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 :)

It Gets Better

As mentioned last night, I just spent the whole of Saturday night listening to the new released albums! Well even though I was doing work but at least I manged to listen to all albums mwahaha. And they are all great albums! I particularly love Rex new album "Pony"... I just want to give him a hug. I really hope he's okay because he sounds like he's struggling in the songs :(

Anna of The North's new album is also amazing. I feel like she "grows" from her first album. There's a mix of different style of songs in "Dream Girl" and it's really cool. I discovered her quite recently on earlier last year I think, thanks to Spotify again. And she's a new favourite from me. 

I hope I can see her live one day :)

Okay real short post today because I just want to chill! See you tomorrow.

Homework

Ever since I use Spotify, Fridays have become more "special" for me because I get to listen to a lot of new songs! As you all know most new albums are released on Fridays. And thanks to Spotify features like "New Music Friday" and "Release Radar" playlist, I get to listen to the newly released albums on the weekend. Which is also a good way to keep track of what's being released and so on. I realised I listen to so many bands/artists that sometimes I couldn't keep track of release dates heh.

This Friday is rather special cause we have 3 albums release that I'm excited for!

1. Pony by Rex Orange County
2. Cry by Cigarettes After Sex
3. Dream Girl by Anna of The North

So yep according to the title... I have a "homework" to do this weekend! Haha.

We also have new songs from Coldplay and Oh Wonder. Along with the songs from the Spotify Playlist. Alright gonna spend the weekend listening to these new albums then. You have a good weekend! :)

Welcome Back!

Coldplay is back y'all! After lots of teasers and posters and many more, they're back with 2 new songs titled Orphans and Arabesque. I was listening to their premiere on BBC Radio 1 and wow it was amazing! Okay I know it's past midnight by the time they aired but let me just pretend I live in London and I'm listening to it on Thursday still hahaha. Well, just glad they're back! It's been 4 years since their last album, and 2 since their Kaleidoscope EP. 

I think Orphans is a wonderful song with MX/AHFOD vibes to it. It's such an uplifting song but hmm the lyrics are truly heartbreaking man. It's about bombs in Syria and it's just really sad when you read through the lyrics. But I hope it is able to shine light into people's heart and let the tree of compassion sprout out of them, or let them grow taller and taller.

Arabesque is just wow! It's just some fresh and new sounds from them and I'm digging it. Stromae and Femi Kuti is inside too which is really cool as well. I can't imagine how it'll sound live.

Provided I get the chance to see them again...

Anyway their new album "Everyday Life" is coming next month on the 22nd and I can't wait to listen to the rest of the songs. Listening to Chris' interview with Annie Mac just now, the album revolves a lot about the events happening around the world. How Chris said it: "every day is great and every day is terrible. There is so much life bursting out on the planet". Sounds beautiful to me.

I find it really cool and funny how every time Coldplay releases new materials, I will always get excited! It's kind of like me going back to 7-11 years ago when they released Viva La Vida and Mylo Xyloto. Back when I was still a student in Singapore. How exciting it is to listen to new music from them, and then buying the albums at HMV haha. Whew, they've been with me for almost 15 years now!

Alright that's all for this short post welcoming Coldplay back haha. Can't wait for Everyday Life! :)

Welcome back gentlemen!

The Hunter

I'd love to believe that we're not alone here

I saw the news of the Orionids meteor shower last night and decided to try my luck to capture it on my camera. But I think the moon was too bright so I didn't manage to capture it on my camera. But I did shoot the beautiful Orion constellation. So yes, I managed to capture the hunter #punintended

The hunter

That's the photo of the constellation! I think it's so beautiful. Orion is the first constellation that I "taught" myself to see, back then when I was participating in the Young Scientist challenge thingy in primary school haha. I took part the astronomy challenge and borrowed lots of books from the library about space and astronomy. That's when I read about Orion and how to see it in the sky.

Here in my hometown we're pretty blessed to have starry skies when it's clear at night. So I back then I taught myself to spot Orion. Thanks to his belt which is pretty easy to spot in the sky. Although sadly I do realise that as the years go by, the sky gets less and less clearer. Perhaps due to the fact that we have an increased light pollution. I mean back then we didn't have as much lighted signboards as now heh. And of course as a country progresses, the night lights increases too right.

Anyway I've always been fascinated with space. Because I'd love to believe that... We are not alone in this universe. And how spacious and big, and unexplored the space is makes me believe that we're definitely not alone! Haha. And the thought that we may be alone saddens me heh.

Just like what Arthur Clarke says:

"There are two possibilities. Either we are alone in this universe, or we are not. 

Both are equally terrifying"

But I think being not alone in this universe is not terrifying tho! :P

Arctic Inside Me

What a delightful surprise to have Lapsley releasing a new song with a video after 3 years! Welcome back Holly. I think this is a beautiful song with beautiful words. And the video accompanying it is just incredible. I am so excited for her new EP coming next month. The lyrics of this song is truly a beautiful poem. I really love the lines. Especially the one that says

"Remember when you said my love was like the rain

not the sweet sound after the drought.

But the pain of it hard on your back in a storm"

"Remember when you said my love was like the sea

not the big pool in a tropical

You said I had the arctic inside of me"

So beautiful. Can't wait for more.

Dreams Do Come True

I love using the "on this day" feature on Facebook to see what/how I was doing in the past years. After all I've been on FB for 10 years now. Although as I realise, as the years go by, I become less and less active haha. Life happens, that's why. Anyway I was looking on that feature for today...

and look what I found:

Hahaha, guess what, I did go to Tibet 5 years later! I just find it cool that I wrote this and... Well I did go to Tibet haha. Not sure why I was talking about the language. I think I must have found a Tibetan song/chant, or I was watching a documentary on Tibet and heard some people speak there I guess. But yes Tibetan is quite a beautiful language in my opinion. It sounds a bit like Mongolian.

I think the universe works in mysterious ways. And it will conspire with you to give what you want, in the right timing and in the right place. I did write a lot about wanting to go to different places in the future before I die tho haha. I hope the future me will tell the current me that I will go to these places hahaha. I'd say I love my hobbies - blogging, journaling and so on. It gives me a platform to look back and see if I whatever I wrote do come true or not. And of course to see what I was doing in the past.

And truth be told, some of the things I wrote on my journal did come true haha. Like how I envision myself listening to vinyl on weekends as a way to chill. That's what I'm doing now! Heh. Perhaps it's true that we make the world with our thoughts. And what we believe, what we give out to the universe, will one day return to us. Like an echo traversing through the universe, only finding their way back to us in the end. So, send some good vibes now and they'll return!

Alright that's all for now, hope you have a fabulous week ahead :)