Chrysanthemum

New tatt who this. Thank you Yande from Conscious Arts Tattoo Ubud for the ink!

So I didn't just go to Bali for a holiday... But to also get a tattoo! Anyway here's the story.

I've been wanting to get a chrysanthemum inked on my body for a long time, and I guess now it's the right time. I would say it's a symbolic one too. Now that we're closing the flower farm (in fact we're doing our last delivery next month-ish I think). Also it's sort of a reminder of the past 10 years of my life. And the last 3 years too, where this chapter of my life slowly comes to a close.

When I went back home for good 10 years ago, I never expected myself to land among the flowers. I watch them grow, bloom and slowly die in the past 3 years. The past 3 years was really something that is unexpected. But somehow all the timing makes me realise, there is a reason why I landed among the flowers. So yes this tattoo serves as a farewell gift for this chapter of my life.

In Buddhism flower is a symbol of impermanence. It's a reminder that nothing lasts, like how a flower will wilt one day. So it's quite funny how people think that flower offerings are something beautiful but deep inside there's a deeper meaning to it! This tattoo serves a reminder of impermanence. I mean who would expect whatever happened in the past 3 years. No one expected it, no one wanted it. But it came and altered everything that came on its path. Life is a constant change. Nothings stays forever.

I never expected to land among the flowers

The flowers have taught me a lot of lessons. But one of the biggest lessons I learned is the idea that you cannot stop a flower from blooming. Just like how you can't stop life from unravelling what it has in store for you. I learned this back 4 years ago when our flowers began blooming 1 month before their expected date. And I realised... There's nothing we can do. There's no use crying over them, cursing them or so on. They just bloom, and they will continue blooming.

I would say this is a beautiful metaphor, teaching, and reminder that you can't stop things that are meant to happen for you in life. And as Alan Watts said: no amount of anxiety will make a difference to what is going to happen. But for me I've also learned that no amount of hope, despair, anger, sadness and so on will stop the things that are meant for you to happen in life. So live your life bravely, go on with courage. have faith, keep going - cause you can't stop the flower from blooming.

This is a bitter pill to swallow, but it's also reality. It's the truth. There's no way you can go around trading it or changing it with something else. 

Anyway I got this tattoo at Conscious Arts Tattoo in Ubud. I actually found them a few years ago from Instagram cause I follow tattoo hashtags haha. I like their designs so I thought of getting inked at their studio. I got inked by Yande. I love his works! I actually wanted to get a tattoo of a top view of this chrysanthemum flower but he recommended this angle instead, which makes sense cause you can see the flower blooming from this angle but not really from the top. So yeah trust your tattoo artists hah.

The tattoo took 1.5 hours (with 10 minute break) and the consultation took about 30-45 minutes ish. Well now I know how it feels to get inked for this long. I think I can do a sleeve mwahaha. Once again thank you Yande for this tattoo! If you want to get a tattoo and you're in Ubud, do check them out!

Alright that's all from me and this trip to Bali. I don't have any ideas for my next tattoo yet. But I still want to get a sleeve done haha. Hopefully I'll get some inspiration and ideas soon heh. See you again Bali!

Śūnyatā

Hello hello, it's Sunday and I am done with work, thankfully. So time for a long blog post! I've been keeping this a secret and I think it's a good time to talk about this, as it's been one month...

sunyata // emptiness

since I got my 2nd tattoo mwahaha.

Alright so yes I got myself a new tattoo on the right wrist this time. I got it tattooed by Ash again when I was in Singapore last month. I've been waiting for it to heal, not sure why it took longer this time. My skin was just peeling and peeling heh. I think it has something to do with it being tattooed on my dominant hand. Maybe there's more movement etc. So the healing is slowed down.

Anyway yes I got myself "Śūnyatā" tattooed on my right wrist. I know I want to get something that compliments the "anicca" on my left. The best tattoo to get will be "anatta" which is non-self. But I think it's too "brutal" heh. Also I haven't fully grasped the principle of anatta. This is one of the reasons why (thankfully) that I didn't get both tattooed together back in 2017 heh.

I wanted to get another tattoo since 2018 but whenever I'm back in SG, I'm always preoccupied with things. So when I got back last month, my schedule wasn't packed and thus I decided to get it. I think the idea came to me in mid 2018 ish? Since sunyata is kind of the cousin of anatta, and sunyata has a more poetic touch to "non-self". Because in Budhdism, everything is marked with emptiness!

The concept of emptiness in Buddhism is one of the most mind-blowing teaching that I have ever received. I came across the teaching of emptiness through the Prajnaparamita Sutra about 6 years ago? I was brought up in the Theravada tradition. Even when I was in Singapore, I went to a Theravada temple. It was only until I returned home and went to the temple in my hometown on new and full moon days that I started chanting the (Chinese version of) Prajnaparamita Sutra.

The first line that really got the whole ball rolling is:

"舍利子, 是诸法空相, 不生不灭, 不垢不净, 不增不减"

Which means "Sariputra, all the Dharma is empty. It is not created not destroyed, not purified nor defiled, not increasing nor decreasing.". Okay there are a lot of different translations to the sutra but it's something along this line heh. I was intrigued when I see the words "Dharma is empty". Because Dharma means the teachings of the Buddha. So how can it be empty? What does this mean?

I decided to read further and read different texts explaining this sutra. Then I remember that "Dharma" in different Dharmic religions can mean a couple of different things. From the cosmic law, to law of nature, to truth and reality (or nature of reality). Now when you replace "Dharma" with truth, that whole line makes a lot of sense for me. That the truth (whatever truth) is not created not destroyed, not purified nor defiled, not increasing nor decreasing. It is our ego that does those!

I think I love the explanation of the Sutra by Thich Nhat Hanh the most. He says that the nature of reality is marked with emptiness. Which makes a lot of clarification for me haha.

As I read further I realised how beautiful emptiness is. How emptiness isn't something negative at all. To me I take it that emptiness here is of those qualities. That's the truth. But our ego hates the truth, we want things to go on our own way and therefore we increase/decrease, purify/defile or create/destroy the truth that go according to our own way. Just so that our ego is happy.

