The Three-Year Hill

A long time ago in a village, there was a ridge called Three-Year Hill.  Legend had it that if someone fell from the hill he would live only three more years, so that's how the ridge got it's name.  Since nobody like the ideas of crossing the hill, they all took a detour.

One day, an old man who had visited a village on the other side of hill was coming back late at night.  With some reluctance, he decided to cross the ridge.  He walked cautiously, but because he was very nervous, he soon lost his footing and fell down the hill.  He sat there stunned for a long time before going home.

After that, he fell into a deep depression because he knew his life would be over in three years.  He lost his appetite and became weaker and weaker, until he was finally bed-ridden.  A very clever body who live next door heard the old man's story and visited him.

"Sir, don't worry.  I have a great idea."
"What do you mean?  I only have three more years to live.  What great idea could you possible have?"
"You should go back to the Three-Year Hill and fall down again."

The old man listened in disbelief.  Reaching to beat the boy with his wooden pillow, he yelled,
"What?  Are you kidding?  Do you want me to die tomorrow morning?  Get out of my house now!"

The boy tried very patiently to explain, "Listen, sir--"
"Stop this!  Get out!"
"Sir, listen.  If you fall down the hill, you will live only three years.  Am I right?"
"So what?" asked the old man.
"Then, if you fall there twice, you can live six more years.  If you fall three times, it totals nine years.  So if you fall down ten times, you can live 30 more years.  Doesn't that make sense to you?"

At last, the old man understood the wise words of the boy.  He sprang from his bed, ran up Three-Year Hill, and rolled down.  And he did it again and again.  After that, he lived a long, happy life.

Moral of the story:  What we believe becomes the truth.  The truth that was not tested but followed blindly becomes dogma of which will kill us sooner or later. How about you?  What is your truth in life?  Do you prefer to follow dogma blindly, the way of others doing things?  Or are truthful person who would like to follow the path that are not familiar but willing to explore with an open heart?

The path full of rules and dogma will deliver us fear, pain, anguish, and unhappiness that will curtail our well-being and happiness in life.

The path filled with healthy faith and truth, will relieve any sufferings that are imposed upon by others as well as us, thus leading us a life that will amplify our well-being and happiness and life span.

Wesak Day is around the corner.  The Shakhyamuni Buddha's life  was the shining example of someone who upheld the Truth beyond the three worlds. And elevated the mankind into different levels, from suffering to happiness, from ignorance to engligntenment by setting direct example with his own lif.

Though you might or might not be a buddhist, but I still like to you wish you all Truth and Enlightenment in the years to come.  

Happy Wesak Day!

 

Headstand (Shirshasana)--Sometimes we need a new perspective in life!

Last Sunday was the election day.  Of course, I can't cast my vote even if I wanted to.  Being an expatriate PR, I am not entitled to any political stance points, neither have I any interest to do so.  But, this election is held in 5 years since the last one in March 2008.  And personally, the election day brings me back a rather painful memory...So I was rather a bit nervous with all the hypes that were happening around it.

It was January 2008 that I opened the current Beth's Yoga center in Putra Heights.  At the time, I just uprooted my then-strong Yoga base in Bukit Jalil, and moved to the present location which was yet a remote new township.

In retrospect, it was a very bold move in many aspects. Because I simply packed and left the beautiful Bukit Jalil center, leaving the loyal hundreds Yoga students behind, to start a new center in where virtually not many human folks were yet-to-be-seen.  It was all quiet day and night in the new town.

I don't know what I saw...but, I simply fall in love with the new town when I first was.  Maybe it was the hill, palm trees, clear sky or simply the fresh air that are so rare in other parts of the KL city...But anyway, I felt special connection and promising future in this newly developing township, that I wish to root myself for the rest of life.  Being an expatriate living in a foreign land for ten over years then, I very much needed a place that I can finally settle and develop the sense of belonging...

I guess the abundant greenery and hilly atmosphere, with a bit isolated feeling from the rest of busy hustle-bustle city life...suited well with my inclination for solitary and quietude...

Despite of much obstacles and hiccups that accompanied initially...however...by the grace of God and help from many of my Yoga friends...the new center opening was rather smooth and it could receive warm welcoming from the not-yet many PH residents...But it was a short sweet dream that lasted barely a few month...

