Reflections, Realisations
To Inspire & Be Inspired

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Word of the year: Austerity

austerity
noun
abandoned buildings with a classical austerity
the years of austerity which followed the war
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

In my high school days, when I first learnt about the word Austerity, I can remember its 2nd meaning: Strictness, but never the 1st: Simplicity. 

Back then, I can hardly see how Strictness is related to Simplicity.

As my spiritual life unfolds, I find this word popping up in spiritual literature frequently, and I take it for granted, especially in the context of spirituality, to mean strictness/self-dsicipline/ascetism, since this is the meaning I can only remember since high school days anyway.

However last month, while watching the documentary on the life of forest ascetics featuring Ajahn Chah, I caught this word ringing in my head again and found myself searching it online. 

Refreshing as the morning mist, the beauty of the word Austerity dawns upon me. The once diverse meanings "Strictness; Simplicity" of this word, now after yrs of spiritual practice, present themselves to me in one unity. 

Of course, when one is self-disciplined, abstained and strict (which is different from harsh), one lives a simple life, clutter-free, trouble-free, worry-free. 
The rules are meant to protect us, the righteous man stands unstained.

Morality, self-discipline and simplicity.
These qualities of spirituality encapsulated in one word - Austerity.
Austerity - the true essence of Spirituality!
What a beautiful word it is!
Austerity - the mantra for my spiritual practice 2012

Dear friends, your comments based on personal experience and insights of the word are welcomed. Pls post them below:

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Mass Dana - Dtun Ajahn, 23 May 2012

















This is one of the happiest days of my life - preparing food and offering dana to the noble one Ajahn Dtun and his disciples.


Ajahn Dtun is a Thai forest monk, a direct disciple of the late Ajahn Chah whom most people believe is an Arahant (an enlightened one).  


Ajahn Dtun's radiance, energy, compassion, composure and grace captivates me instantly when I first met him during his talk on Monday. He has an aura that calms and uplifts at the same. This inspires me instantly like a stroke of lightning.

I noticed Ajahn Dtun sit with his legs folded elegantly beneath him. Most people would agree that this sitting posture is not comfortable at all. He sat without even once shifting while delivering the 2 hours talk! During Q&A, he answered all questions with equanimity and child-like enthusiasm.
After the talk, people were reluctant to go home. Being too polite to leave before us, Ajahn Dtun stayed around while people started taking pictures of him. He sat in what I would call perfect poise with a nourishing smile.


From the beginning to the end, I only experienced sustained radiance, energy, compassion, composure and grace from him. Touched by the energies, I experienced joy and rapture. I am so inspired that I have a strong urge to go forth. It is as if I was transformed. At his point, I know that he is a stream enterer (a noble one).

Later, knowing that he only takes 1 meal a day impresses me even further. Given this and the fact he is recovering from a major illness, I cannot believe the energy I saw that sustained till 10+pm (at least) on Monday night.





His translating Caucasian disciple who speaks Thai fluently is a rare gem too. 
Speaking Thai and English back and forth non-stop, taking 1 meal a day, taking not even a single sip of water during the 2 hours, I did not detect even the slightest drop in energy. 









I only see a child-like face radiating with compassion and calm.









So austere is their training, so disciplined is their conduct, so polished are their attainments!

Ajahn Dtun is indeed a worthy one, worthy of offerings. Never have I prepared and offered any food with such joy and energy.




This has an instant cleansing effect - an opening of the heart and clarity of the mind.
Later in the day, I notice people who tend to not treat me well, start to change too (and I would not call it coincidental)!
Even the simple act of dana with joy brings me such benefits, what remains to say of even more meritorious deeds?

I am inspired and so may I inspire.

Be a living example and pay it forward.
Let's sustain the good triple gem for as long as we all exist...

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu everyone!




Ajahn Dtun and his disciples visit Singapore for the 1st time from 21st - 23rd May 2012. 
A devoted lay Singaporean Buddhist went all the way to his monastery in Thailand to request for him 3 times and Ajahn Dtun accepted on the 3rd time.