And you know what happened when we let our ego happy? We suffer.

And I love Thay's explanation of "nature of reality". From this I can infer that everything in life is marked by emptiness. Or they are truly empty. And it's how we respond/treat these things that define our own happiness and way of life. Do we want to fill it with ignorance that feeds our ego? Or do you want to accept it and let our mindfulness fully grasp it and then respond to it?

And the Sutra goes with this line

"In emptiness there is no ignorance, no aging and death. No origination, cessation, no attainment"

This line is a bit tricky because a lot of people think Buddhists are emo people who don't want to attain anything in life hahaha. Cause someone once personally asked me so what's there to attain if there is nothing to attain? I think this whole line is a reference of impermanence (anicca) because a lot of people hate impermanence. We love things with origination but hate the fact that there's cessation. So if there is no cessation or origination to begin with, there will be no suffering.

Okay it's really hard to explain this but basically it's in line with nirvana, which is the breaking of the life and death cycle. Nirvana to me isn't just about "life" and "death" but everything that is created and destroyed. Like our thoughts, emotions, feelings and so on. To be aware of the creation and cessation of these things. That's the end goal of Buddhism and it's hard to attain heh.

Cause we still have our own ego. Who create and cease things as and when they want it heh.

So yes. This is why sunyata is truly a complimentary tattoo to my anicca on my left. They're like the cookies and cream of Buddhism! The salt and pepper, the chocolate and mint. And so on. I think they are facts of life. It's hard to deny them... Once again, cause of our own egos.

Alright I hope you enjoy these insights! Thank you to Ash once again for getting this inked on my wrist. I think enough of word tattoos. Lets do... Something artistic. Heh heh.

Have a great last week of October everyone :)

Happy (belated) Vesak Day!

 Bayon Temple, Cambodia 2017

Happy Vesak Day!

Right Vesak was actually yesterday but I was really busy with work at night so I didn't have the chance to blog. Oh well but here's me wishing you a happy belated Vesak day! May all living things be happy and may wisdom radiate from within them! I got the latter phrase for Tergar Indonesia. I've been looking for the right words to "May all living things be more wise? Get more wisdom?" Hahaha. That phrase is well put! Yes, may wisdom radiate from us within, and may we radiate them to other people too :)

Anyway it was a pretty okay Vesak day for me. Quite happy because I get to do a few meditations throughout the day weeee. Did one in the morning, then in the temple, then another one at night. So yeah felt quite accomplished. Vesak day is not only a day where we contemplate the life of the Buddha, but to me, it is a day where we contemplate how we can be a better Buddhist, and ultimately a better human. I'm quite thankful that I found this "path" I guess?

Like I said in a previous post, I was never a good Buddhist. I always called myself a Buddhist but I don't know much about Buddhism! Haha. I never practise meditation, mindfulness and so on. But well yes I'm happy that I decided to look further into these practices 4 years back. I would really say that meditation is a core practice in Buddhism. Or heck, you don't even have to be a Buddhist! Heh.

Buddhism is a religion that has ruined my life - but in an extremely good way haha. It has shattered all the things I once believed to be true. It has shed some light, it has told me that life may not be amazing every day but I've learned to see the beauty of each moment through mindfulness. Yes in Buddhism, life is indeed a suffering. But we can learn how to go through this suffering worth suffering for!

I once read that the more you learn about Buddhism, the emptier you'll feel about life and Buddhism in general. Not exactly trying to say that the more "meaningless" your life becomes. But somehow it helps you to stop giving "meaningless definitions" to things in life. If you get what I mean.

Well I will continue to do my daily meditation. It really helps a lot for me, I feel like I'm a changed person than who I was 4 years ago before I start meditating. And I will continue to learn more about this beautiful religion. Sometimes it's not even a religion, more of a philosophy?

Alright I'm going to stop here for now. Can't believe May is ending tomorrow. 

Anicca

  Impermanence

Hello! Alright I'm going to talk about my tattoo today. Sorry for taking so long to write about this! I was waiting for the tattoo to heal up so that I can take a proper picture of it heh

I've always wanted to get a tattoo since I'm in Polytechnic. I was just unsure about what to get! Although I grew up in a family that is pretty conservative about tattoos, I also grew up watching shows like Miami Ink and LA Ink (Shoutout to Ami James and Kat Von D). I watched these shows and I'm awed by two things - the stories to why people get tattoos, and how talented the tattoo artists are to deliver the design that the clients requested. They are so so creative and amazing!

Like I remember watching episodes of people getting tattoos in the memory of loved ones who passed away, and in particular I also remember an episode of a lady getting a tattoo to commemorate her last chemotherapy session. So yes despite of the conservative thoughts I had since young, I also learned another side of tattoos. And this really opened up my mind I guess.

So I knew that I wanted to get a tattoo one day when I grow up. I used to have crazy ideas, like I wanted to have a tattoo of a music score on my back. Or even that idea of having a world map and then shading each country that you have visited. And I was hoping to have every country shaded as I lay on my deathbed hahaha. But yes these are a bit over the top now that I think of it.

Also fun fact: I almost got myself a tattoo of the map of Iceland on my back while in Reykjavik.

As I grow up I am more drawn into minimalistic tattoos? So I knew that I wanted to get a text-tattoo as my first. Or maybe a very simple design or symbol. I was reading up about getting your first tattoos etc and one of the important points that a lot of people covered is that the tattoo must have a meaning to you (obviously!). There's an article I read that if you really can't decided on a tattoo, have the design/word of the tattoo in front of you every day. If in 3 months you decided to change your mind, or you're still hesitant, then it's not it! Well in my case, I have an idea or concept for years.

And that idea is impermanence. One of my life's motto is, as you know it, "impermanence keeps me going". So I was torn between two choices. Either I have that sentence, or just a simple "anicca" for my first tattoo. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to just get Anicca.

So I met up with Ash, whom I got recommended by Vithya, when I was in Singapore. I did contact her two weeks before the trip to ask questions and her opinions. We set up an appointment (sorry for being late again!) and yup! After choosing the font, size etc, it was time to get inked!

 Time to get inked!