Then, it came the March 2008 election shock...that shook the whole country...and it affected many large and small business men...including this new Yoga center of mine...

The FATWA interference on Yoga, putting the ban on all the Muslim from it, and the Yoga Zone bankruptcy who put a very bad name on Yoga as the result...So suddenly more than half of the enrollment disappeared from my yoga center as well, with not much new students for many, many months thereafter...It was a very tough time then...with huge capital was already invested for the renovation, moving and advertising...

That was 5 years ago already.  And I somehow managed to stand in the same place, with the same enthusiasm and all the more vibrant yoga students in the center of buzzing township of Putra Heights...up until now... 

What I first saw years ago...faint impression of the beautiful and tranquil place, that I can invite the stressed city-folks to breathe and stretch...So that, they can release stress, recharge tired body, mind and souls, and get a new perspective in life regularly for the better life aspirations...

I feel only now start to materializing...PH is ever changing and all the more vibrant, and so are the in-out surroundings in the Beth's Yoga center...I guess I was right after all.  I am very glad that I am still here.  How about you?  Are you still there...?  In where you were and where you want to in your life?  If not, I guess it's time that you need a new look in your life. 

This is one of my favorite yoga asanas to unleash my stress and a bull's eye yoga pose in refreshing our stuck mind...It was most helpful too, at the time when I was dealing with the aftermath shock of the last election...the headstand pose...

Headstand(Shirshasana) is considered the king of all the asanas and, as such, one of the most important asanas in yoga.  This supported version of Shirshasana puts the least amount of stres on the head and neck because the forearms and shoulders support the majority of the body weight.  The crown of the head is cradled between the hands, and the back of the head rests against the fingers.  There are numerous variations of headstand; however, this version is best for building the strenth and stamina for all others.

The benefits of Shrshasana is; it increases stamina and strength in the shoulders, neck, abdominals, and upper spine and helps prevent bone degeneration in these areas; it creates good posture; it improves circulation; it massages the lungs and builds resistance to illness; increases energy and body heat; increases concentration and balance as it stimulates the pressure points at the crown chakra.

So let me know if you want to learn it too...

Chicken or Eagle

There was a farmer who had chicken in his backyard.  And then, there was a chicken that was a little odd looking, but he was a chicken.  It behaved like a chicken.  It was pecking away like other chickens.  It didn't know that there was a blue sky overhead and a glorious sunshine.

One day a learned man was passing by the farm.  He saw the odd looking chicken.  
Then he said to the farmer, "Hey, that's no chicken.  That's an eagle."  But, the farmer said, "Um, um, no, no, no man.  That's a chicken; it behaves like a chicken."

And the man said no; give it to me please.  And he gave it this knowledgeable man.  And this man took this strange looking chicken and climbed the mountain and waited until sunrise.  And then he turned this strange looking chicken towards the sun and said, 

"Eagle, fly, eagle."  And the strange looking chicken shook itself, spread out its pinions, and lifted off and and soared and soared and flew away, away into the distance.  

God says to all of us, you are no chicken; you are an eagle.  Fly, eagle, fly.  And God wants us to shake ourselves, spread our pinions, and then lift off and soar and rise, and rise toward the confident and the good and the beautiful.  Rise towards the compassionate and the gentle and the caring.  Rise to become what God intends us to be--eagle, not chickens.

(Desmond Tutu, cleric, activist, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate)

One of my favorite yoga poses is "Garudasana--eagle pose". 

Garuda is a divine bird, the Lord Vishnu's carrier, with the head, wings, talons and beak of an eagle and the body and limbs of a man, which why the pose is commonly referred to as eagle pose.

As you stay balanced with one leg wrapped over the other, and both arms tightly interwind each other in front of you...it's pretty much challenging, not to sway hither-thither, not to mention about the fast beating heart and rapid breaths.  In no time, you are drenched with sweats dripping all over your face, body and the floor.  And yet, when you undo the tanglings of the limbs...there is a certain sense of satisfaction and relief boosting your confidence levels...

