Winza

There are different aspects to life - some of them are good and some of them are not so good depending on how we deal with it. There are also ups and downs in life. At the moment., I am going through a turbulent stage of my life, where everything is changing. I am about to become a new homeowner, the end of my probation is coming and I have taken on a new role in the SGI organisation. All these things are struggles in itself. I am still feeling negative towards some of these challenges.

Today for instance, I was in an argument with a colleague about how we report on our work. I was probably trying to be a perfectionist again and get the right syntax to obtain accuracy in the figures and he was annoyed because I was being too pedant. And I almost started crying this morning. Luckily, I held back my tears because I knew that it wasn’t the end of the world and that I believe there is a potential in each and everyone of us to solve the problem. I was still happy because I had the opportunity to argue, the opportunity to work on a difficult project. I chanted every night for the success of this project. Now I am just hoping that I’ll pass my probation. That I will try my best no matter what the outcome will be. If I pass my probation, I hope to continue to do my best in whatever task I do and to seize every opportunity to challenge myself. If the worst case comes and I don’t pass my probation, then I will use the chance to polish myself, test my confidence and seriously reflect on what I did in the past.

I think it is time for me to appreciate this practice. In early August, when I received my Gohonzon, I was told that I will have many struggles to come. It’s almost two months since I’ve received my Gohonzon and I feel there is a dynamic change in my life. I am finding myself tackling the more difficult tasks that I tend to avoid at work. I am also struggling to find a balance between spending time with my parents, meeting up with my friends and attending SGI activities. It seems strange that I am enjoying these struggles more than I did in the past. I wonder if this is the hidden benefit of the Mystic Law.

Curry Laksa for $8 from The Grand Tofu, Glen Waverley. It was the spiciness, the aroma, the comforting taste that made my day better. This is my second favourite noodle soup. My first favourite is the Wonton noodle soup.

I am starting another blog called The Melburnian Randomographer. This blog will contain mostly random photos of things that I find interesting. At the same time, I will run this blog as well but this blog will be more focused on my personal experiences. The Melbournian Randomographer won’t have as much “me” in it.

Please enjoy…

Today’s topic at the Toastmasters meeting was Murphy’s Law. I don’t know who picked the topic and why this topic was chosen, but it was funny to hear different stories about it. Murphy’s law states that, If anything can go wrong, it will… This is especially true for those who are clumsy like myself.

I have been known in my family as the gadget killer. When I was younger, I broke my cousin’s Super Nintendo and I’ve managed to delete my brother’s homework by accident (He slapped my face when we found out). I also broke off a key from the keyboard of my laptop, burnt my adapter for my MiniDisc player and broke many adapters including the one for my phone and my computer. I always trip over even when I am wearing flat shoes and walk slowly. On my way back home from uni a few years ago, I tripped over and my backpack flew ahead of me, breaking my PDA that I got from my brother two months beforehand. I have also tripped over on my trip to KFC on my birthday, on the stairs at work and also even in the veranda at home.

Murphy’s Law seems to always haunt me. To me, it seems like an evil curse trying to make wrong things happen.

Ever since I have joined the SGI and started chanting, I have had various comments made by my family and friends. A few of them are Christians, some are Jewish, some are atheists and many don’t believe in any religion. I have learnt to respect others with religious beliefs and I have learnt to respect those without any religious background. I talk openly about my spiritual beliefs and avoid promoting about the SGI.

Most of the time, people don’t react to my beliefs or when I go to SGI events. However, there is the occasional comment where people say that “religion dominates people’s lives”. One of my friends has said that to another friend and my parents have said it me. I wanted to attend Greg’s lecture at the Kaikan this morning and so I told my parents that I would be busy this morning. Some of their negative reactions were: Why are you going to the SGI again? You’ve already been last week. Don’t you get bored listening to that kind of stuff? Your time is bound by the Buddhist activities you go to. These comments offend me. But I knew that I had to give priority to spending time with my parents so I missed the lecture and had lunch with them instead. I have missed each and every lecture that Greg gives, mostly due to clashes with my family lunches. And especially with the TTG leadership role I now have, I find it very difficult to manage my time.

The statement “Religion dominates people’s lives” hurts me the most. As a Buddhist, I don’t believe that people are being dominated by religion. We are in control of our lives, we choose what or what not to believe and we choose to attend the activities that our religious/spiritual community has to offer. When we go to spiritual/religious seminars, lectures, discussion groups or any other related activities, we mustn’t see it as a chore. We don’t have attend these activities if we don’t want to. Nothing can force people to attend these things. We only attend if we want to. We only attend when we think that we can benefit from it, or when we believe we can can create value out of it. As believers of any religion, we have to remember that we are not forced to attend and we also need to respect non-believers as well. Whether or not we believe in something, we need to understand, respect and appreciate everyone around us - friends, families and even our enemies.

I just want to be able to enjoy my life, contribute to society and learn to respect each and everyone around us. Religion doesn’t force you to do something. It is there to guide you through the most difficult times. It is a philosophy you choose to follow.