To be honest yes there is pain, but the pain is way less painful than I imagined it to be. In fact sometimes it feels ticklish more than pain hah. But of course, different parts of our body will take pain differently. The bonier the body part, the more painful it is. Also when you have lots of nerves like your palm etc. Okay won't go so much into this, just research it hah.

Now to why I decided to go with anicca. I have a really serendipitous and funny encounter with this word. It was back in 2012, during my Internship period back in year three. Basically I had a shitty week and I was just feeling so horrible. 2012 was the year that I spent alone in Singapore. FYP and Internship wasn't going well and something upsetting happened at work.

It was the second week in which I decided going to the temple (Mangala Vihara) every Sunday. I was hoping to seek some solace and peace by going to the temple for the Sunday Puja, after having that shitty week. So in Mangala Vihara, the parita (Buddhist texts) is shown on a screen where we can read together in front. There's the Pali text on the left, and the translation on the right. As someone who's been reciting Parita since primary school when I was still in Indonesia, I don't really read the screen.

But on that fateful day I just looked up on the screen and it was shown "Contemplation of Impermanence". I just looked up on the word impermanence and I remember I couldn't stop thinking about this word that whole Sunday. I've always regarded myself as a bad Buddhist, because back then (and now still) I didn't know a lot about Buddhism deeply. So on that night, I researched lots of Buddhist texts about impermanence and... I felt very relieved in a very weird way.

That was when I came up with my motto, impermanence keeps me going.

Anicca (impermanence) is one of the three marks of existence in Buddhism. Together with Anatta (non-self) and Dukkha (suffering). Basically, everything in life is impermanent and doesn't have a solid "self". And everything with these two characteristics, causes suffering (Dukkha). But once you realised this fact, you will begin your journey to liberate yourself from suffering.

To me impermanence is the most important of the three marks of existence. If we cannot accept this fact, we'll forever be unhappy. Like I always believe, we are all craving for permanence in this impermanent world. We always want things to always be good. We don't like suffering. We want to be happy. But when we come to a time where all the good things come to an end, we feel horrible like as if everything is the end for us. Because we love permanence.

Impermanence doesn't just refer to the fact that "everything comes to an end". It doesn't just refer to a time-point from A to B. So when people ask me what's the meaning of Anicca, and I replied with impermanence, they will reply me with "Oh you're referring to mortality right?". Yes, and there's more to that. Everything in life is impermanent. Not just our body, not just life itself.

Our thoughts, feelings, actions, words etc. They are all impermanent. And in this case, impermanent also refers to the idea that they are in constant change (hence not permanent). So you can feel happy about a movie now but maybe in the future you learn horrible things about the movie and you change the way you feel about it. And so on. So yes, impermanence doesn't just refer to time.

It also refers to a wave of constant change in life.

And this is why it keeps me going. The idea that good things will come to an end and so do bad things. The idea that you will leave everything behind, or things will leave you behind. Impermanence keeps me going because it teaches me to enjoy the good days before they say goodbye, and to keep on going during tough times because they won't last either.

And the idea that I will one day leave everything behind is very comforting to me.

Impermanence also taught me to live in the moment. Because the present moment is the peak of impermanence. Where the past has come to an end and the future is about to start.

But I'm not a perfect human being, nor am I a perfect Buddhist. It is VERY difficult to practise this. Because it is the nature of our mind to not be in the present heh. Our minds love going to places it shouldn't be in. It loves to wander anywhere, but here. But it is not impossible to do it. That's all I know. We can train our mind through meditation, and I've been doing that for three years now.

So yes. My serendipitous encounter with the word Anicca on that fateful Sunday at Mangala Vihara has opened up a huge window in my mind. It really changes the way I see life. 2012 wasn't exactly an awesome year for me. 2013 was coming up, and it was the year of big change for me. Upon realising this mark of existence, I felt better facing changes and uncertainties. And as life kept going, I'm always reminded again and again to why impermanence keeps me going.

And that's how I decided to get myself something permanent on this impermanent body of mine, that will forever remind me that everything is impermanent. Just like my body.

Anyway special thanks to Ash for getting my first tattoo! I love this tattoo and I'm looking forward to "completing" it by having Anatta on my right wrist. Also thanks Vithya for accompanying me to get it! I've been talking to her about getting tattoos and I finally have it! :)

As always, impermanence keeps me going. Thanks for reading!

Painters

Continuing from the previous post...

We are all great painters on this great canvas of emptiness.

With impermanence as our paint.

And time as our brush.

A few years back I wrote something along this line. But it was more towards words. I think I wrote: We're all writing on our book of life with time as our ink. So we gotta write as many stories before we run out of ink. I think that's pretty straightforward haha.

This is some sort of extension to those words. I think by painting things with impermanence as our paint, we'll be reminded of the idea that whatever we create will one day disappear too. That we're gonna leave everything behind. This is pretty much Buddhism-related. Emptiness and impermanence.

In Buddhism, we're taught to see the empty nature of reality. That everything in life has a mark of emptiness. We're born into this world, into this life, which also bears the mark of emptiness. And whatever things we "put" into our lives, will one day disappear because they're impermanent in nature.

Most of the time we fail to see both of these things. We don't see the empty nature of phenomena and we believe that things are permanent. Permanence is quite a dangerous state. In bad times, it will lead us to believe that we're stuck in a horrible state forever. In good times, it will lead us to an illusion that everything is perfect. Once we see impermanence, we'll also see emptiness.

So this canvas of emptiness coexists with this paint of impermanence. The idea that we'll understand, whatever we put into this world, this canvas, will one day disappear. Our thoughts, feelings, pride, and everything else, they don't stay forever. Does that sound comforting to you?

Impermanence doesn't mean that it will appear and disappear forever. As a colour subsides, another one appears. And they are all in constant motion. And as I said in the previous post, our ego are struggling to keep these colours intact. They refuse to accept the impermanent state of these colours but eventually, they still subside. If we don't kill our ego, we'll eventually be tired of trying to keep these colours to remain. As their nature is to eventually disappear in this canvas.

Train your mind. You'll see these colours appear, and subside, and appear again. See through the illusion of permanence and let impermanence create the most beautiful art you'll ever see.