That's why, if you can master this pose after the initial awkard hesitations and fallings...Garudasana not only, strengthens and stretches the ankles and calves and improving balance, but also, opens up your heart to soar toward the sky!  You realize that, you are no timid chicken who keeps looking down, but instead, an eagle, with gigantic wings and sharp gaze to be able to fly far and wide into the vast sky.  What a freedom to break free of all the limitations of chicken that was imposed by others as well as ourselves....!!!

Let's remind ourselves one more time...our God given identity...we are no chicken, but an eagle!!!

The Grumbler

Once upon a time, there was a man who was very proud of himself.  He had a habit of grumbling at whatever he saw.  For instance, when he looked at the mountain, he would say, "Why must a mountain be so high that we have trouble climbing it?" 

When he looked at the dirt, he said "God is so strage.  Why did he make soil to get our clothes dirty?"

The man always had a grievance against everything.  One day as he was taking a walk, he stopped to rest under an oak tree.  There was a house nearby, whose roof was covered with gourds.  Looking at the gourds on the roof, he said, "Why did God let such big, round gourds hang on such thin vines?  He is really strange."

As he was grumbling an acorn fell and hit his head and he rubbed the painful spot.  Then all of a sudden he clapped his hands and shouted joyfully, "A-ha!  God is very wise!  If there were gourds on the acorn tree, my head would have been split in two.  But he only let small acorns grow on the tree, so I was saved."  From then on, the man was a generous person and never complained anymore....


Hello my dear Yogis and Yoginis! 

Here is a story from Korean folklore for you.  
I'm sure none of you are this sort of a grumbler, despite your hectic daily ins and outs.  
Still...if you find yourself weighed down heavily by all those things that fills your days and time endlessly...

Here is the reminder for you to Breathe....breathing in...pause...breathing out...longer pause...again...breathing in...pause...breathing out...and even longer pause....

There you go....you find yourself already feeling much better...
One more reminder...don't forget to smile...never grumble...

Then...you can become the angel like the man in the story!

Please check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40DykbPa4Lc  just for laugh!!!

The Toad’s Tears

One day, a Dragon King held a banquet, inviting every imaginable fish there was.  They all gathered in his palace and ate and drank until they were full.  Everyone was having such a good time until something happened.  There was a drunken hair-tail fish was swimming here and there, swinging its tail, and he accidently hit the King in the eye, blinding him.

The King was furious.  “Bring before me every fish with a tail immediately,” he ordered the crab and the lobster.

The sudden change in the mood of the party frightened everyone and they ran away.  The crab and lobster searched and searched for the fish with a tail, but they failed to find even a single one.

Feeling very foolish, the crab and lobster went ashore in search of the fish.  Finally, they came across a ditch between two rich fields.  They heard someone crying, so they followed the sound and found a big toad.

“Why are you crying so sadly?” the crab and lobster asked the toad.

“Is it true that the Dragon King ordered every fish with a tail to be brought before him?”

“Yes, that is true.  But what’s the matter with you?  You don’t have to worry.  You don’t even have a tail.”

“Of course, I do not have a tail, but it reminds me of the time when I was a tadpole.”

Today is Chap go meh, the last day of CNY, 15^th day of the first lunar month in 2013.  We got invited for the Lion Dance troupe and breakfast in the corner restaurant of Putra Heights.  It supposed to start at 9am, so we went before 8.30am…in my usual Korean time psyche…But it started in 10 am!!!  Malaysian time psyche…after all these years, I am still not getting used to this huge time-gap between two countries… 

Anyway, we had a good, loud crackers’ explosion plus very colorful lion dance plus…simple Chinese foods and roast goat (instead of roast pork, because afraid to offend the earth god of the restaurant, who could be Muslim or Chinese…, that’s the explanation I heard…) But, I partook some oranges only.  After seeing all those crackers busting all over around the foods on the ground, though they are covered by banana leaves…I don't really feel like eating them…

After that, I went to the Korean temple in Ampang.  Their prayer starts at 10am and it is 40 minutes drives if no traffic.  Luckily the road was clear all the way to allow me 90 km/hr speed… still arriving barely before their prayer finish... At least I could enjoy their Korean vegetarian Chap go meh dishes and catching-up-chats with the temple friends.  Since I move to Putra Heights in January 2008, it’s not easy to go over their temple now.  Of course I wasn’t regular even before that.  Out of blue moon…I will drop by over there, like once every year or two…but whenever I go there, I get to release some of my homesickness.  