Appendix: Qualities of Ariya (noble people - stream enterer)

[ Reference: "Ten Suttas from Digha Nikaya", Burma Pitaka Association, 1984]
Ten Samyojanas
Fetters
Seven Anusayas
Latent Defilements
ArahatEnlightenedAnagamiNon-ReturnerSakadagamiOnce-ReturnerSotapanStream Winner
Avijja
Ignorance

Avijja
Ignorance
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
Uddhacca
Restlessness
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
Mana
Conceit, Pride
Mana
Conceit, Pride
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
Arupa-raga
Formless Realm Craving
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
Rupa-raga
Fine-material Realm Craving
Bhavaraga
Existence Craving
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
Patigha
Aversion, Hatred, Ill Will, Anger
Patigha
Aversion, Hatred, Ill Will, Anger
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
{short description of image}EXTINCT{short description of image}
PARTIALLY EXTINCT
Kamaraga
Sensuous Craving
Kamaraga
Sensuous Craving
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
{short description of image}EXTINCT{short description of image}
PARTIALLY EXTINCT
Silabbata Paramassa
After Rules & Rituals
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
{short description of image}EXTINCT
{short description of image}
EXTINCT
{short description of image}EXTINCT
Vicikiccha
Sceptical Doubts
Vicikiccha
Sceptical Doubts
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
{short description of image}EXTINCT
{short description of image}
EXTINCT
{short description of image}EXTINCT
Sakkaya Ditthi
Personality Belief
Ditthi
False View
IS{short description of image}
EXTINCT
{short description of image}EXTINCT
{short description of image}
EXTINCT
{short description of image}EXTINCT
Ten Samyojanas
Fetters
Seven Anusayas
Latent Defilements
Arahat
Enlightened
Anagami
Non-Returner
Sakadagami
Once-Returner
Sotapan
Stream Winner

Monday, April 16, 2012

In memory of my late grandma (1929 - 16 April 2012)

When this day has passed, you have 1 day less to be who you want to be...

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Spirituality defined

Spirituality is the wholeness, oneness beyond the physical and mundane. 
It is the break-through beyond self.
It is the connection between self and everything, every being in the universe, in all dimensions - physical, mental, emotional, etherical etc... 

Spirituality is not the same as religion. 
The difference: Spirituality emphasizes on direct experience while religion emphasizes on faith. 
The common area: morality is the foundation for both.

My spirituality channels - nature, healing, wellness, meditation, yoga, martial arts, travel, music (esp playing piano), aromatherapy, arts therapy, contemplative writing (e.g. this blog), environmentalism, education etc. 
Anything that can help me establish the connection and oneness, the spreading, involution and evolution of self. 

Being spiritual helps me to gain the most clarity in life. 

The real insight, simplicity and grounding.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tune in to my spiritual space...

I have decided to document all my spiritual retreats. I will start with my most recent spiritual trip to the mountains and national park off Sydney and slowly make a trip back to my previous ones while documenting new spiritual trips at the same time.

The purpose is mainly for me to see for myself how much my spiritual horizon has widened, and for my friends and anyone interested to share my joy and be informed of avenues to grow spiritually themselves.

I will also gradually use this platform to launch my "Anything Spiritual Supermart".

Sounds gd!? Tune in to my spiritual space...


Suggestion: read articles from bottom up, from oldest to newest.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Awakening the Third Eye - 25 - 26 Feb 2012

These 2 days start with misty and foggy mornings, the sun seems to have disappeared. The temperature drops drastically (compared to the 1st day we arrived) and I am SO grateful for all the warm clothing I bring = D


I am so looking forward to this segment of the intensive - Awakening the Third Eye (ATE). I am always a visual person, I am sure ATE will superlatively enhance my meditating experiences and insights.

Eye icon 

The following are all my 1st person encounter:
The 3rd eye physically resides between the brows. Seeing in spiritual terms means feeling (etherically in clairvision term) and knowing (astrally in clairvision terms). It is a holistic integrative experience activating the physical and subtle bodies, such that I enter into a wider, deeper space when I interact with both my external and internal worlds.
Further, absorption into the qualities of the deep vast space is more clarity, serenity and groundedness.

ATE is achieved, in clairvision technique, via throat friction which amplifies the gateway (third eye in this case). Whenever the gateway is subtle, use throat friction. Though I find myself not needing throat friction much to access this gateway, I do feel the amplification using it especially when I am distracted.