We are the great painters, 

of this great canvas of emptiness.

With impermanence as our paint

Emptiness

 Emptiness

Right lets continue what I was talking about yesterday. To begin with, if 2015 taught me so much about impermanence, 2016 taught me a lot about emptiness. I have also decided to learn more about Buddhism every year since 2015. And I'm doing this by focusing on a Sutra every year. This year I chose the Prajnaparamita Sutra, or the perfection of wisdom. Which emptiness is its core.

I've spent almost two years dong daily chanting now. I started chanting everyday since March 2015. Like I blogged about, the Prajnaparamita sutra is a sutra that I chant every day. I've always been intrigued by this sutra because of the line:

"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Form is none other than emptiness and emptiness is none other than form. This goes the same for feelings, thoughts, compositional factors and consciousness."  

What is emptiness here?

I remember a friend once told me how she doesn't get Buddhism because it seems like a very negative religion. Things like sufferings, emptiness, impermanence and others. I can't really answer that question because when we think deeply, these are truly the nature of phenomenons! But anyway I am still intrigued by that line too. Why is everything empty? How come emptiness is everywhere?

So I begin by researching online for the explanations of the sutra. I've read a couple articles, and I've also decided to get a few books about the sutra. The first book I read is by Thich Nhat Hanh (Title: The Heart of Understanding) and in this book, he explains how emptiness is defined as the absence of an intrinsic existence. So basically all phenomena doesn't exist and can't exist solely on its own.

Every phenomena in life is impermanent, and doesn't have an intrinsic existence. They are caused by something, resulted into something and it just goes on and on. However in our minds most of the time, every phenomena seems to be fixed into just one thing. Just like expectations.

The second book I read is by the Dalai Lama (Title: Essence of The Heart Sutra, the Dalai Lama's Heart of Wisdom Teachings). This book I feel is a bit heavy for me because of the many terms and explanations. But it is also truly an enlightening one. One sentence change my mind forever.

Emptiness is defined as seeing everything as it is...... BOOM.

This is what I have in mind as well. I truly feel the way to happiness is to see everything as it is.

One of my favourite lines from the sutra is:

"All phenomena bears the mark of emptiness. They do not increase nor decrease, they are not deficient nor fulfilled, there is no death nor there is birth."

A lot of times, we do the opposite to this theory. When there is a phenomenon we experience, we tend to increase or decrease it, we make it better or sometimes worst, and the best part is we create something that doesn't even exist, or kill something that existed in that phenomenon! 

Which I can sum as.... We feel too many unnecessary emotions, create thoughts we don't need, paint something that never existed. And who is this we? It is our ego of course.

So if we can see everything as it is, that would really help us a lot in my opinion. Without twisting any facts and adding wonderful spices onto them. Until we know the absolute truth. Like I once said, the easiest and surest way to make us unhappy is to believe in a truth that we create in our heads.

Another of my favourite line is:

"In emptiness there is no ignorance, no aging and death. No origination, cessation, no attainment"

In my opinion this is the greatest test that we human beings can face. How we react to things. How do we handle all phenomenon with hmm should I say neutrality? How we accept everything as it is, without denying any facts. Denying would be ignorance. Adding more facts would be attainment.

One of the greatest lessons that this sutra taught me is to realise the empty nature of things. And how we should react to it. But it's quite difficult because I feel that we need to fully realise this nature before we can learn how to mindfully react to them. And the only way to train your mind is to meditate. A lot of times we let ourselves react with so much volatility that we do not realise it ourselves.

And thus, last but not least, the sutra closes with the mantra of the sutra (Gate gate paragate parasamgate Bodhi Svaha) and how this mantra can quell all suffering. Well it's not as fancy as it sounds. But basically when you practice what the sutra has taught you, you can be free of suffering.

The mantra itself is translated as: Go, go, go beyond, go totally beyond, be rooted in the ground of enlightenment. Or the last part can also be translated as go to the other shore. What shore you might ask? The "shore" that we are in now, is the shore of samsara. And the "other shore" refers to the shore where we're free of samsara. Which basically means when you practice prajnaparamita, you can be free of samsara! No need for suffering, no need for rebirth. Sounds good.

Back to the topic of holding on to emptiness... So yeah. I feel that we shouldn't hold on to expectations but to emptiness. And like what I mentioned above, in emptiness we do not add nor subtract things. We do not create nor destroy things. We do not deny facts nor add more. 

And perhaps we can all be happier this way. To see everything as it is.

Some people regard emptiness as the God of Buddhism. But then again, hey we are a non-theistic religion. Well in a Buddhist perspective, I'm just gonna take it that if impermanence is a fuel that keeps me going, then emptiness is the vehicle that I will be riding on.

Right! This is just my opinion about emptiness, and how much it taught me a lot in this year. Would like to send my sincerest gratitude to all the Buddhist masters whom I learned a lot about this sutra. I would however say that it is definitely not easy practising this. We have to also realise that we're full of emptiness. But sadly ego still resides within us. Well, it's not entirely impossible to practise this. I hope this insight helps you. This is just my two cent worth regarding emptiness.

Take care and you have a great week ahead people! :)

Restless Souls

Hello! Today and yesterday were two interesting days I suppose. It was my first time taking part in a 7th month prayers. To those who don't know, the 7th lunar month is also known as the hungry ghosts festival. It's celebrated in different names, for example Buddhists celebrate is as Ullambana, Japanese as Bon and for east asian countries, it's known as hungry ghost festivals.

Basically we believe that the gates of hell are opened in this month and there are many spirits roaming around earth. Spooky? Haha. Well in east asian culture we pray to our ancestors. So in this month we pray for the spirits who don't have anyone to pray for them (for whatever reasons). And for spirits who died suddenly, and so on. It's believed to cultivate good Karma to pray for them.

In the temple of my hometown we celebrated it by doing prayers and also having this food donation drive where people donate rice/noodles/food goods etc to make offerings for these spirits, and then they are donated for people in need. The prayers took two days, yesterday and today. Yesterday we began praying at 7 PM for about an hour and then continued today at 8 AM.

