Metta Sutta

i have a copy of this sutta posted on the wall of my cubicle at work so i can look at it often (from this site) 

The Buddha's Words on Kindness (Metta Sutta)

This is what should be done By one who is skilled in goodness, And who knows the path of peace: Let them be able and upright, Straightforward and gentle in speech, Humble and not conceited, Contented and easily satisfied, Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways. Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful, Not proud or demanding in nature. Let them not do the slightest thing That the wise would later reprove. Wishing: In gladness and in safety, May all beings be at ease. Whatever living beings there may be; Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none, The great or the mighty, medium, short or small, The seen and the unseen, Those living near and far away, Those born and to-be-born — May all beings be at ease! Let none deceive another, Or despise any being in any state. Let none through anger or ill-will Wish harm upon another. Even as a mother protects with her life Her child, her only child, So with a boundless heart Should one cherish all living beings; Radiating kindness over the entire world: Spreading upwards to the skies, And downwards to the depths; Outwards and unbounded, Freed from hatred and ill-will. Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down Free from drowsiness, One should sustain this recollection. This is said to be the sublime abiding. By not holding to fixed views, The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision, Being freed from all sense desires, Is not born again into this world.

one thing i notice is there is no mention of the word 'love' and as this word is so frequently used on the internet i wonder why it is not in this sutta  ... maybe because of the translation? ... but i do notice  the words 'wise' and 'skillful' which make me ponder maybe wise and skillful are necessary factors in order for the love to be rightly practiced and wisdom is even more important ... in Buddhism, the Buddha seems to stress that we should stay away from worldly desire and attachment so i wonder if 'love' was not done right it might be desire, obsession, attachment in disguise? ... can't help thinking about the Eight Fold Path in Buddhism which to me is the path to find the truth: 

1. Right Understanding (Samma ditti)
2. Right Thought (Samma sankappa)
3. Right Speech (Samma vacha)
4. Right Action (Samma kammanta)
5. Right Livelihood (Samma ajiva)
6. Right Effort (Samma vayama)
7. Right Mindfulness (Samma sati)
8. Right Concentration (Samma samadhi)

http://www.beyondthenet.net/dhamma/nobleEight.htm (short)
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/waytoend.html (long)

Nature's Touch

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. --- William Shakespeare

I really like this quote because so many times in the presence or spectacular natural landscape like waterfall, mountain, lake, sunset ... the boundary that normally divide us like social status, wealth, value systems seems to vanish ... my experience is there seems to be no desire to find out what the person next to us is doing for a living ... a homeless person and a billionaire can stand next to each other and don't even know because we are being awed by what we see and we like to openly share with each other the wonderful feeling ... we are there to witness, appreciate the wonder of nature and that's when we connect in the most sincere level, imho.

Duyen

Duyen in Vietnamese means 'meant to be'

A few months ago i went to an exhibition at the American Museum of Ceramic Art to see a special exhibition on the ceramic tradition of Korea ... after the exhibition i went to the gift shop / gallery area to see what's on display ... one piece called for my attention in particular, it's a large bowl (about 14in in diameter), the inside has crystalline glaze which normally  i am not a fan of because of the glossy finish ... but the bowl's color, a light blueish lavender, was very soothing to my eyes that i decided to get it ... at the cash register i noticed a tiny crack, about 1/3 of an inch, at the rim, which was easily blended in with the design of the bowl  ...  naturally the transaction was off and the person helping me said ' let's find out what the artist thinks about this'  ... i felt kinda sad because the bowl was defected but i reminded myself of the Japanese philosophy of 'wabi sabi' which beautifies the the nature of imperfection so i did not mind to have it but at the same time i didn't want to pay full price for the bowl either :-) ... the artist, Tom Wallick, was not around so the lady in charge of the studios asked for my information and she would let me know once she talked to him and she even asked me how much i wanted the piece to be discounted and i told her i would let him decide and i told her that i really like the look of the bowl.   

