The Four Principles of Spirituality Written by : Reiki Sanctuary Date : Monday, May 30, 2011

We cannot learn each other’s lesson. We need to step out of the way yet be there when help is needed.  If we are to do charitable work in order to hear "thank you", obviously, we are doing it for the wrong reason.



 This is taken from an email that I received from a dearest friend.  I just feel that it is good to 'imprint' it here; as to keep the words permanent in my blog.

Indian Spirituality:

The Four Principles of Spirituality

Hopefully, it has been an insight reading it.

Be it Indian or any other races, these four principles are something that all human should embrace.  This is a spiritual consciousness of the Universe.  This is a spiritual awareness towards acceptance.

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What Do You Want Me To Do Written by : Reiki Sanctuary Date : Monday, May 16, 2011

If I can't write it down, I probably can't pull it off

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This should go as a footnote but I just feel that it has to be read first.  Just before I clicked on the 'Publish Post' to post this article on my blog, I was interrupted by a call from a dear friend.  We had a long chat where she shared with me about her inner feelings.  I shall not mention the exact conversational topic.

Here, there was this friend - just another person, and another human, who felt helpless in the social critical mass.  She felt that she had been abandoned.  She felt that she had been put, and in her own words, 'in a peripheral' socially.  I shared with her "that every of God's creations here on earth has a place, has a part and, definitely, shares the same equal right.  It is usually the wave of another human that casts driftwood far up on the shore."

The conversation went on and she passed this remark. "What do they want me to do now?".  At that moment, it brought me back to my writing.  It was exactly what I had entered for the title of this blog.  I told her that she was the voice of God to concur my article, at least as far as I wanted to believe.

What made it more interesting was how the call ended.  It was exactly how I ended my article too.  She said, "the lesson that I learn from this is all about respect, that I have to respect others if I want others to respect me".  For the record, this dear friend of mine recognized and walked her life knowing what 'respect' was all about.

She regained her strength when I told her that she should focus on her positive attitude.  It was this reminder that made her to feel much better and to accept the situation she was in.  The power of positive thinking would set us onward to just let go and to move on.  It was this acceptance that would make her to live in joy.

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This is a dedication to some people that I know.  To some people that are truly close to my heart.  To some people who haven taken counsel from, and with, me.  To some of these people that, in their mindset, feel that I have abandoned them.  This is my writing to all of you.  This is the expression of my crying heart.  This is a writing which is filled with anxiety and yet full of uncertainties.  This is a writing from my bleeding heart and the sorrows that have filled me up.

The good thing to be surrounded with wise friends is, indeed, a great blessing.  It is a comfort.  It is a joy.  My dearest indigo friend, JH just the other day feels that I have a lot of grievances inside me.  I must admit that he is right.  I am thankful for his insight despite my everyday attempts to conceal this feeling of resentment and injustice.  I am thankful for his presence to open up the bottle and unravel a chip on my shoulder.  I honor his angelic auric of indigo presence that brings a candle of light to allow me to forgive myself.

To you, JH, I am grateful to know you.  It is people like you that makes life easier to live.  It eases up the shambling journey, the life struggles, and brings about the understanding to life that is meaningful.  You put me on the spot with your profound observation though it is probably not exactly conducive to my thoughtful responses.  Perhaps, I have been waiting for these feelings to quietly dissolve by itself, or that I could just sweep them under the carpet.  But today, I am thankful at your gentle nudge, my dear friend.

Thing is, I do not wish to live a life of hypocrisy.  I should examine myself for a very long time before thinking of making this writing.  Ralph Waldo Emerson had a saying that 'Every man alone is sincere.  At the entrance of a second person, hypocrisy begins.  We parry and fend the approach of our fellow-man by compliments, by gossip, by amusements, by affairs.  We cover up our thought from him under a hundred fold".

I am pushing away, hard on prayers, of my judgement, of what I will be voicing out here.  I am reaching for my Higher Self for this writing.  Hoping for one that is penned not with my Ego sitting next to me and with his fingers laid on the keyboard.  Life, afterall, creates many of us to believe that wrongs are not wrong if it is done by nice people.  Sadly, in all our imperfection, we think we are often too perfect and much too often, we think that we are always one above another.

The recent General Election (GE) 2011 has brought about some emotional dilemma in me.  Suddenly, from a person who has been avoiding politics, I am jostled to think.  It has made me to ponder and to reflect on the effects.  Suddenly, I feel how my outside world can impact me and to these people, directly and indirectly. 