It was raining super heavily last night so there were not many people who attended the prayers. Only seven! Haha. I feel bad actually, cause I was planning not to go for the prayers today since it started so early T_T but last night one of the monks was like "See you tomorrow morning!" and I was like alright hahaha. Well with only 1.5 hours of sleep, I survived 5 hours of chanting and prostrations! :D

Anyway we chanted (I think) part of the Diamond Sutra and along with the name of about 300 Buddhas. For each name of a Buddha we did a half prostration, since we're kneeling on the floor. The ladies (on the left) will do a prostration, followed by the men (on the right). We take turn for every Buddha name. It was quite tiring. But I feel it was quite a meditative process. 

And we chanted other Sutras too like the Great Compassion Sutra and Prajnaparamita. My habit of chanting every night for a year has paid off. I memorised them mwahaha.Then we went to chant in the room where there were offerings as well. Not sure how to explain it but I always feel like the room is very crowded even though there were only 7 of us last night inside. 

Perhaps there are lots of other "people" inside the room. If you get what I mean.

We chanted from 8 - 10 AM for the first session, break for an hour, and then 11 - 12 PM, lunch break and then 1 - 3 PM. It was a great time chanting to be honest. Just hope that whatever we do today will bring benefit to all beings on earth. Especially in this month. May all being be free of Samsara!

Well if you ask me whether I believe in spirits and ghosts.... Yes I believe they are there. I've seen and experienced some unexplainable things before, and I believe in the afterlife. To whether they truly exist or not, like what I read from Faithfully Religionless, some things cannot be explained and it's really okay not being able to get the ultimate truth in this unexplainability (new word!).

So yup. It's such a Buddha-ful day today. New experience, and I'm glad to have joined in although I was planning not to (oops). Well perhaps it's my karma to join in! And it's my karma to cultivate good karma for them. May all beings be happy and wishing you a wonderful last week of August ahead! :D

Tibet Trip Part 4 - Shigatse

Shigatse from the top

Shigatse is Tibet's 2nd largest city, and it is just about 2 hours' drive from Gyantse. We headed for Shigatse on the 22nd of April in the afternoon and reached the city in the evening, just in time for dinner. You can see the huge difference in the two cities, from the size and how bustling it is. We stayed at the Gesar hotel and it is such a wonderful hotel with great Tibetan designs in its interior. Kinda regretted not taking photos of the room's and hallways' design. It's pretty cool.

 Tashilhunpo monastery from the front entrance. 

Nope this is not everything!

The next morning we went to the Tashilhunpo monastery, which is the biggest monastery (by size) in Tibet. It is a beautiful monastery on a foot of a hill. And you can see how huge it is from the entrance of the monastery. We'll probably need around 2 days to explore the whole of the monastery ground haha. The monastery is built in 1447 and it is an important monastery for the Panchen Lama lineage. Tombs of the previous Panchen Lamas can also be found here. I didn't take photos of the interior though.

 A Tibetan lady doing prostration in front of the stupa

We first went to the three stupas near the entrance of the monastery. Locals can be seen doing a Kora around the three stupas, and some of them were doing prostrations too. I walked around the stupas three times as told by my guide, chanting some mantras as I walked around them. After doing so, while waiting for the others to finish taking photos, I sat on this chair together with the locals. They are so so friendly. So I had a funny conversation with this old man (with a translation help from our guide).

 The three stupas I walked around

So I was checking the photos I took on my camera when this man beside me looked on my screen. I showed some of the photos I took and he gave me his thumbs. We then had this conversation:

Old man: Where is he from? (In Tibetan)

My guide: In-do-ni-si-ya (This is how I know he's asking where I'm from)

Old man: Oh so we're neighbours! (Thinking I'm from India)

The two of us broke into laughter and we told him where Indonesia actually is. 

And he's like "Ohh so far!"

I asked if I can take a photo of him and he gladly said okay. I showed him his photo and he was just smiling. It was a funny conversation and I just love how friendly the locals are. I truly wish I can speak Tibetan and chat together with the locals. That will be so cool.

Tashilhunpo monastery is also home to the biggest Maitreya Buddha statue in Tibet. It is (if I don't remember wrongly) 26m tall and it is sooooo tall. The Buddha was posed in the sitting position and it is really huge and beautiful. The golden face of Maitreya was lit by the sun rays penetrating through the top of the hall. I couldn't stop staring at the statue when I was there. It's so majestic.

 One of the tombs of the Panchen Lama (centre)

And that's the courtyard

We then visited to the different tombs of the previous Panchen Lamas. Like the tombs of the Dalai Lamas in the Potala, the tombs of the Panchen Lama are also beautifully decorated with gold and jewels. There are different halls that houses the tombs of the different Panchen Lamas. Many locals prayed in front of the tombs to pay respect to the different Panchen Lamas. I prayed and paid my respect to them too, after all they are an important lineage in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama.

 A section of the wall of the courtyard, with many paintings of the Buddha

After that we went to explore other parts of the monastery. There was a courtyard with a lot of paintings of the Buddha surrounding its walls. The Buddhas are painted in their different positions - teaching, meditating and resting. Many locals hang out at the courtyard. Most of them are probably resting after their prayers. We also managed to talk with a few young monks of the monastery! Some of them as young as me, and some even younger. Managed to take a few photos of the monks :)

 3 handsome monks from Tashilhunpo

It was indeed a beautiful morning at Tashilhunpo. The sky was blue and the weather was very pleasant. We then headed off for lunch nearby the monastery and after lunch, we were given a choice of either going shopping or going for a climb on the hill behind the monastery. This hill is part of a Kora route that the locals would take, going around the monastery. Well my luggage was already so full so I decided to go for the hike with Karli, Will and Richard! Although I ended up buying some stuff haha.

 The trail we walked on the Kora route

The route of the Kora is really beautiful. It is lined with prayer wheels on the right where locals would spin as they go along. On the left is the hill, which is decorated with prayer flags and also paintings of different Buddhas, Bodhisatvas and Deities on the rock. Also not forgetting, the number of mantras carved on rocks! It was a pretty sunny afternoon. Halfway along our hike I went to take off my jacket. It was probably the first time that I was sweating in Tibet haha. But it was a pretty lovely hike!

