A member of our society, Madam Tan Mui Hong (陈美凤) has passed away peacefully on April 20, 2009. As we mourn with her family, we know this is only a new beginning as she continues her path towards enlightenment. Let us remember her for her fighting spirit that will transcend her body and remain with us forever.

Memorial service will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 43 Philips Ave. The cortege leaves on Friday, April 24, 2009, 12.30pm to Mandai Crematorium.

There has been a shift in Shrine opening dates post-Vesak, to avoid rushing to prepare the holy water. The Shrine will now reopen on 31 May, one week later than previously announced. New dates for the rest of the year are here.

The Giver was alone and the Gift unused; the Giver felt lonely and sought to find someone worthy of the Gift.

The Rebel came along and saw the Gift the Giver possessed and desired the Gift for himself. Rather than ask the Giver for the Gift, or ask what the Giver wanted for the Gift, the Rebel decided that social rules did not apply to him and simply said, “Give me the Gift.”

The Giver knew that the Gift was fragile and would be destroyed if mistreated, and did not trust the Rebel, for how many of those who are impolite are also delicate? But the Giver did not wish to offend and so said to the Rebel, “I am sorry, but this Gift is for someone else.”

The Rebel grew angry and blustered, “But I deserve the Gift. I am special and I deserve that things be given to me.”

The Giver, glad to have trusted her first instinct, merely repeated, “I am sorry but this Gift is for someone else.”

And the Rebel, still complaining, went his way.

The Giver sat under a willow tree contemplating the Gift and wondering about the qualities needed to really appreciate the Gift. As she was sitting there, the sun and the breeze and the sound of the creek below lulled her into a doze.

The Thief, who had overheard the Rebel and Giver, was waiting for just this moment. Dashing out from behind a nearby bush, he made a grab for the Gift; grasping it, he started to run away.

The Giver, however, was awakened by this and reached out to stop the Thief. “Give that back!” cried the Giver. “It is not yours! You have no right!” So saying, she reached out, trying to retrieve the Gift.

The Thief said, “I do not care if it was not mine. I have possession of it so it is now my property.” And so saying, he pulled again at the Gift, hoping to wrench it from the Giver.

In the ensuing struggle, the Gift was fouled, battered, and broken. The Thief, deciding he did not want a damaged Gift, finally let go and said, “You keep it, it is now worthless.”

The Giver cried at the state of the Gift which she had hoped to find someone worthy of; it was dirty, pieces were missing and scattered in the grass around her, and the intact parts were bent and dented. She began to believe the Thief’s assessment of the Gift; perhaps it no longer mattered who it belonged to, worthless as it was.

But then she noticed that her tears made clean streaks on the Gift as they fell, and she thought that perhaps if some of it could be cleaned, all of it could; perhaps she could make her Gift have worth once again. She took the Gift and its broken pieces to the creek where she began to wash them.

The Gift was easy to clean, but in trying to wash the pieces that had been broken from it, the Giver lost one. She began to lose hope again. Yet she was still determined to try to repair the Gift.

Hours passed as she fit the pieces back together where they would stay. Some pieces she could not make stay, however.

From behind her, a voice, “Perhaps this Glue could help you mend your Gift.” She turned to see a Stranger holding a small tube of Glue. She took the Glue and thanked the Stranger, then finished her Gift with the Stranger’s Glue.

When she turned to give the Glue back to the Stranger, he was gone. She thought to herself that this Stranger had thought her Gift worthy enough to donate his Glue and not even demand payment, nor even ask for the Glue to be returned. Perhaps her Gift had worth after all.

And as she sat and contemplated her Gift, she realized that the Stranger was the type of person who would neither ask nor demand a Gift, nor would he take it, but rather, he would give. She thought to herself that the Stranger was a Giver too. And who better to appreciate a Gift than a Giver?

So, she sought out the Stranger and when she found him, she tried to return the Glue to him. He thanked her but said that she should keep the Glue, in case the Gift should break again.

And the Giver said, “In that case, you should accept the Glue, for I wish to give the Gift to you.” And, so saying, she placed the Gift in the Stranger’s hands.

The Stranger looked at the Gift and said, “This is too precious. I do not know if I can take care of the Gift.” The Giver said, “I believe that you can. I will stay with you and help you care for the Gift when you falter.”

So, the Stranger and Giver took the Gift together, sharing it, and holding it as an example for all to see.

Special thanks to one of our members who sent this through by email.

If you’re not vegetarian all the time, the lead-up to Vesak means dietary changes. It might also mean eating at unfamiliar hawker stalls, buying ingredients at stores you don’t normally go to, or experimenting with new recipes.

What can you do if you get hit by an upset stomach (diarrhoea)?

There’s a traditional cure that’s extremely effective, but seems to have been largely forgotten in our rush for modern medicines. It’s recommended by Professor Wong Hock Boon of the NUS Department of Paediatrics at SGH.

Method

Take a handful of rice and boil it with three or four large glasses of water. Let it cool and then strain off the rice and drink the ricewater. Remember, you need to drink quite a lot… you have 10 to 12 meters of intestine.

Why It Works

It’s a very effective rehydrator, but noone’s really sure how it works and the reasons are still being researched. One explanation is that starch-like sugars tend to draw less fluid out of the body and into the gut compared with similar amounts of simple sugars such as glucose.

More information is available here.

“Cherish” is the theme for this year’s Vesak.

Those who attended the Annual General Meeting on April 4, would have witnessed the official launch by our Spiritual Master and hopefully also remembered Her words reminding us to work together and cherish.

So what do we cherish again? How do we do it? Each of us have our own interpretation of what to cherish and how to cherish. Some of our fellow companions on this spiritual path interpret it this way:

“Cherish… the Moment We Have Together – Work Harmoniously, Forgiving, With One Heart & One Same Goal!”
Karen Tee

“Together We Create (One Heart), Together We Accomplish (One Heart), Together We Cherish (One Heart)”
Jeffrey Chew

“Taking things for granted is the most common mistake we make in life. It is only when we lose something or someone that we learn to cherish.”
Alice Chua.

“”Cherish” to me means we love and treasure our family, relatives and good and faithful friends wholeheartedly, doing things for them without expecting anything in return. We should cherish what we have as we come here with nothing and leave with nothing.”
Sally Chiok

Cherishment comes at many levels, it is just as complex as “one heart”. Cherishing an inanimate is pretty straightforward. Imagine your favorite book – how much you care for it, how much effort you put into making sure it stays with you.

But when it comes to people and relationship, cherishing them takes a lot more effort. Unlike inanimate objects, humans expect something from relationships. These expectations become the stumbling block. When we are able to put aside our expectations and simply accept the nature of the relationship, and the person for who they are, perhaps then we begin to learn to appreciate and cherish.

All relationships – be it spousal, siblings, friends or spiritual companionships, are not discrete or absolute. Just like the horizon is an imaginary line –there is no line that separates what is one’s and what is the other’s in any relationship. The sky and the earth are one with the other – there isn’t a place where one starts and the other ends. There is no beginning nor ending.

When we beginning to see relationships as a manifestation of oneself onto another, and likewise the other onto oneself, then there will be no expectations nor pride and cherishing becomes easier.

Master puts it in another way:

“Cherish stems from the heart and revolves around the heart. Is that heart pure and focused to be worth cherishing?”

Well, Vesak is some 30 days away. As before, lets take this time to reflect on cherishing not just the inanimate but your family, your friends, your workmates and your fellow spiritual companions, Most importantly learn to cherish the present moment as you begin to prepare your body, mind and spirit for Vesak.

With metta,
Liang