However, the issues surround the GE strike me to an unsettling feeling far beyond the election, far beyond any political powers but to the question 'What makes life worth living?'.  My grievances stem from the GE emotional dilemma that have become too personal.  I ponder upon the livelihood on those people that come to share their life stories with me.  I ponder upon the livelihood on those people who have to make their ends meet.  I ponder upon the livelihood on those people who strive to find joy in their lives.

Just like in any elections, it is always about reflections to the past and then to what can be better for the future.  No, it has nothing to do with the GE 2011 per se, instead my grief lies on all the people who are stuck in the web of their thoughts.  To the things that they do that can make life worth living.  The verb and not the noun.

I am referring to some of these people that seem to be trapped in their resistance.  Where all the negative energies are being empowered day in and day out.  Where the positive attitude is only a fool's courage and success in life is far-fetched.  I am sad for this group of people, this group of friends, this group of loved ones.

The most melancholy thing about them, and often there is so much melancholy in their words and actions, that they have simply lost so much faith, in themselves and in others.  Yes, it is always easier and comforting to say that everything starts with attitude.  But, when one is drowned in the pool of all things low and constantly flowed with fears and tears of discomfort, his attitude becomes critical.

The greatest idiosyncrasy to life is the misconception of life force energy itself.  Life is neither positive nor negative.  Life is just life.  In life, there is energy.  In an energy, there are many more energies.  It is these energies that drive us to think, to act, to do.  They are the life forces driven by our thoughts and through our sub-conscious mind.  We have to be the captain of our soul to take charge of these thoughts, these actions and organize them to work in favor towards joy.  Joy is essential to bring in the peace.

We need to have a home of belief.  We need to have the strength of faith.  We need to recognize that we are born to become a better person.  And, we have been told that our journey in life is not going to be one straight road but with twists and curves.  But, we need to know that we have the ability to control on all outcomes.  If we need to change, we must change.  If we need to let go, we must just let go.  Our capabilities are never limited but we make ourselves to think that we have very limited understanding.

The wonderful nature in life is the ability to love.  To love everything that comes right in front of us even if we cannot emote the same likeness of our emotions.  Regardless of all the colors and shapes, regardless of all the differences, regardless whether a thing is fair or otherwise.  We just have to lift it up little by little towards it.

We need problems to become a better individual.  We need pains to understand life.  The purpose of life is a life of purpose.  All that we can do is to hope that we end up with the right regrets.  Afterall, without pain there is no pleasure and without pleasure, there is pain.  Without each of them, we simply cannot enjoy life.  Without each of them, we will never know how to strife towards joy.

I have come to a stage where I have become helpless with these people who repeatedly fail to lift up their life from the doldrums.  Every story must have an ending; every problem can resolve.  One will not win when what he wants is to champion his endless dreads to life.  One can only complain so much of his distaste that he has to find his strength to change his destiny.

It is sad when one cannot see that fear is just a false experience appearing real.  It is sad if this individual will drag another person to join in his joy in his doldrums.  It can be a pain to be in bondage to the crime.  It can be daunting to be faced with repeating appeals to the same scenario over and over.  I must admit that I have, probably, refuse to lose my salvation over anything that is temporal from some of these people.

Do I abandon them?  Do I have to keep forgiving them in exchange for my sanity?  Do I have to continually put myself in the position to be hurt over and over again?  Someone said that forgiveness does not equal to being a doormat.  Nor does forgiveness even mean that we include these people in our life.  We just have to forgive what they have done, and the way it affects us.  Thereafter, we forgive ourselves for it and move on to find our peace and healing.

I am praying, we as a whole, to have the willingness to accept responsibility for our own life.  A man can stand a lot as long as he can stand himself.  We need to free ourselves from the expectatons of others, to give us back to ourselves.  We need to free ourselves from any bad and negative interpretations we think others have of us.  The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self respect springs.  Only when we are able to respect our efforts that we respect ourselves.

We need to accept that our character, our values and our morals are self learned.  It does not make any rational sense to be angry, and disappointed, that we cannot make others as we wish them to be since we cannot make ourselves as we wish to be.  When we are not going to own this conviction to become a better person, it shall be our failure.  However, should these character, these values and these morals are harming us spiritually, emotionally or physically, than it is only right that we change them.