It’s already my 16^th year in Malaysia…and it was the first time in 21 year (added my US years) that I got to eat Korean-Chap-go-meh food!!! Our food of the day is a-5 grains rice and 5 kinds dried vegetables, traditional rice cakes and fruits…and it was very nice and happy meal though so much simpler in looking and taste than Chinese dishes.

Today, I felt like the toad of the story remembering my tadpole days…there was no King looking for the fish with a tail, nor I was crying with the sadness.  But then, after all these years…I am still finding the Korean foods suit me better over the Chinese foods…I guess no matter how much I look like a Chinese in my outlook by now, my inside is still very much a Korean, so is my English with Korean accent.

Anyway since the long Chinese New Year celebrations is finally over now, I wonder whether I could expect familiar faces returning to the Yoga studio…to lose all the extra pounds from the CNY…

Who will pass this “find a daughter-in-law” test?

Long ago, in a village of Korea, a rich, wise old woman had a son who was in a marriageable age.  With his parents’ riches behind, this handsome man was a target of every marriageable girl in the village.  But the old lady wasn’t into any conventional types of match making for her son.  She wanted a daughter-in-law who is capable of carrying on the legacy of the family, not just a pretty face or impressive family background.

One day she put up a test in the village notice board, 

“Whomever can live one month with 1 kg of rice, together with a maid, in an isolated hut, will be chose to be my daughter-in-law!” 

Of course almost all the girls in the village applied for the contest.  They tried to save rice as much as possible: some cooked very water porridges and eat it every other day.  But no matter how much they tried to save, because there were two persons (with the maid), sooner or later they ran out of rice.  They then lived only on water for some time, but soon all of them starved and had to be carried out in carriages long before the one-month deadline.

Then came this plumb girl with a not-so-pretty look but pleasant manners.  As soon as she entered the hut, she cooked a very handsome meal and dessert by using the whole 1 kg rice and ate sumptuously with the maid.  After that she ordered the maid to go around the neighbors to take orders for work—washing, sewing, cooking…she worked together with the maid and got paid in return.  Then she bought themselves more food for good meals.  Because she was reliable and hardworking, there were more and more work that poured in.  She was busy but could afford the best meals every day.  By the month end, she not only survived with a mere 1 kg of rice, but also has some savings for the household.  Of course, she became the daughter-in-law of this rich family.

This is a story I read when I was a child and somehow it stays in my memory until now.  Most of us are used to think in a linear way in solving life’s puzzles—if you follow A way, you will get B result or try C way, then D result…etc.  We faithfully try A, expecting B result, but sometimes get C, D or completely different Z result.  Then what do we do?  We get unnerved and complain of unfairness in life.  But to whom are we demanding fairness, and will life always be fair and even?  In reality, life is unpredictable and things or events seldom unfold according to our wishes.  But living does not stop just because it didn’t turn out to be the way our small minds have hoped for.  

Therefore, we need to adopt much flexibility in our attitudes if we do not want to waste our efforts and live in vain.  By adopting an open mind, you can see far and wide, thereby increasing efficiency in your action.  Let’s not be like the many narrow-minded village girls who starved themselves on porridges, but learn to be productive and creative like this heroic daughter-in-law.  Beauty fades, but being dumb is forever!

Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

What I liked the most about Putra Height when I first saw; it was the lushness of green palm trees that were planted along the long winding road. For someone like me who grew up in a city that had mostly buildings only in Korea, and lived in apartment buildings since came to Malaysia, especially the rich forest of Bukit Cermin hill was a sight to behold!  So I fell in love with PH immediately. Without thinking twice, I booked two places; a shop for the new yoga center and a house for our new home nearby.  That was more than seven years ago.

And now, what was once the home of many monkeys and the favorite place for mountain bikers…became like a bold headed old man, with MCT busying themselves with their schools and premium housing projects.  No more trees, no more monkeys, and no more mountain bikers…but full of red earths, heavy construction beams, trucks, dust and stagnated rain waters all over on the field…  I am not sure how beautiful and premium hilly housing they are going to build…I just hope they don’t chop off even the green palm trees along the road.  We need more of trees and forest to enjoy more sane and healthy lifestyle, not more of bungalows, but some greedy people are ever hungry for more profits by maximising every inch of the space. How sad...