 Taking a break with this view. Priceless

At the top of our journey we were gifted with a beautiful view of Shigatse from the top. Seeing the houses so small from the top is a pretty amazing experience. We took a break at this spot that displays a wonderful  view of the city. Was feeling so thankful that I decided to join the hike.

 Tibetan men playing a Tibetan traditional game of sho

We then made our way down but instead of going the original Kora route, we took another route that passes the old town of Shigatse. And then we ended the trip on the old market where lots of locals were selling gifts and other Tibetan goodies. That's when I went shopping haha. Bought more gifts to bring back home and I also got myself a prayer flag with Richard. Yay for the offer the seller gave us.

It was close to 5 PM-ish when we finished our day. So we headed back to our hotel, took a break and we went for dinner. That was all for our adventure in Shigatse! I had a really lovely dinner with the group. And that evening made me realise how much I'm going to miss this bunch of people.

This was my 6th day in Tibet and I just fell in love more and more with her. The friendliness of the people, their devotion and compassion really humbled my heart. Discovering and exploring more and more beautiful places as the day went by felt pretty overwhelming (in a good way) for me. It is always in the middle of the journey that you realised how fast time is flying. I couldn't believe myself either, that we were halfway through the trip. But well, time always moves on.

Shigatse is a lovely city. On my 2nd last day in Tibet, when we were back in Shigatse for one night, I went to walk around the hotel area just to soak in the sights of the city. I wanted to walk from the hotel to Tashilhunpo again but I thought it was a bit too far and I was afraid I didn't have enough time.

Thanks for everything Shigatse! See you again, hopefully, one fine day.

Tibet Trip Part 3 - Gyantse

 An old lady spinning prayer wheels at Pelkor Chode Monastery

We left Lhasa for Gyantse on the 21st of April. We left early in the morning at 8 AM as we had quite a long drive to cover. Made a few stops before reaching Gyantse: two mountain passes (Kamba La and Karo La) and Yamdrok Lake. We also stopped by one a small town for lunch. I've decided to blog about all the mountain passes on a separate post because their beautiful views deserve a special post heh.

 Yarlung River

The first stop we made was a spot beside the Yarlung river. The river originates from Western part of Tibet, from a glacier near Mt Kailash, and flows all the way to India, where it is known as the Brahmaputra. It is such a beautiful spot that shows the river flowing, with some hills in the distance at the background. It was also a toilet spot and boy I was so happy that we stopped, cause I've been holding my pee for 1.5 hours since we left Lhasa haha. I was also enjoying the serenity in that place.

 Yamdrok Lake. Such blue water!

After passing through Kamba La pass we reached our next stop which was Yamdrok Lake. It is one of the four holy lakes in Tibet and we went to two different stops. The first was from the top, where we can see the beautiful blue colour of the lake from a hill. I have never seen a lake with such blue water before. The view on top was breathtaking. Thankfully I pushed myself to hike a bit on top of a hill because the view was amazing. Although I was having difficulty breathing and my heart was pounding.

 This is me experiencing my first snowfall. Click on the photo to see the snow haha

Why am I thankful? Because not only I got to see a beautiful view of the lake, but I also had the chance to experience my first snowfall! It was so funny cause we were making our way down when it was "drizzling". But then I saw white stuff landing on my jacket and I was like "Are these my dandruff? Shit...". And then I saw these white stuff disappear as it lands on my jacket. That's when I knew it was snow. Everyone was telling me it's snow - cause I've never seen one haha. Thanks for sharing my excitement and happiness guys! Although it was just a little, I'm still so happy that I experienced it!

 Nearer to the lake

We then made our way down and see the lake at a closer distance. The water is actually very clear when you see it at a close distance. I didn't want to touch the water cause well it is one of Tibet's holy lakes so yeah. But the sky was blue, the water was crashing gently, it was truly a beautiful sight. 

Lunch at a nearby small town was followed. I was feeling quite unwell then. Not sure why but I was feeling feverish and my heartbeat was still rather quick. But I felt so much better after lunch. Must be my hungry stomach I suppose. We then made our way to Karo La pass, and then to Gyantse. We reached Gyantse at 5.30 PM plus if I'm not wrong, and went for dinner soon after that.

My first impression of Gyantse is that it reminds me a lot of Duolun in Inner Mongolia. A small town, not too many cars, and strolling on the street to go to our dinner place makes me feel like I'm back in 2011, in Duolun. And I quickly fell in love with Gyantse heh.

 Main prayer hall of Pelkor Chode

In the next morning, we explored Pelkor Chode monastery. It was built in 1418, which means it is over 600 years old! It is a beautiful monastery and thankfully we were allowed to photograph the inside of the monastery after donating a fee to the monastery. Inside the monastery there are three beautiful statues of the three Buddhas. Dipankara - the past Buddha, Shakyamuni - the present Buddha and Maitreya - the future Buddha. They are some of the most beautiful statues of the Buddha that I've ever seen. Surrounding the main prayer hall are different statues of Avalokitesvara.

 Shakyamuni Buddha

Our Tibetan guide told us that we can get three Katas (Tibetan white scarf) by making a donation to the temple, and we can throw them towards to statues of the different Buddhas after praying and making a wish. So I did that but sadly my Katas didn't land on the statues (unlike our guide ones) hahaha. Anyway I'm very thankful of her who told one of the monks that I was a Buddhist. The monk gave me pieces of colourful cloths which were once the cloths of the Buddha statue's robe. My guide was telling me that people usually use it to treat themselves when they have sore eyes or headaches, by rubbing the cloths to the part you feel discomfort at. I gave some of the cloths to my parents and sister.

 The Kumbum Stupa

The monastery is also home to the Kumbum Stupa, which is the biggest stupa in Tibet! We can walk inside the stupa but sadly it was under renovation so we couldn't go in. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful stupa to behold! I managed to go inside one of the chapels in the stupa and it was painted with different paintings of the Buddha. It's a beautiful painting. Also on top of the stupa are some Tibetans working on the renovation. They were singing and stomping together while working. It was a wonderful scene :)

 This is what happened when a Tibetan boy grabbed your camera haha

Something funny happened at the monastery. There was this old Tibetan lady with her grandson sitting on the monastery ground. Angely and Karli were playing with him and I approached them. I asked him to have his photograph taken but he approached me instead and took my camera away, wanting to take some photos with it. So I hang the camera strap around his head and he was just firing my camera away hahaha. He even asked us (and a random Taiwanese tourist) to pose for a photograph.