I learn that no wise men despise another human.  It is the mindset of an individual that despise himself.  People, in general, love darkness instead of the light.  They would rather live an unexamined life and wallow in it than to see the good things.  Than to see what is worth to live for.  Life is not guided with rules but choices.  If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and that we cannot bring a smile on a regular basis, we just have to try another choice.

Self respect cannot be hunted.  It cannot be purchased.  It is never for sale.  It cannot be fabricated out of public relations.  Self respect leads to self discipline.  Only when we can have both firmly under the belt, that LIFE exits.  And, that is real power.

I know that my sorrow will continue.  I know that my grievances will never end.  They have come to me because I have had allowed them.  They have come to me because I wanted to care.  I could not violate the sacredness of my love for these people.  These sorrow and grievances will be my compensation as I am distancing myself with these people who I love so much.

Perhaps, the only thing that I can say would be 'I love you and I am sorry'.

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The Thailand Story - Part Four (Final) Written by : Reiki Sanctuary Date : Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Eat To Live?
Live To Eat?
We Are What We Eat



This shall be the last instalment for The Thailand Story from my recent trip.  Enough has been said.  Still, I must truly admit that Thailand is a beautiful country to visit.  There are still many parts of Thailand that I would like to go.  In fact, there are still many parts of Bangkok itself, or Pattaya (a province which I regularly go to) that I am yet to explore.

My love for Thailand is simple.  First, it is only a two-hours flight out from Changi Airport to the Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok.  And, to make it more interesting, there are now numerous budget airlines that fly there regularly.  Cheap and competitive fares are easily available and truly affordable.  Clearing the Immigration and Customs at Suvarnabhumi Airport is a breeze.  I must say there is efficiency in the system.

Getting a taxi to Bangkok from the Airport is easy and cheap.  There is always a long queue of taxis waiting.  From all my past experiences, there are more taxis in queue waiting than passengers.  One will be on the way out of the airport to his/her destination within five minutes.  Fares are tagged to the meter excluding airport surcharge and highway tolls.

The Taxi Stand at Suvarnabhumi Airport.  It is located at the lowest level of the Airport Building.  The taxi here mainly serves only for Bangkok.  Other mode of public transport to other parts of Thailand is available from inside the Airport.

Second, it has to do with our strong dollars.  This translates to the lower prices on her products and services.  Literally, it works to our advantage when buying, and spending, goods and services in Thailand.

One luxury, in Thailand, that I often indulge is the Thai Massage.  For 100 bahts (approximate S$4) an hour, I could spend three hours almost everyday just to enjoy and relax.  The masseurs at May Massage, where I would usually go to, are well trained.  Thai massage is a full body treatment that combines both energetic and physical therapy.

May Massage, which is at rather an obscure location.  It is located on the second floor where the ground level is occupied by an Italian restaurant 'Big Mama'.  It is opposite Serm-Mit Tower building.  It is about 5 minutes walk from Asoke BTS Skytrain and the Sukhumvit Subway stations.

Third, it has to do with the Thai cuisine.  Not so much about the food from the restaurants but those that are available along the streets.  True, while more hygiene is needed preparing and selling these street food, these local Thai food can be yummy.

Picture Story of Thailand Local Street Food from the recent trip:

The Meal

This is my favourite simple dish, Phad Thai for lunch.  Basically, it is a stir-fried noodles and I would always go with prawns.  You need to remind the cook not to add too much sugar if you are not a sweet-bud person.

The Drink

 

A Thirst Quencher!!  This my favourite drink.  This is the local Thai Mandarin orange.  Usually sold for 20 bahts.  Best to get from a stall that has just squeezed the fruits.  Can be a little sweet, perhaps cos sugar is added.

The same thing, the Thirst Quencher but this time made into a freeze.  Good to cool the body down from the scorching heat of Bangkok.

The Past-Time Snacks

Die die must find this!!  It is banana, yam and sweet potato fritters.  In Singapore, we call it 'Goreng Pisang' but the way it is fried in Thailand is slight different, hence giving it a different taste.  My favourite is the banana.  For 10 bahts each, you probably will get about 10 pieces of each choice

Frying my favourite fritters in hot oil.  Surprisingly, the fritters do not turn up oily.

My favourite snack, the boiled corn.

The Road-side KFC, finger licking good

Ah, KFC by the road-side!  Not for the weak stomach but these fried chickens are yummy!

For 50 bahts!