Among many yoga asanas, the tree pose (vrikshasana) is one of the most calming, elegant and comforting yoga poses. 

Vriksha means “tree” in Sanskrit.  The tree pose is a standing balance on one leg.  The foot of the lifted leg is placed on the inner thigh of the standing leg, and both hands are held above the head, palms joined together.  The legs represent the roots of the tree, buried underground, and the trunk of the tree begins at the trunk of the body, growing all the way up through the spine and the arms, which are the branches.  This pose enhances stability and strengthens the ankles, calves, and thighs.  It also stretches the muscles of the legs, groin and chest. 

Since ancient times, yogis have made the forest their favorite place for yoga practice.  The trees were their home, providing them with shelter and an abundance of food in the form of fruits and nuts.  The forest also symbolized a pristine world that was conducive to a life of contemplation without material possessions. The shade beneath a tree was thought to be the best place for a student to receive spiritual knowledge from a teacher.  

Tree pose represents the flowering of spirituality in a material environment.  In this pose, one foot is rooted deeply in the earthly soil, while the joined palms reach to the spiritual sky, channeling the blessings that come from above. The tree pose is a posture in which we imbue body, mind, and breath with the qualities of generosity, tolerance, strength, and balance.

Sadly, not only in Putra Height, but all over in the areas of city are fast becoming congested with ongoing developments for ever more housings, shopping complexes, buildings, LRT stations, etc. which means less and less trees around us. 

Thus, why not we stand in one leg to contemplate on the qualities of tree?  Tree pose offers a beautiful opportunity to meditate on a tree’s inherent qualities.  The tree is so tolerant that it even gives shade to the woodcutter who comes to cut it down with an axe.  The true yogi freely gives the fruits of spiritual wisdom and love as generously as trees offer us shade, flowers, fruits, and wood.

Many people were petitioning to stop the MCT housing projects since the landslide incidents few weeks ago…  However, it seems nonetheless they are going ahead with the projects as soon as they cleared the road for the residents.  If the development projects is already beyond the point of stopping, then, I wish they leave at least some of the trees in the hill tops, so that people who are living below the hills, can have some green relief when they raise their eyes to look up the sky…or else we just have to content with looking down one point in front of us, to search for the inner tree of wisdom and love…otherwise what else can we do...?

Grateful for just the way it is

I am not sure how many people have noticed that, of recently, the Yoga Studio has gone under some face lift.  Obvious change is the mirrors in the pillars.  Other than that…?  Not sure of what? 

Yes…not many have noticed the changes, except two persons.  The first was ML, who has notice the studio somehow brighter, but couldn’t tell exactly of what (the dead celling lights were replaced).  The second was Mr. Siau, who has immediately noticed the studio walls that were repainted, despite of the same color as before.  Other people…were too busy to rush in and rush out of the yoga classes, to notice or catch any changes in the surroundings…

The daily heavy downpours for the last few months brought the yoga studio some serious damages.  The cracks on the rooftop and window panels were inviting rain waters to the walls and wooden floors.  So the walls and pillars were showing ugly water stains with molds, and the floors were getting lifted off. 

Being Malaysia as you all would agree…the rooftop and wall leaking in buildings are quite common problem.  So I didn’t want to bother the landlord in every rainwater drips that was there whenever it rains heavily over the years.  But this time, it was getting too much.  So I called the landlord who is living in another state.   He knew of the leaking problem and he was planning to do major job to repair the roof once the rain stops.  However the sky didn’t seem to dry up with so much rains.  Seeing the studio walls and floor from prolonged rain…he apologized profusely. 

He immediately put himself in action with his contractor brother-in-law and very expensive waterproof painting from Singapore.  They couldn’t wait till the rain stop any longer, so they were working in-between-dry-sky over the last few weeks.  After that, they repainted almost whole walls and ceilings inside the studio, from landlord’s pocket, which is not small sum.  I am grateful for the landlord’s kindness generosity, though I am not quite sure whether it was his normal responsibility as the building owner.  Even if it is, it doesn’t matter.  I am still immensely grateful to him to make the studio so clean and nice.  The lights fix and mirrors are from my own pockets.

