for Happiness

Sacrifice for Happiness

A friend who has been feeling unhappy over the past few weeks came to talk to me.

Friend: "I am really unhappy. I want to be happy."
Simple Bear: "Are you willing to sacrifice, to give up what is yours to be happy."
Friend: *after thinking for a while (& looking at me suspiciously) "Yes. I am willing to sacrifice, to give up what ever it takes to be happy. So what do I need to give up?"
Simple Bear: "You just need to give up your unhappiness."
Friend: squint emoticon!

Why am I suffering?

When you are suffering, ask: "Why am I suffering? Why am I miserable?" Because you are clinging on to something! Find out what you are clinging to, to get to the source. It may be, "I'm unhappy because nobody loves me." That may be true, maybe nobody does love you but the unhappiness comes from wanting people to love you. Even if other people do love you, you will still have suffering if you think they are responsible for your happiness or suffering.
Ajahn Sumedho 
(Peace is a Simple Step, Page 29)

Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew #4

I cried.

When we recite the pledge and sang the national anthem together as one, as Singaporeans, as one Singapore, no matter where we are, bidding farewell to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

I choke at the words, 'pledged ourselves as one united people', my fist was on my heart, feeling my heartbeats, and my tears start gushing out.

I was 14 when I first cried when singing the national anthem, I was part of the national day parade. I felt so proud to be a Singaporean. And now 18 years later, I cried again for the second time, this time for the reason why I am proud to be a Singaporean.

Farewell Mr Lee. Thank you for everything that you had done.

Majulah Singapura!

Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew #3

Writing my tribute to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew at my office.

I guess the media sphere has been filled with tributes from all levels of Singapore society to the great man who had spent his life, making the hard decisions to ensure the survival and progression of Singapore.

The death of Mr Lee had led to a lot of contemplation these few days especially after reading his works, watching his interviews. He has been a great role model for a leader, tough and passionate with clarity; a husband, tender and loving; a Singaporean, resilient and patriotic.

There had been criticism over the decades but no one is perfect. The tears of Singaporeans are proof of his enduring legacy, his hard work, his life.

My gratitude again, Mr Lee.

Thank you.

Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew #2

The future of Singapore paying respect to the man who made the future positively possible.

I don't know. Somehow seeing these children paying respect to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew makes me emotional.

How many of them will remember the hard work of our forefathers in building the foundation for their future?

Gratitude and passion may be what we need to keep Singapore going strong. Nothing lasts forever but we shall walk, from generation to generation on the road of continuous nation building till the end of the road with hope, passion for the future till conditions cease and gratitude for the road travelled as far as we have come to be.

Rest in peace Mr Lee.

We are eternally grateful to you and the founding fathers for spending your lives to make the future of Singapore possible for future generations. And we shall carry the burning will of you and our forefathers on the road ahead.

Majulah Singapura!

Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Woke up this morning to the sad news that Mr Lee had passed on. Was reading through the news and felt tears at the edge of my eyes.

“I always tried to be correct, not politically correct.” 
Mr Lee Kuan Yew

I had always admired Mr Lee for his resilience and determination as a leader. After taking up the leadership of societies, project committees, it is hard not to see Mr Lee as a model and be inspired by him. I fully appreciate his iron will in making tough decisions, which may not be popular but positive for the future and greater good. It is so easy to fall into the 'popular vote' trap and Mr Lee had been a great model of not doing so.

Tough times calls for tougher leaders.

"I am not saying that everything that I did was right but everything that I did was for an honourable purpose."
Mr Lee Kuan Yew

We don't know how much as a leader, he had sacrificed for his country, his passion. We may only see the tangible sacrifices but not the intangibles. No one is perfect, but when we are criticising the policies and questioning his decisions, ask ourselves, are our criticism based on our egoistic considerations? Have we considered the marco-impact on our environment, both the pros and cons of our preferred decisions. Can we live with our decisions? Could we have done better, given the conditions that Mr Lee and our founding fathers had faced? We criticise and complain without making the efforts to change the situation, both within ourselves and for the issues that we are concerned about.

I am grateful for the legacy that he and the rest of the founding fathers had left us. We can be out in the night with less concerns for a gunman or robber lurking in the corner. We have access to safe drinking waters. We don't live in slums, with social mobility issues. History will be the judge of his legacy.

"I have no regrets. I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There's nothing more that I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life."
Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Another aspect which I am inspired by Mr Lee, was that he seeks no reciprocation of his efforts, even if people are not appreciative of his contributions, he was comforted perhaps, by knowing that he had made the right decisions, within the constraints of the conditions at that point of time.

In the words of our Prime Minister, "Singapore was his (Mr Lee Kuan Yew) abiding passion, he gave himself, in full measure, to Singapore." in the televised announcement of his father's death this morning.

It was his passion which made us who we are. As a Singaporean, I am proud to be associated with the great achievements that we, as Singapore had reached and also to have Mr Lee Kuan Yew as our founding father.

Thank you for everything you had done and sacrificed for Singapore Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Rest in peace, Sir and may you have a good rebirth.