A few days later, i got an email from her saying that Tom wanted me to have the bowl if i still like it.  I was so surprised and really appreciated his generosity.  I think probably to him anything that's not perfect to his eyes is not worth selling ... talking about making art for art sake, not money ... how beautiful! imho ...  i guess it's duyen that i have this lovely bowl :-)

There was another piece by Tom that i like very much, a plate which has the same glaze but different color and since Tom gave me the bowl i decided to get the plate which again meant i have duyen with it too :-)

Unintended favorites

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

After a trip i always came home with a few thousands pictures ( can't help clicking :-) ) and going thru them takes a lot time but looking at the pics i felt like i was doing the trip all over again and i realized that many of my favorite photos have nothing to do with the sight that i set out to see

 I saw this lady walking a pig on the road next to the school that we visited in Otavalo - Ecuador

 

 This sand 'painting' was on the beach where i went to watch the sunset

 

 Went to Yosemite to see the snow and on the way to the bus leaving the park i suddenly
 looked up

 

 This pattern was on the sand at sunset

 

 Saw this cutie on the hike to Mt Rainier, finnally caught him/her taking a breath after a good chase :-)

 

 An overnight stop in a sleepy but lovely lakeside town in Norway turned out to be one of my favorite places to stay. I can still hear the sound of the little waves hitting the shore



Wandering the area around Geirangerfjord in Norway


 

 From the bus in Norway

 


 This beautiful lady was one of the vendors in Peru

 

 Looking down from the restaurant in Peru where i went for lunch

 

 Zion national park

 

 At Havasu Falls in Havasupai Indian reservation

 

 I came to Verona to see Juliet's balcony (as in Romeo & Juliet) but i fell for these windows

 

Pondering the creative process

'Waiting is certainly an unsung part of the creative process.  Perhaps it is a part of life itself' - Brother Thomas Bezanson

Some of my favorite photos were created from 'non-qualified' ones or by accidents and that inspired me to adopt the non-plan mentality which means not having a concrete result in mind when i start working on a 'creative' project.  I found out that by having this non-controlling mentality i can set myself free and this in turn opens many exciting possibilities.  Then i realize that the creative process is only possible if i approach it with an open mind and heart,  not trying to control what the outcome should or shouldn't be.  The journey then becomes a wonderful experience,  full of unexpected discoveries,  and sometimes mistakes could be blessings in disguise so i embrace them too.   Treasure could really come from trash so i let the work unfold itself and come to its own existence.

This picture

came from this one 

This picture 

came from this one (the flame-like background was accidentally created when i tried to cleanup the shadow)

May you find treasure in trash :-)

Out of the comfort zone

Do you venture out to places alone? I am not talking about shopping :-) but to activities and events like dining, attending concert, gathering for certain causes, going to exhibition at museums/galleries, attending workshop/retreat  ...

I have and i've had wonderful experiences and chances to meet and befriend with great people :-)

Not that i don't enjoy company, nothing could compare to having good companions, but sometimes when this is not possible then i don't mind venturing out on my own at all.

I have to admit that this takes some mental prepareness :-)

I remember the first time i went to a classical concert alone (most of my friends are not into this kind of music) i felt a little strange but when the beautiful sound of music started i felt like i was one of the luckiest persons in the world. One thing i notice is there are a lot of solo concert goers out there. If you attend a concert alone without buying ticket in advance you might even get free ticket at the box office :-)

Dining alone could be an intimidating experience so make sure that you pick the restaurant that you absolutely love because when the delicious food takes center stage you won't have time for anything else :-).  Many times in the past i had to travel for business and when i had a chance to go to a new city i always look to see if there is any restaurant that i like to try and i always had a great time. Also you could get VIP treatment eating alone in gourmet restaurant :-)

I even went hiking alone but i stopped because i don't want unexpected thing to happen while i am alone in the wilderness.

Being among others with the same interest without having the obligation to interact, having the freedom to be an observer and only chat with whomever you feel like can be a fun experience, imho.

Give it a try, you might like it :-)

Fava bean

If i don't go to farmer's market the chance is i would have never known fava bean, except when it's presented to me in the restaurant as an accompaniment to the a main ingredient.

The first time i saw fava bean pods was in Santa Monica farmer's market.  I have to say they are kinda ugly. The pods were big and most of the time they did not have a 'clean' look like green bean, string bean, snap peas.  Intrigued by the look i bought some and i found out that it's one of the most beautiful vegetables that i have known both in look, the bean itself, and taste.

When i split open the pots the bean look like they were cradled in a case lined with a thick layer of soft cotton, pristine and even jewel-like.  It sure commands my admiration :-)





I gently took the beans out of the pods, they reminded me of the sugar coated almond candies that i used to adore when i was a kid.


Then i steam the bean with the shell on.  When the shell is taken off, the bean is shown in a beautiful bright green color.



I could not resist munching on them until they are gone :-).  But sometimes i make sucotash


However,  i still prefer to eat the bean right out of the shell with it's flavorful unadorned wholesome goodness.

One day i visited the Learning Garden in Venice high school and i saw the plant and a bean pod and this time i think the pod is pretty good looking :-)