The Prata Men

The Prata Men!  It is another popular snack.  Usually sold by Thai Muslims, it is a dough mixed with banana for 30 bahts.  I would always ask without the milk and sugar.

The CuttleFish on Bike

The motor-bike cuttle fish.  When you made the order, he will bbq and then roll it into thin long piece.  Good snack when watching TV.

Popiah

Vegetarian popiah.  The sauce is a little too sweet for my liking.

All The Breakfast during the trip:

Breakfast at Adelphi Grande Sukhumvit.  Well spread with local and international cuisine.  Abit too much for small stomach.

On the contrary, the breakfast spread at FurumaXclusive was a little disappointed.

A simple decent breakfast at Amphawa, granted that it was just a small chalet.  The Management served porridge and hot drinks for the inclusive breakfast.  I had chicken rice porridge.

And, not forgetting ..

.. and not forgetting, the popular coconut ice-cream!

.. and more local cuisine.

The one thing that never ceases to amaze me, when in Thailand, is when the National Anthem is aired.  The Thai national anthem is played twice a day at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.  It is being aired at most public places, like the skytrain and bus terminal.  It is compulsory that the Thai people stand for the national anthem and to stop doing what they are doing.  Indeed, this is one act that puts me with high respect for the people there.

(Taken from iPhone)

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The Thailand Story - Part Three Written by : Reiki Sanctuary Date : Friday, May 06, 2011

Avoid passing your pain on to others. Transmute it through spiritual alchemy.

I have often mentioned about the Language of the Universe.  It is no different today.  And, for those who think and strongly feel that my writing will bore you to sleep, I strongly suggest that you should not read further.  Avoid passing the pain to yourself.  Learn to love yourself by just doing that.  Still, I am thankful that you have read this far.

Indeed, the Language of the Universe is a unique language but oblivious to many.  This language is an empowerment yet subtle.  I believe Paulo Coelho in his novel, 'The Alchemist' has made its meaning simpler:

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.  Never stop dreaming.  Not everyone can see his dreams come true in the same way.  Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.
 
The world's greatest lie:  At a certain point in our lives we lose control of what's happening to us and our lives become controlled by fate.  When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected, and we are able to know everything because it's all written there.  If you can concentrate on the present, you'll be a happy man.  The secret is here in the present.  If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it.  And if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better.  Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.  Everything has been written by the same hand.  All things are one".

How everything that happens in our daily life is filled and carries a purposeful message to guide our onward journey.  How much the varieties of dissent there are to it, we cannot ignore nor disapprove those signs that have appeared right infront of us.  We have attracted the events to take place and to happen (consciously or subconsciously), and in honouring the Law of Attractions and Vibrations, we cannot just simply ignore nor disapprove any of these events resulted from the actions.  It just will not make any logical and rational sense to dismiss the trails of actions and reactions.  We need to take charge of our thinking mind and hold responsibilities for those thoughts and all those calculated words that have been, voluntarily or otherwise, translated into actions.

I asked for guidance before writing this article.  I wanted to pen thoughtful reflection to continue with the Thailand story.  Afterall, I had taken so much pictures from the trip that I would want them to be shared.  For the Universe to feel my joy, my appreciation and gratitude.  Afterall, the trip was filled with people who had played meaningful part in my life, in small or big way.  Afterall, it was a country that I had often praised to have effect in raising my consciousness and that I truly enjoyed visiting.

I wanted to write so it could bring me peace.  To help me to bridge my inner sanity.  And guess what?, the first thing that guided me was this little fortune taken from the widget (left side of block), "Think I am harsh? I am easier on others than I am on myself".  The next message "Avoid passing your pain on to others.  Transmute it through spiritual alchemy" made it easier for me to understand.

Looking back at the recent events on our Thailand trip, it was a tale that had universal language to the flow of life.  It was something that we should not just let them pass but to let our thinking mind reflect on the significance of the whole event.  Afterall, life lessons would transform the way we lived.  These lessons will shape our destiny, and importantly, they created the quality to which we often craved for.  Where we wanted life forces to work for us and not against.  Where we wanted peace of the mind to be the order of the day.

At the last minute before our departure, a dear friend who had always helped us with the  hotel arrangement wrote that he was unable to provide this time round.  He was, without our knowledge, 'caught' in the act.  Little had we known about his little inconveniences and the hassles he had to go through with the red tapes.  Little had we known that he had gone, out of his love for us, the extra mile.  What was important to him was to let us have a comfortable trip, to stay in a top hotel and enjoyed the majestic ambience yet we didn't have to pay so much for it.

