15. LIVING THE TEACHINGS

Jan '05

Doing my bit for a tsunami hit village in Sth India. 13 families received gifts of prawn nets to get them back on their feet. Donations came from friends in Singapore.

The fishermen with their new prawn nets....beaming with happiness...

Jan '04

Reading to my Indian kids in Uttar Pradesh, North India, at a Home run by a Singaporean.


Taking 5 with a jam session

We almost lost this boy to Japanese Encephalitis which had killed a few hundred children in this part of the State. Fortunately in this Home run by my friend, a Singaporean, he had enough to eat and was healthy and strong enough to recover. He was rushed to a goverment hospital, 2 hours away. The doctors refused to admit him insisting there was no hope. My friend had to make phone calls to some influential people to get him admitted. I was thankful I survived this trip, I did'nt realise there was an outbreak of the disease during my stay. I was cut off from all news.

As a young Girl Scout in school, I was involved in community service, chiefly with a school for the blind where I read lessons to the blind students who in turn typed it in Braille. I enjoyed that.

For many years after school, I got caught up in the adult world of education and working, homemaking and child-minding but somewhere at the back of my mind, was a desire to contribute.

It was very natural than, when I forged my own path, to get into service work. I had no problems in that area, from day one, no questions asked. I simply showed up at a mental hospital (!!!!!) to meet the rest of the small group and found out that I had to work with long term patients who were declared OK by the doctors. I sang and danced and painted with them and sat down to tea with them. At the time I did'nt know it but our mental institutions suffer from a lack of volunteers. (this should'nt surprise anyone!). Only loonybins would fly over this cookoo's nest.

Although safe, it takes courage to walk through its dim corridors, even more so, to mingle freely with them in their wards surrounded by up to 200 patients, with the door locked and windows barred. Some patients look spaced out, others behave weird.

I contributed my energy for 2 years before moving on to a hospital for bedridden patients when they asked for volunteers.

I fed lunch to these patients whose bodies were completely useless. Surely this is Hell that we are born into to work out our karmas. Imagine being bedridden for one's entire life which can stretch 50-60 years or longer, lying on a bed, completely dependent on others for every single need, the only body part that works independently are the jaws to chew the food and eating being the only activity they can look forward to.

At another home, the patients were not just bedridden, they were mentally retarded. The chewing and swallowing were mechanical actions which they carried out when food was placed into their mouths. I ponder once again - if this is not being condemned to Hellfire, where than can Hell be after death when there's no physical body?

I enjoy most the hair-cutting service at another hospital and nursing homes. Most patients are elderly with hair that's neglected and unkempt due to prolonged lying in. They always leave looking neat, fresh and smart....beaming too. I've had no training in this area but from the day I picked up the scissors, I snipped away - the only practice I ever had was cutting my dog's hair and pruning my plants!

After several years carrying out my seva in Singapore institutions, (I still cut hair), I ventured overseas with groups to Cambodia and alone to India. It is in India that I found my calling........

HANDS THAT HELP ARE HOLIER THAN THE LIPS THAT PRAY - BABA

14. OF PUNDITS & OTHER SOOTHSAYERS

The fun thing about trying to discover more about myself is consulting readers of all kinds of cards, leaves and what-have-yous. The gang I meet at such gatherings are inevitably 'alternative' types who have left the mainstream or simply are lost and were looking for directions or answers or guidance. These types become victims of New-Age 'gurus', psychics and clairvoyant types and they end up spending a lot of money on these quacks. They may have some sort of abilities but most of them mix that with psychology, powerful choice of words and extensive reading to create a spin.

Having checked out a few and observing others, I can safely say, don't patronise those who claim they can see things, feel your energy, read auras or wave their hands claiming they can heal. A better bet are those who need to do some calculations or work with an almanac.

I like particularly numerology and palmistry as its so very personal and it takes a certain personality to master the science. I enjoy Astrology as that too is highly personal based on my time of birth, but I do not follow through with prayers at the temples after observing the priests mumbling while their eyes are somewhere else on some maiden across the room. In leaving the Catholic Church, I left behind rituals and ceremonies and have no plans to get back to the same sort of thing anytime soon, if ever.