So that is why, the studio got fresh look like a new, though many might have felt the lighter moods even if they didn’t express it. 

It’s so encouraging, to know there are still good people in the world like my landlord, unlike some other ugly rich ones, who genuinely care for the tenant’s agony like their own affairs.  People say, it’s a dog-eat-dog world.  But, I find it otherwise.  There are still so many good people are out there.  The four instructor-trainee gals are another ones, who all are looking to do some good in caring for others despite their full spectrum careers.  And the many yoga students and friends from the past years till present, who were so supportive, kind, loyal and trusty, to this foreign origin… 

I do not know what kind of a person I would have ended up, if I haven’t met all these wonderful people through the yoga center.  I will be as bitter as the dried water tap like the Ampang people experiencing it right now. When I first came in Malaysia in 1997, I lived with a dried tap for 6 months because of the Commonwealth Game then.  The government was reserving water in our area for the Games.  It was a living hell then, for entire the first year.  I had gone through some serious depression and soul searching.  What pulled me out of the dark tunnel was Yoga…

So I feel particularly grateful for my landlord this year in making my yoga studio afresh, to remind me of those beginning years in Malaysia that I felt so touched by many kind gestures of friends who helped me to feel belong here. 

What are you grateful for today, this year?  Of lately I am seeing increasing number of cancer patients around me… to remind me stay ever grateful for life and good health and good company.  Maybe you could also start to feel grateful if you aren’t sure of what the New Year is holding it in front of you…

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”   ----Melody Beattie

The Five Monks

 An urgent call came to the great Lama of the North from the Lama of the South asking for a wise and holy monk to initiate the novices in the spiritual life.  To everyone's astonishment, the Great Lama sent five monks instead of one.  To those who inquired he said cryptically, "We will be lucky if one of them gets to the Lama."

The group had been on the road some days when a messenger came running up to them and said, "The priest of our village has died.  We need someone to take his place."  The village seemed a comfortable sort of place and the priest's salary was a handsome one.  One of the monks was seized with pastoral concern for the people.  "I should not be a Buddhist," he said, "if I did not stay on to serve these people."  So he dropped out.

Some days later they happened to stay at the palace of a king who took a fancy to one of the monks.  "Stay with us," said the king, "and you shall marry my daughter.  And when I die, you will succeed to the throne."

The monk was attracted to the luster of kingship, so he said, "What better way to influence the people of this kingdom than to become a king?  I should not be a Buddhist if I did not seize this opportunity to server the interests of religion."  So he dropped out too.

The rest of the group went on their way and one night, in a hilly region, came upon a solitary hut that was occupied by a pretty girl who offered them hospitality and thanked God for having sent the monks to her.  Her parents had been murdered by mountain bandits and the girl was all alone and full of anxiety.  Next morning, when it was time to leave, one of the monks said, "I shall stay with the girl.  I should not be a Buddhist if I did not practice compassion."

The remaining tow finally came to a Buddhist village and found, to their horror, that all the village had abandoned their religion and were under the sway of a Hindu theologian.  One of the monks said, "I owe it to these people and to the Lord Buddha himself to stay on here and win them back to the faith."

The fifth monk eventually got to the Lama of the South.

We had a wonderful New Year gathering last night in Titirat's house.  Her house was so beautiful and clean, like a resort in Thailand.  Her cooking and hospitality was superb like a first class Thai restaurant.  These four gals are the yoga instructor trainees; all with superb qualities of hearts and zeal for life.  Their smiles are radiant...every time this kinds of company, smiles, sharing...make our life so rich and worthwhile.  I hope we all can rejoice more of this kinds genuine and warm relationships in otherwise our so dull and flat-tire kinds of daily living...

I have trained quite numbers of yoga instructors previously too...but I don't know where all they went, except Wee Vien and Angie...we had such good times too while the trainings were on...but life is such, there are always unforeseen challenges, changes keep coming up to be able to live our inspirations fully.  But what to do.  That's life, constant flux of coming and going...wherever they are, whatever stage they are going through in their life, I just wish they are all fine and occasionally would remember those good days like this one...Happy New Year to all my previous yoga trainee gals, too!!