Dusit Thani Bangkok, without the help of our dear friend, was too expensive for us.  We were not willing to pay the non-discounted rate and declined to stay there.  Yes, it was the price that cannot fit with our selfish whim.  It was a price that reflected in our inadequacy.

To this dear friend, Sorn - we can only hope that you do know our deep heartfelt gratitude.  We recognize your deeds and there is nothing that we can do, nor all our words, to replace your graciousness.  Your sincerity.  Your true soul.

So, for the very first time, we were left to find our own accomodation.  By now, we had become very accustomed with the comforts and conveniences around Dusit Thani.  Right where it was, there were the underground Subway and the mass transit Skytrain.  Moving around Bangkok from here was easy.  Just outside the hotel, there was the infamous Patpong and the long stretch of night markets.  We didn't have to go through change of train lines to our favourite May Massage and the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

There were many hotels available in Bangkok.  When one could easiy choose to find one, we had quite a problem to locate a good-enough hotel in the beginning.  Dusit Thani had transformed us into such a fussy little brat.  We should be ashamed of ourselves.

Perhaps, this recent event seeks us to rethink on our holiday plans.  It sets a crucial shift in our life and how we are to perceive the whole setup.  One that is called to bring peace to our souls.  One that is asked to see things in a different perspective.  Perhaps, it is about detachment where I should just bask the beauty from outside and not to get so involved internally.  I have to learn to avoid passing my pains, my expectations, on to others.  I have to transmute it through a spiritual alchemy.

If there is one lesson that I need to learn from here, I am still lost.  It is such an irony.  In The Conspiracy (read Here) I wrote:

"Our stream of consciousness evolves in this cycle in a wheel and is repeated over and over again.  That this cycle will just keep repeating in our life until we have truly understood the situation and why it has happened again and again.  The entire process of change from one state to the next, for the better, requires a state of awareness and acceptance.  It is then followed with the bare attention to own and let go, without allowing the events to interfere with the presence.  It is, at this stage, that we allow the cause of events to lead to a renewed and reformed consciousness."

We managed to find two comfortable hotels in the end.  It was not as convenient as Dusit Thani but good enough to make our stay in Thailand comfortable.  I believe it is another phase of adjustment where we have to get used to them.  All Man deserve a chance.  All God's creations have a place in each of our lives.  This shall be that state of awareness and acceptance.  It has come to a point in our lives that we have to own and to let go without allowing the events to interfere with the Presence.  What is important when we are honouring the situation is when we are to give love to it and, when we look back, our hearts are filled with gratitude.

Where we stayed in Thailand:

First Leg - Adelphi Grande Sukhumvit 

The Lobby and Reception Area

Impressive!

It is actually a Service Apartment

Nice! See Mum, there's a Washing/Dryer Machine and even a bigger fridge!

and I love this BIG toilet!

The small dining corner but still cool

The nearest BTS (Skytrain) is Phrom Phong which is about 5 minutes walk.  Just where the BTS is, there is a huge shopping mall, Emporium which houses big brand names like Hermes, Louis Vutton, Guess and more.

The lane leading out to BTS along Sukhumvit Road

Second Leg - A dear friend's place in Jomtien, Pattaya

The comfortable house

The Balcony, 2nd Floor.  This is the place where we will have our dinner.  This is the smoking area.  This is the place where we will spend long hours just to chat away ..

The stairs (left) leading to the 'Upper Deck' where we stayed

The Living Area

Third Leg - FuramaXclusive Sathorn

Not the best choice but we went ahead to book this hotel because of its proximity to Dusit Thani Bangkok.  We felt it would be convenient for our dear friend to join us in the evening after he finished his work.

(Pictures taken from iPhone)

The Exterior

The king sized bed, rather comfortable!

Gosh! look at that towel!!!!!! Kudos to housekeeping!

Internet is bad in this hotel

The comfort of a mini kitchen.  Not all rooms in this hotel will have this section.

So, we did learn something.  We were able to know what we liked, and disliked, in the end.  We learned about taking choices and how these choices must bring in the peace within us.  Perhaps, without comprising.

At the end of the day, we need to take charge of our livelihood.  We cannot depend solely on others.  While we need to recognize others for their strength, and weakness, we need to respect their choices too.  And respect shall always begin with respecting ourselves first.

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