The nadi leaves in Chennai blew my mind. I still can't get over how they zeroed in on my leaves. I like though, discovering quite a bit about my past life which explained my present. My conclusion is, we can't escape our karmas, no matter how much one can spend on rituals and ceremonies and gem stones, it will be necessary to go through what is already in one's blueprint. Lord Saturn makes sure of that.
 
I adore this old pundit in Mumbai who read from sheaves of old worn papers after measuring my height (?) and doing some calculations on my birthdate and time. I consulted him in years 2001 and Jan 2005. I compared the 2 readings and once again, it's another journey of self-discovery. Bearing in mind that everything is in a constant state of flux, readings are good only for a short period of time, perhaps 1-2 years.

There are 'alternatives' to everything. For want of a better word, these 'alternatives' have been around much longer, Ancient Wisdom before religions came along, folk healing and traditional medicine before so-called western medicine took over. I prefer the word Holistic....

I find myself going back to such healers - my chiropractor, my qiqong healer, my acupuncturist, my ayurvedic doctor, my masseur and my homeopathic doctor - they form my holistic healers who work together with my family doctor should I need healing....which thankfully, dose'nt happen often. I see my qiqong healer once a month for maintenance to keep the qi (prana) circulating, likewise, my ayurvedic doctor for massages according to the 3 doshas. Before I discovered myself, I scoffed at these things.

13. A TRAVELER IS BUT A PILGRIM ON A QUEST

I gallivant whenever I can, when time and money permits. Travel opens the mind and the heart, but only when one travels without expectations. It's like leaving the windows of the mind and the heart opened so that the light may shine in - into the body temple, illuminating it, so that one may see clearer......and dispel the darkness of ignorance, for the body temple has long lived in darkness.

Mother Earth has no borders. Immigration and custom controls, walls and fences are man-made, created by the politics of men and their egos, pride, greed and ambitions. As I move around a country or cross borders into a neighbouring country, I note that for the most part, the people look the same. Many speak one another's languages or dialects, eat more or less the same food, costumes are similar with adaptations. Political ideologies changed the way they worship or don't worship, conquering forces changed their religions and their food and even their dress......but essentially, we are a hodge-podge of the same kind or people, the same stock.
 
Wherever I am, I can pass off as a Japanese, a Korean, a mainland Chinese, a Thai, a Nepali.
My daughters, products of a mixed union, can pass of as Indonesians, Filipinos or North Indians. Some Indians I see out in the streets can pass off as Caucasians, its their mannerisms and dress that tell me they're Indians.

Conquering colonial forces leave behind something impossible to eradicate - their offsprings, whether through rape or marriage. Rape is a weapon of war. Their simple minded thinking is, it will dilute the conquered peoples. Little do they realise that in Mother Nature, Diversity is the keyword. The end product is taller, bigger, stronger, hardier, more colourful, more beautiful, more intelligent. I see Kashmiris and Afghans and North Indians with green, grey and blue eyes, light hair and skin white as snow.

In Singapore, the delibrate cross-breeding of tropical ornamental fish and cut orchids are thriving export businesses. Singapore's multiracial population has produced a younger lot of people who are all of the above.

In Turkey, although its people are chiefly Muslims, the Turkish are a hodge podge mixture of Europeans with very European mannerisms and tastes.

Countries which have a tradition of immigration will have a more interesting population, more culturally diverse - the US, Australia, Singapore, to name 3, are melting pots. It is in this pot that one will encounter unity in diversity. Truly, we are One with just 6 degrees of separation......and that's close.......

'A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving' - Lao Tzu
 (in today's lingo - it's the journey, not the destination.)

12. INDIA'S ANOTHER PLANET

They've just discovered a 10th planet!

It's inhabitants' habits and behavior are alien to people elsewhere....simply out of this world.

What they do in public is socially unacceptable elsewhere. Grown men and kids pee and crap by the roadside, even smack in the middle of the streets on the road dividers.....not just in the very rural villages (which is understandable) but in the cities. 

