Groggy

Dunno why recently I feel so groggy. Since starting from yesterday.

Its like I dont feel like doing anything and my mind is foggy and clogged with heavy stuff.
I wonder if it is because of the alignment of 21st December 2012.

Ven Yin Shun

Hmm... Recently I am starting to feel things that surprises me a little...

Last Tuesday, 4th December I went for a spirtual sharing session. And my teacher just came back from Taiwan. And she shared with us the one year commemeration of the Venerable Yin Shun who passed away one year ago. When I saw the video of him, showing his pictures, there was one particular picture (shown above), that touched my heart. Actually, its more like it pains my heart to see him. I was feeling bizzare, since I have never seen him before, even though he was an extremely reputable monk.

That night, my teacher asked us how we feel when we saw his video (they were singing his poems about Buddhist refuge), and I answered her saying I felt a heartache when I saw one of his pictures.
She asked me why I felt it, but I was too shy to tell her.

Honestly, when I saw him in the picture above, there was a feeling that I could identify with. Something about a sad childhood. And when I see the picture, it felt like I was seeing him when he is young, around 4 - 6  years old or even younger?, praying in the exact same posture, asking to be relieved from his pain/ sadness. Or maybe releasing pain from his parents, or wanting more love? Not sure what he is praying for, but I could literally 'feel' his earnesty and innocent praying.. that pains my heart to see. It is a feeling that I could instantly indentify with.

The Friday I went again for another session, but this time round I was the only one from Tuesday, the rest haven't seen the video before. As my teacher was playing the video for all to see again, after which she asked me again why I felt heartache that day on Tuesday.

I hesitated for a while to say anything, because my guess of his childhood might be too assumptious to begin with, and he is such a respectable monk, I feel that its not right of me to say anything about him without knowing his background. But my teacher kept pressing, and said that its okie. I just say whatever comes to mind. So in the end, after some persuasion from her, I told her how I felt. Well, not entirely, but I just asked if he had a sad childhood.

She replied that she saw his biography, and that he was very sickly since young. Only after he found his spiritual support, that he grew more and more healthy.

hmmm...

7th December 2012?

Don't know why on 7th December 2012, I keep thinking that its an important date. Hmm...
Maybe next time I will find out..

Energy Medicine

I'm reading this book call the Energy Medicine.
Its pretty interesting. Right now, I'm usually using the K27 meridian points to tap my energy flow forward. I suspect that my energy is now flowing backwards, coz as mentioned in the book, running and walking forward makes one feel really exhuasted when one's energy is flowing backwards. Reading backwards and running backwards in this case could energize the person instead! And briskly tapping the K27 points (1 inch right below the collar bone points below the neck) can help change the energy forward.

Time, Space and Karma

The other day I was listening to a dharma disc by a guy. And he mentioned something that kinda blew my mind away.

He said that all karmic actions - results happens at an instant.
Meaning that karmic actions and results happen instantly.

So I thought: "Is that true?? If so, then why do we see it at different times?"

This guy said that actually time and spaces doesn't exists. What made it exists is actually our 烦恼，分别 and 执着。 Which means, our worries, differentiation and attachment caused us to have an illusion that there is time and space. Wow. This is good! 好东西~！Lol.

For example, if I inject a needle in my arm, I will feel the pain almost immediately. This shows us there is cause and effect in action (karmic action).

If I inject a needle into someone else's arm, I'll probably would not feel pain right?
So how come he says that karmic actions and results are an instant?

Actually we will feel pain (karmic result) from the other person sooner or later. As its delayed by our worries, differentiation and attachment, which manifest as time and space, when the result happens, we cannot connect the result with the cause before. And thus we remain confused about what triggered such a result! What a confused way to live!

But if one is with all as one body, he/she will feel the pain immediately.
Just like how the Buddha always have compassion for the sentient beings, as he feel the pain the sentient beings go through.

That explains why an arahat, someone who has gained enlightenment and no longer bounded by the six realms and birth and death cycle, doesn't create anymore karma. Because he no longer has attachment, and sees karmic results in an instant. To an arahat, time and space is no longer there. And thus he can see 500 past lifetimes of a person as stated in the scriptures. All these information when pieced together makes absolute sense!

I'm in constant awed of the teachings of Buddha. I'm at the tippest tip of an iceberg.

Gorgonzola Pizza

Hi there,

Yesterday I made a gorgonzola pizza.

Here is the recipes that I used for the dough:

DOUGH

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizza-dough-iii/

1 (0.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Note: I added some garlic power and Majoram for taste. :)

TOPPINGS

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/caramelized-onion-and-gorgonzola-pizza/

1/8 cup butter

2 large Vidalia onions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons sugar

1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated pizza dough

1 pound Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onions in butter until the onions are soft and dark brown, approximately 25 minutes. Stir in sugar, and continue cooking for 1 or 2 more minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. Grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet, and press out the dough to desired thickness. Spread onions evenly over the dough, and top with crumbled Gorgonzola.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until done.

Note: For this I added quite a few things on my own.

 

1. Oyster mushrooms

Oyster mushroom - washed and cut into small pieces.
Minced Garlic
Teriyaki Sauce
Soya Sauce

1. Marinate the oyster mushroom with teriyaki and soya sauce.
2. Fry the garlic till golden brown.
3. Add the oyster mushroom in and simmer for 10 mins or until sauce is boiling.
4. Put in bowl for later toppings.

2. Tomato sauce

2 ripe tomato - cut into quarter pieces
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 dashes of tomato
1/5 cup of water
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

1. Put all the ingredients into a pot and cover it. Stirring occasionally until the tomatos soften and the sauce is done.
2. Put on dough for taste.

3. Eggplant

1. Cut eggplant into slices. Marinate with Teriyaki sauce.
2. Put on pizza as toppings.

Overall the gorgonzola pizza turned out great. The cameralised onions, cheese, mushrooms, eggplant were all delicious. Actually it turned out better then I have expected. The side crust was good, however, the bottom part is very soft. :(

Somehow my oven didn't light up its bottom heated rod.. so the top was very crispy (which is nice) but the bottom is too soft!

I will check out my oven again to see if its user problem! Lol. :P

Sacred Contracts

I just finished listening to the audio disc of Sacred Contracts. Very interesting. It talks about how before our birth we had already had contracts with certain people to give us certain awakening. Be it good or bad events. Give me another angle on my life's events. Hmm..

It also talks about how archetypes run beneath our subconsious and actually runs our lives.
So I'm now reading a its book, Sacred Contracts and trying to find out my own archetype.
I will update later when I found mine. Hehe.. : )