But hey I think he has the potential to be a photographer. Hope to see your photos one day, boy!

 Gyantse old town

We walked to our lunch stop after exploring the monastery. We walked through the old town of Gyantse to go to our lunch place and oh my goodness, it's such a charming part of the city and I want to stay in one of the houses over there for a few days! It was a very quiet part of the day and it truly adds to the charm of this part of Gyantse. There was no one on the street, except for a few sleeping dogs and cows chilling out on that sunny day. Walking to our lunch place really really made me fall in love with Gyantse. It's a small town with a magical charm to it. I hope I can go back here one day! :)

 

Tsampa mill

After lunch we started making our way to Shigatse, which is a not so far drive away. On our way there we visited a tsampa mill to see how tsampa is made. The mill was powered by running water from a stream nearby and it's pretty cool to see that. Although again, it's funny how I left the mill with so many tsampa on my face, hair and jacket haha. Lesson learned: Don't lean on anything in a tsampa mill!

 Two Tibetan farmers

We also stopped by a farming village to see some farmers in action. First of all, I was really shocked to see the condition of the soil because it has a very sandy texture. The farmers were preparing the land to grow barley. This is how I learned about the resilience of the Tibetans. In such high altitudes, nothing much grow. But yet they are so hardworking and resilient to grow these crops. Also they don't use any machinery but cows to plough the land. Their hard work is really endearing.

 Look at that view!

But actually a few moment after that, the wind carried some sand here.

I would gladly be reincarnated into a Tibetan farmer in my next life. Because I get to work on a land with such beautiful views! Just look at that man. I'll be so happy to go to work everyday haha.

Alright I guess that's all for Gyantse. It is one of my favourite cities in Tibet. I'm truly charmed by its tranquility and by Pelkor Chode too. Seeing the beautiful statues of the three Buddhas feels like a blessing too. You see, walking inside places that have been here, on this planet, for hundreds of years, is always a spiritual affair for me. Because time is probably one of the greatest mysteries we have.

Well, so long Gyantse. It was a beautiful day exploring a part of you. I hope we can meet again.

Tibet Trip Part 2 - Lhasa

 

 Jokhang square, with Jokhang temple at the background

Lhasa is the capital of Tibet. It is quite a huge city and it is deemed as the city of the gods. A lot of Tibetans carry out pilgrimages to this holy city, some even walked from the village to Lhasa, doing prostrations! I feel like it is one city that a Buddhist should try to go to at least once in their lifetime. You can literally see, hear, smell and feel Tibetan Buddhism everywhere in this holy city.

 A Tibetan pilgrim doing walking prostrations around the temple.

You can see it in the myriad Tibetans spinning their prayer wheels and doing prostrations in front of Jokhang temple. You can hear it in the Buddhist mantras chanted by them as they do their Kora around the temple. You can smell the burning of the butter lamps in the temples. And just by being in the city, walking around it, you can feel the holiness of the city. For hundreds of years, Lhasa has been the religious city of Tibet, and you can't help but to feel its spirituality everywhere.

 Two Tibetan ladies spinning prayer wheels at Barkhor

I went to a few of the holy sites of Lhasa. Jokhang temple, which is the holiest temple in the whole of Tibet (or the Himalayas), Sera monastery and the grandeur Potala Palace. We also managed to visit the Tsam Khung nunnery near the Barkhor square. Experiencing Lhasa is truly an experience of a lifetime. It's really a feast for the senses and for your soul.

 Jokhang Temple

Lets begin with Jokhang temple. We explored it in the morning of 19th of April. No photography is allowed inside the Jokhang and I am perfectly okay with that. I wish I could share with you the beautiful statues of the different Buddhas, Bodhisatvas and Deities but well I hope you can see it for yourself one day! The temple was built in the 7th century. Most of its structure remains the same throughout all these years, although some parts of it were rebuilt and renovated. So to walk inside the temple, and realise that it's been here for around 2000 years, you can't help but to feel amazed by the temple.

There are different chapels inside the temple, dedicated to different Buddhas, Bodhisatvas and Deities. Tibetans line up around these chapels to go in and pray inside. Most of them carry thermal flasks containing melted butter, which will be poured into the butter lamps which light the candle. You can smell them inside the temple and it smells quite nice accompanied by the burning incense. 

One of the highlights of the temple is the statue of a 12 year old Shakyamuni Buddha, which was built when he was still alive (from India)! I was very lucky to be allowed inside this chapel. I joined in the line with other Tibetans and prayed inside. Actually err I wasn't sure what the "procedure" was inside the chapel so I was following other Tibetans inside haha. But it was a pretty spiritual experience for me. The statue is probably the "closest" I've been to the prince Gautama. 

My guide was telling me how every person will actually see the expression of the statue differently. It all depends on our karma of the present and past lives. So the Buddha can be seen as smiling, angry or sad.... I was a bit worried when she told me this cause what if I see an angry Buddha haha. But well for me the Buddha was smiling. Not widely, just a very serene kind of smile. So I hope that's a good sign? Well I'm still making sure that will accumulate good karma and liberate this soul of mine one day.

The inside of the temple is filled with so many beautiful Buddhist statues and Tibetan Buddhist arts. Which is my favourite form of Buddhist art. I've always been impressed by the intricate designs and details in the paintings. The amount of hard work the artists have put in is very very heartening.

 Rainy Lhasa. Taken from the 2nd floor of Jokhang temple.

That's Potala Palace in the distance.

You can also climb up to the second floor of the temple where it is open-air, and you can see the square in front of the temple. It was raining when we went up and seeing Tibetans doing their Kora in the rain, some without an umbrella, is really impressive. It was only my 2nd day in Lhasa and I'm so humbled by their devotions. As a Buddhist, I think I need to step up my game haha.

 Tibetans doing prostrations in front of Jokhang temple.