They clear their throats and spit all over the place constantly, men and women alike, out of their vehicles, trains........they litter everywhere but keep their homes and compounds spotless. 

They may throw stuff like plastic bottles and clay cups out of the trains and buses but never seem to throw or replace possessions which have seen better days. So bags can be held together by strings and pins, slippers and shoes are sent for repairs, pencils are used till they're just tiny stumps. Broken furniture are fixed with strings or ropes or supported by bricks and planks. No leftover food is ever thrown out unless its off. Recycling is great for the environment and they are by and large not wasteful people.

They intrude into one's private space all the time. They interrupt conversations without an 'excuse me'. They ask highly personal questions which in most societies the answer will be, 'it's none of your business'. At a queue (if there's such a thing), the person behind stands with his/her body plastered very closely to the person in front.

A female can get 'rubbed' by a man in the crowded streets or a packed bus....but this can happen in Singapore too, unfortunately, the arrested culprits have more often than not, proved to be of Indian race. Perhaps its for this reason that males and females have separate seating areas in their buses, so that the 'eves will not be teased'.
 
The Indians there seem very quarrelsome but mainly, I note, they are of a poorer and possibly, lower caste category. In the cheap compartments of trains and buses, there's always some drama unfolding......those I've witnessed involve womenfolk in loud squabbling.....the rest of the passengers look on as though watching a Bollywood soap, their eyes darting from one protaganist to the other, in deep concentration on the dialogue. I fear for my life and limb as it gets more and more dramatic, loud and shrill, expecting blows and weapons but the rest of the passengers remain cool and calm, enjoying the spectacle. I may need to learn the language so that I may follow this show. 

Many Indian men have serious problems with their egos. There's no chivalry shown towards their womenfolk unless its their mother, I suspect many are mama's boys. 

They are served by their wives, sisters, mothers, servants, right down to fetching a glass of water or packing their bags for work or travel. They have scant respect for their women and see them as cooks, sex partners or their punching bag. If they have some position at work, they need to feed their egos constantly, every which way they can, in some homes, the servants outnumber the family members. 

Many Indian women are educated up to college or university level but more often than not, its to make themselves marriagable and marketable, after marriage, very very few work......such a waste of human resource.........perhaps their men (husbands, fathers, brothers, in-laws) do not want them to as that makes them look inadequate. It's about power, control, face, dominance.

Many Indian women from India, married to Singaporean Indian men, join the workforce in Singapore. Many are truly happy at this new found freedom. They get to express themselves through their careers and be their own person. It must be hard for those who are not allowed by family and society to be true to themselves. 

For the ladies who don't work, they enjoy a personal freedom which very few married women can enjoy back in India. They move around freely day or night with their circle of friends or female relatives. They do lunch, high tea, shop or take in movies, concerts and plays. Some perm their hair, wear jeans, dress modern, some paint their nails, go without their dupattas. Does freedom to express themselves make them lesser people? Loose? Evil? Nah.

It's hard to understand or accept how 2 people can end up as life partners in an arrangement in which they don't get a chance to know one another and their families well enough. It's not natural, yet, somehow, the Indians have perfected this to an art form. I do know of several couples in India and Singapore who have had the guts to admit its not working and called it quits. These are the younger thinking individuals and they are exceptions rather than the rule. 

Practices carried out over many generations are not necessarily the best. To hide behind 'culture', 'beliefs', 'traditions', 'family' and 'face' is uncreative, cowardly even. 

Everything in life and in Creation is in a constant state of flux and nothing remains the same forever - change is the only constant for nothing is set in stone. 

When human mammals are just sheep following without thinking, questioning, discerning, conforming........is baaad for the soul.......sheep which follow are quickly led to the slaughterhouse. 

It's the black sheep that's special.......they're individuals.

11. THE HILLS ARE ALIVE...........

 

..............with fireflies! A sight astounding to behold when trees all around are lit up with the gentle glow of millions of fireflies. As I stood in the darkness gawking at the sight, my mind took me back to the time I was a young girl in Malaysia, when life was simpler than. Fireflies were a common sight and I caught one in a jar and was thrilled to bits and slept with the jar by my bedside. On finding it dead in the morning, I cried buckets.