When TE is activated, pulsation, warmth or tingling sensation is felt in between the brows. Once focus is maintained on these qualities, I find myself dissolve/melt into a vast still space. It feels like my body is not me; it feels like I have transcended myself; it feels like the space and I are one. It is the same feeling as Anatta (non-self) a key concept in Buddhism, a feeling I have experienced previously in my Buddhist Vipassana meditation in 2005. I am surprised I took 5 days to experience this in the previous Vipassana retreat but just one seating in ATE this time round. Is ATE method more effective or such quick access the result of my continuous practice on dynamic awareness since 2005. Or both. Anyway I am grateful = D

In the beginning, the space is dark and almost black. With more practise and "fine-tuning", the space turns from dark purple to velvety purple to velvety purple with glow in the center. Towards the later part of intensive, whenever I cross my eyes, I automatically enter this velvety glowy purple space without much conscious effort, and the glow in the center becomes more and more intense (yet not blinding). I have yet to find a physical parallel to compare this glow with. I can only say it is a kinda light from the higher realms.
Purple Space White Pattern
Actually this is not even close, I just can't find anything similar...

After throat friction and ATE on one's own, ATE is further activated with a partner by looking at each other's "third eye". I can tune into my partner's space by connecting to his/her third eye, and I can experience what he/she is experiencing by being in the same space.
My experience with 2 partners are particularly interesting:
When I connected with Sue, I can feel a "bridge"connecting our third eyes.The feeling is very concrete and real. The best thing is Sue felt the same too (after the session we shared our experience). I can detect her dark and bright spots in her body and her aura as well.

The only problem connecting with 3rd eye with eyes open is that once I blink, I inevitably snapped out of the deep vast space which takes time to build up again. I posed this qn in the group discussion and asked for solution. Soon after I asked, I realised the answer myself...

My next sitting is with Suki who is here to assist our intensives:
I started by simply softening my gaze and immediately I found myself blink less. As soon as I am aware that I blink less and am excited about it, I start to blink again!
I realise that thinking, trying, sense of self are deterrents to letting go.
Letting go, non-grasping, not trying are ingredients for deepening into the spiritual experience.
When I blinked less, I find myself more absorbed into the space, more melted away, dense solid and firm.
Suki experienced and reported the same when she connected to my space which is very assuring that I am getting it.

When I dissolve into a vast still space with pure concentrated mental energies, I first experience vast capacity for love and other positive energies. All the emotions start to run through me and I find tears roll down like running water. At first I was too shy to cry in public. Then I realise it is gd that I release the suppressed emotions within. After sometime, I come to even realise that I am not crying but just emotions flowing through me. Let it flow let it flow...

After sessions of "cleansing", in subsequent sessions on the second day onwards, I feel more still and dense. It feels as if I am rock solid against external forces. It is when I know I am unshakable.

We also have experience connecting with centres along the column (can map it to the spine and extended to the crown), particularly the belly and the heart. I personally do not have significant experiences with these pts perhaps I am still mastering my third eye and absorption. Others do share interesting experiences though.

Now on mundane things. Food! 

This is our kitchen and dining area (on a foggy cold day):

We are served 3 vegetarian home-made meals a day by our loving and generous Clairvision practitioners who have come to stay and volunteer. I am eternally grateful to them for spending 6 hrs a day, and sacrificing a part of their lives, coming here to feed us!

It is a shame I did not take any picture of any of the sumptuous gorgeous spreads and the lovely helpers. It is my greatest regrets. RenG, can I count on you for this? Did you take any picture???

Nevertheless, we have such gd meals, from Indian to Chinese to French to Italian all home-made! Carrot cake, ginger cake, rice pudding cake, banana walnut cake... oh heavenly!

I can't say thank you enough!

This is the "spiritual tree" under which many people seek refuge for a quiet time after meals:

  This is the evidence I was there haha...

 Group photo taken under the tree

This is the space beyond the dining area, where the helpers stay. View taken between the dining area and the spiritual tree.
 