Outside of the temple, throughout the day, you will see many Tibetans doing prostrations. They would do hundreds of prostrations in different times of the day. On my last afternoon in Lhasa (on the 27th) I decided to meditate in front of the temple, together with other Tibetans doing prostrations or meditating as well. It was a pretty great contemplative experience. A great way to really reflect about the whole trip, and also to contemplate about being human. I wanted to try doing prostrations but I was afraid of ending up being an embarrassment to the Tibetans haha. I did a few standing-up though.

 Tibetan ladies taking a break from their prostrations, enjoying tea

It was a great morning, and a great blessing to me, as a Buddhist, to be able to visit Jokhang Temple. To pay homage to the different Buddhas and Bodhisatvas, and to go through this spiritual experience with other Tibetans. I will never forget this wonderful morning! :)

Nuns chanting at Tsam Khung Nunnery

After spending the morning exploring the Jokhang temple, we went to visit the Tsam Khung nunnery. It is a quiet nunnery tucked in the middle of Barkhor (the old quarter of Lhasa). Managed to get a few photos of the nuns chanting, and I wish I could interact with them! They are so so kind. I went inside one of their prayer halls and they kindly offered us with some snacks like fried dough fritters and dried apricots. And I'm amazed by their chanting. Most of them can chant so quickly!

 Nuns making barley sugar.

Some of the nuns were making barley sugar. Which I think is similar to the palm sugar we have back at home. They made the sugar, and then distribute it to the less fortunate. Before we leave, one of the nuns approached our guide and asked if we have some pens available for the nuns. Some of us took the pens we have in our bags and gave it to her. Man, I wish I brought in boxes of pens for all of them.

 Main prayer hall at Sera Monastery

In the afternoon we went to the Sera monastery. It is located somewhere in the outskirt of Lhasa. Similar to Jokhang, we couldn't take photos of the interior of the monasteries. However we were able to take photos of one of the most fascinating experiences I have in this trip - The monks' debate!

 Monks' debate at the courtyard.

The monks' debate took place in this courtyard. A monk sits on the ground as ask questions in the topic of Buddhism, and his partner would stand up and answer his question. They would then exchange their views. The one giving answers will clap their hands. When both hands clasped each other, it means that he agrees with the answer, when the palm of one hand faces the sky, it means he disagrees. This debate is one of those moments that I wish I could understand Tibetan! Because I always enjoy sharing opinions with fellow Buddhists (and non Buddhists) about Buddhism.

 Potala in the morning light

The next day, we went to the Potala Palace. This is rather an emotional experience for me because I feel so happy to finally be here. You can say that I waited 17 years to see this grand palace, and to roam inside this majestic building. It was once the residence of the different Dalai Lamas. So I feel deeply honoured to walk in the hallways that the great Dalai Lamas used to walk and roam about.

 The climb to the top. Challenging, but totally worth it.

The first impression I have of the Potala is how huge it is. I've seen it in magazines and TV, but I was really unprepared to see how humongous it is in real life. The climb to the top was rather challenging because of the high altitude. I'm so thankful that we went here on the third day, when we're all kind of acclamatised already. The weather was on our side too. We were under the bluest sky I've ever seen.

 A quarter inside the Potala.

That symbol is a symbol of longevity in Tibet

Most of the rooms and halls are preserved and it's amazing to see the myriads of Buddhist statues from different parts of the Himalaya like Nepal and India. The Tibetan Buddhist arts is also amazing as usual. There was a beautiful beautiful painting of the thousand-arms Avalokitesvara. I wish I could take a photo of it! There were also the tombs of the previous Dalai Lama and they are beautifully designed with gold and other jewels. I bought a book that showcases the different statues and arts of the palace. That should compensate on my inability to take photos inside I guess :P

All in all, it's a dream come true for me to be able to visit the Potala palace. Although to be honest, I left the palace with a tinge of sadness, knowing that the palace is now just simply a museum.

 A busy shopping street in Barkhor.

These Tibetan men are trading their beads. Some cost 4000 yuan :O

I did my shopping on the afternoon after we went to the Potala with Ruth (another tour participant) and Jampa. We explored the Barkhor, which is the old quarter of Lhasa. There are lots and lots of shops selling a lot of things, from Buddhist ornaments to dried yak meat and even a candy shop. We also stopped by a shop called Dropenling which sells handmade Tibetan crafts, made by Tibetans! I bought myself a carved rock with om mani padme hum. And I'm currently staring at it in front of my laptop now.

 Tibetan Thangka artist at work.

Look at the intricate details and designs!

And well Jampa knows all the awesome spots for great deals in Lhasa I guess haha. We went inside a tsampa (barley flour) shop! And we left with tsampa all of our faces and jacket. I got myself a prayer wheel, 2 pieces of Tibetan Thangka (Tibetan Buddhist art) which are my proudest purchase mwahaha and a long prayer flag which I hung a Gyatso La pass in the later part of the trip.

 Had my first taste of yak milk tea at Tibetan Family Kitchen!

I like it. It's not as heavy as cow's milk in my opinion.

We had delicious meals in Lhasa for lunch and dinner. But I think I have to make a special mention to a restaurant called Tibetan Family Kitchen! I think it's the best meal I had in the trip. The food was so so good and the owner of the kitchen is so friendly too. I had my first taste of yak milk tea and tsampa here! Highly recommended to everyone going to Lhasa. You have to stop here for a meal. But if I'm not wrong you have to make reservation first cause well, they're really popular :P

 Bustling Barkhor in the morning

I truly fell in love with Lhasa after the end of the first evening. Richard and I were talking about how we love the vibe and ambience this city is giving us. The pace of life seems to slow down a bit, although the road can be quite bustling with cars. People are lovely here, and you can feel Tibetan Buddhism everywhere. The many different sights of the city truly feel like an epiphany for the eyes. Whereas the devotion of the Tibetans and the spirituality of the city feel like a comforting prayer for the soul. I would definitely come back here and explore other parts of the city that I haven't gotten the chance to go to.

Thank you for the memories Lhasa. You've been such an amazing city.

One day my feet will walk on your streets again. Tujeche!