  



The Indian hill stations are a nice change from the awful cities but traffic can get bad at certain times of the day and night as a great many heavy vehicles use the roads in the hill station towns.












Kodaikanal, Madurai in Tamil Nadu and the Kandalar Hills outside Bombay were quite nice but not really cool enough due to deforestation, such a shame. The most memorable were the sunrise and sunset Kodak moments.

As 'Father' Sun rises in the morning, 'Mother' Moon lingers for a while before the brightness of 'Father' obliterates her from my sight. The Yang and the Yin, the Male and Female energies, the duality of Creation. I quietly thank 'Father' and 'Mother' for this realisation.

 

10. KAL HO NAA HO

...in Hindi, this about sums up my philosophy on life, ever since I left the mainstream and took the path less travelled. Carpe Diem, Be in the Here and Now.....let my Presence be in the Present........just BE.....tomorrow may never come.

This may be impossible to fathom for those constantly thinking and planning for the future. They may dismiss this as irresponsible......ah well.......kal ho naa ho.

A CREATIVE PERSON ALWAYS GOES ON TRYING THE WRONG WAYS. IF YOU ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RIGHT WAY TO DO A THING, YOU WILL NEVER BE CREATIVE - BECAUSE THE RIGHT WAY MEANS THE WAY DISCOVERED BY OTHERS - OSHO


TWO ROADS DIVERGED IN A WOOD, I TOOK THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED BY.......AND THAT HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE - ROBERT FROST

9. SATHYA SAI BABA

I stretched towards Baba with my letter as he stretches forward to take it.....April '97, Kodaikanal.



Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Saakshaat Param Brahma
Tasmi Shri Guruve Namah
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

 I've always known Baba exists. As a young schoolgirl in Malaysia, a classmate had shown me a ring which she said came from a guru in South India. She invited me to peek into it and I saw him in yellow robes. I was intrigued when she said his robes are a different colour on some days and I asked that she lets me peek when it next changes colour.
I never thought much about it after that and the episode was consigned to some corner of my mind.

Throughout my adult years and having moved to Singapore, every year, I'm reminded of his existence when his devotees celebrate his birthday with a small announcement in the papers in the obscure back pages, but somehow, it always catches my eye. When I was 'led' to him years later in 1997, as related in post 2 - Journey to Self-Realisation, it seemed so natural, like I've known him my whole life.

Baba is not for everybody and like all Masters, dogged by controversy. I shall only relate my experiences with him.

A week after my return from the 1st visit, I mailed him a letter with some questions. Several days later while attending bhajans at a Sai Center, a chap I know placed a blank envelope into my hands, saying he has a message for me from Baba. Once again, I found myself stunned into silence. I told no one I had written to Baba.
 
The message was one of Baba's many discourses, in this case, meant for women, and it answered the questions I had posed him. My friend said he had thought of me and pulled out this particular discourse from among the many he had and zapped a copy for me.
The next time Baba made his presence felt was at another bhajan session. That entire day, for some inexplicable reason, I felt depressed, my heart and mind heavy with the thought and feeling that Baba has left me ..... yet knowing he'll do no such thing.
At the end of each singing session, somebody would read out a random message of Baba's. That evening, it said, 'I will never leave you, you may leave me, you may doubt me, but I will not leave you.'

Just before I left on my 7th trip to India in Jan '05, after bhajans, I knelt before his picture to ask for blessings and guidance. From the garland of white jasmine flowers draped around his picture, a little white petal drifted gently on to the tabletop....and I knew all will be well with me and my family during my absence.

Despite his presence so keenly felt in my life over the last several years, I'm not a Baba fanatic. I do not attend bhajans every week and have nothing to do with the center's activities unless its pertaining to service. 

Baba asks that we do our own sadhana and there's no need to go see him in India. I derive strength and courage from my special experiences with him. He has given me his word he will never leave me and that's good enough for me.


BEFORE YOU SPEAK, ASK YOURSELF - IS IT KIND, IS IT NECESSARY, IS IT TRUE, DOES IT IMPROVE ON THE SILENCE?  BABA