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Prelude to ISIS 101 - Clairvision School of Meditation @ Hidden Valley, NSW, Australia

Whom I consider as my spiritual brother, Resh Teoh (Teoh Renshang), is someone I kept a look-out for since my JC days. Back then, I knew him only by name as a school councilor (whilst I am an ikan bilis in the competitive pool of talents).
Even back then, without knowing each other in person at all, I knew we have met the previous lives...
In this life, repeatedly our paths have crossed without either of us knowing at all (e.g. we came from the same batch same school, we both are devoted Buddhists, spending months in meditation retreats, under the same spiritual and meditation teachers, both adore Yukie Nishimura's music for its spiritual energies etc.) 

One day I decided to write to him to tell him he is an "old friend of mine" and he started to introduce Clairvision to me. 
As an open-minded spiritual seeker of truth, I am open to any concept and technique so long it is positive and deliver results. I am creative and wise enough to integrate everything I experience and learn to my own growth and advantage. I am of the view that truth is not afraid of revealing and subjecting itself to scrutiny and cross-referencing. Truth comes in different forms, flavors and languages; conventional boundaries are just superficial. Hence my spiritual practice is not exclusive to any school or denomination.

What Resh described to me about his clairvision experiences over hawker fare at 7 am one morning sounds fascinating to me.
However it wasn't till Jan 2012 was I informed of the intensive 10 day retreat in Hidden Valley (where I heard was full of spiritual energies).  

An important point is also my encounter with Danny Louange, a surgeon and Resh's fellow ISIS practitioner. His ability to tune into my space can only come from his ISIS experience (I can tune into his space to know this too haha).

With 2 weeks notice, I made up my mind to go. 
In 2 days, I registered, made payment, booked air-ticket, purchased ETA (Australian visa) and packed my bag.
In 2 wks, I went through the Awakening the Third Eye book and 2 Knowledge Tracks (correspondence course materials which typically takes months to finish).
Efficiency is my mandate = D

Despite going alone, I know I have all the spiritual forces with me and gd "old" spiritual friends waiting for me to meet them again. 
Just 1 wk before departure, Resh told me his younger brother RenG is joining me. I feel that I would be taken care of. RenG turns out to be my best platonic friend...


On 24th Feb, having to arrive at 7am at Sydney Int. Airport, RenG was kind enough to meet me at Velluto cafe to wait with me for the mini-bus to arrive at 1130am to pick us to Hidden valley.

During the trip, RenG described to me how connected the Aussies are as a people and to nature. His knowledge of plants in OZ (which he says is typical of Aussies) impressed me. He told me about home-grown Eucalytus and Tea tree oil and all the flavorful natural foods I can get in Sydney and asked me to stay 2 full days in Sydney before my return to SG for him to show me to all the great eateries (it turns out that we spent only 1/2 day cos I am just too carried away by the vast nature of Morton national park and the homeliness of cosy Santi Forest Monastery, see stories later).
I am grateful to his hospitality and am excited about what I am about to experience.

 RenG under a Eucalytus tree


The bus ride to Hidden valley took 4 hours and passed round Blue Mountains (name due to blue Eucalytus vapor). All-time adorable Michelle (fellow ISIS attendee) took a video of the ride scenery by sticking her cell phone to the window. I hope she is kind enough to send me the video to post it here. Michelle sweetie?? = D

Yes! she responded (26 March):


(1/2 of the original video clip)

The following pictures show the way in from the gates to our sleeping barn:




(taken the next morning with daylight scattered by the mist)
A little digression about our dorms and sanitary facilities: 
our dorms do not operate on electricity and they are right in the wilderness with Kangaroos and Wombats:
 
Gotcha! Wombat!

We have to walk around 10 mins to the WC to shower, pee and poo, so we usually just do pee in the bushes. Environmentally friendly! = P

The shower uses dam water which contains soil and all the minerals. I thought I am gonna get pimple breakout  without clean water to wash my face but to my surprise hardly any! And the theory being...? I reckon the minerals in the dam water are actually gd for the skin plus my bodily cells vibrate with positive energies from meditation!

It's cool and low maintenance to be Natural and Spiritual !

Back to the bus ride...
We arrived at 6pm on a scorching hot Friday which makes me kinda regret bringing 1/2 luggage worth of thick clothes. I was told the weather in Hidden Valley fluctuates like the desert's and soon I was about to witness this amazing weather change (within a wk and even within a day!)...