Susannah in Taipei

Save My Last Ring for Her

2008-12-01T07:20:00.003+08:00

~~A true story of a gambler

Once upon a time there was a rich, handsome young man and he had a lovely girl friend. He was rich because his father was making a lot of money. They got married a couple of years after they had fallen in love. Three sons and one daughter were born to this family one after another. Unfortunately, the happy family turned into a miserable one since the husband’s father died and did not leave him much legacy.

Afterwards, he had become addicted to gambling and drinking. His wife did not love him anymore. Besides, she did not love her children very much, either. She lived with her 3 sons and left the little girl to her mother. She hated to see him and isolated the children from seeing their father, too. The man lived with his relatives in his father’s old house for the rest of his life. One day he got back home drunk and went to bed. The next day he was found dead. It was in his 50s, about 30 years after he got married.

Several years before his death, his siblings found that a gold ring their mother had given to him was gone. They asked him where was the ring and he said he had given it to his youngest daughter. No one believed him. People thought the ring must have been sold to pay a gambling debt. They thought he was just making up an excuse in which the character of the story would never show up. However, on the funeral day, the daughter appeared. Surrounded and questioned by her long-time-no-see aunts and uncles, the girl confirmed her father’s words.

Years ago she was told by her brothers that their father wanted to see them. Without enthusiasm, only her youngest brother and she agreed to meet him. They had dinner in a hot pot shop just around the corner. Instead of choosing a fancy restaurant, they went to a low-priced hot pot shop in case that a sudden quarrel should be started, they could leave easily. After the dinner, the daughter gave her father a ride to the train station. Before the father got off her car, he took the gold ring off his finger and gave it to her. He said it was a memento left by her grandmother. Apparently he had nothing worth some money but the gold ring. That day, he gave her the only valuable he had. They had not seen each other again before his death.

On hearing the truth, all the siblings of the dead man burst into tears. I was in tears too when I heard this story and every time I shared it with friends. No matter how indifferent and uncaring he had been to his daughter, inside the pure land of his heart, there was paternal love. But his love was confined in a seed which had barely sprouted and never grown into a flourishing tree. However, this affectionate feelings of a father was no less than that of any other father in the world.

Holy Teacher’s Teachings

2008-08-31T15:31:00.005+08:00

◎ In Chinese, the word “busy” has the same pronunciation as “blind.” People tend to be busy in doing blind pursuits. You need to keep yourselves busy but not blind, and the only way to do so is to keep your hearts tranquil.

◎ I want you to truly discover yourselves through the mirror inside of your hearts – the heart mirror. The mirror on the wall can reflect the blue sky outside the window, and the ups and downs in this dazzling human realm. A mirror just reflects the true objects. The blue sky or the ups and downs, good and bad things in this human world do not affect/change the mirror itself and the mirror will not reject any of them, either. I want you to “use your heart like a mirror,” like a mirror which can contain the different faces of different people.

◎ Hope you all have high aspirations. Your original nature is innocent, like a baby. A baby is the most honest and goodhearted being, just like a clear sheet of paper. Originally, you were all goodhearted and pure; you should strive to restore your true nature. Be pure and goodhearted all the time. Cultivation should be done especially when no one sees you, when you are all by yourself. Heart cultivation is not something to show off in the public.

A Hot Summer Day without Air-conditioning

2008-07-01T21:02:00.003+08:00

It’s been quite hot recently in Taipei. During the daytime, the temperature can soar up to 36°C. When the outdoor temperature is 36°C, it is usually 31°C in my small apartment. In the past, I would turn on the air-conditioner when the room temperature is above 27 °C. This year, I decide to change my life style. Saving energy and reducing carbon emissions account for my change, of course. But the major reason is that I want to “train” myself to get used to the natural environment physically and mentally.

I remember that when I was young, we did not have any air-conditioner in school or at home. But the memories of my summer vacations in those years are so sweet and joyful. I took my entrance exams to junior high, senior high and university in this kind of weather. Yet the heat wave never made me dull. I got very high grade each time. After I grew up, I’ve always stayed in cool air-conditioned room as most people do. However, the memories of these summers are not as happy as those of younger days.

Conclusion:
1. Happiness does not stem from cool air in hot summer days. It comes from your heart.
2. The heat wave will not beat you when your mind is clear and innocent.
3. When your heart is peaceful, you feel cool. When it is disturbed, you feel upset even in an air-conditioned room.
4. Due to the inevitable global warming, we never know if we’ll have enough energy to keep our air-conditioners running in the future. So we have to get used to the natural temperatures if we want to survive.
The attached photo was taken at the door of my balcony in such a hot summer day.

A New Home

2008-05-30T15:33:00.003+08:00

I moved to a new home on May 2. It is a newly-built, furnished suite of size about 26 square meters. Too small? It’s enough for me. Located in a secluded alley, the environment is very much like a countryside. Despite its seclusion, it is within 10-minute walk distance to the nearest MRT station. I had lived in Sanchung city since I was born. There must be a major cause for me to move here. But I would like to keep it to myself. What I want to share is that moving here is like going abroad. Make a change and refresh myself, hopefully. The attached photo is a scene of my retreat.

Burning Ghost Money

2008-04-14T15:33:00.002+08:00

Burning ghost money is a traditional custom in Taiwan. People believe that in doing so, they can please ghosts and gods. Once the spirits are pleased, they will be blessed with good fortune.

Taiwan has been through economic depression in the past years. People make less and less money than before. As a result, this custom has been greatly prevailing over the whole island.

In tradition, the ghost money is to be burnt on some designated days like 1th, 2th, 15th, 16th in lunar calendar or anniversaries of Buddhas and Gods. Now people burn these papers whenever they like.

I think in ancient times, people burned it to show their due respect to Gods or concern over ghosts. Now people do this as a bribery. However, I think upright Buddhas and Gods are unbribable. Oh yes, they can surely be pleased. If we do good things, we please Buddhas and Gods. If we commit crimes and burn ghost money, whom are we praying to?

This afternoon, I smelled some polluted air and watched from my window. I saw girls from the whorehouse right opposite to my apartment burning ghost money on no particular day like today. This area is a residential district, but we have several illegal brothels around the neighborhood.

Sony Bravia

2008-03-10T14:58:00.001+08:00

I went to Costco with my borthers yesterday.
As usual, I bought a lot of fiber bars.

Taking my camera with me, I intended to capture the rhythm of people shopping at such a huge wholesale warehouse. When I was viewing the photos taken, most of them were deleted as they look chaotic.

Among those left, 2 stand out because of "beauty". They are pictures of Sony Bravia presenting flowers. The prices are reasonable. But I have no intention to buy one.

For 2 reasons:
1. My house is full of stuff I can not bear to discard.
2. I know I will be tired of it several years later. By then, it will be another huge, cannot-bear-to discard garbage to me.

The Plants on my Balcony

2008-03-08T13:51:00.002+08:00

A couple in my neighborhood was quarrelling with each other furiously this morning. I watched them from my balcony. She, a lady from China, was crying, complaining how long she had been suffering. He, a local man, was shouting, " Return my 200 thounsand NT to me!"

Later, I saw this lady carry a big luggage and walk away ......

Thirty minutes later, she went back. Probably she went to sit in the park for a while, but found she had nowhere to go.

She started to call her friends using the public telephone. She doesn't even have a cell phone.

I watched the whole scenario. I care about them. But I have been silent.....