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The Taste of Refuge
There is a space—
not here, not there—
that receives whatever appears.
A New Year Resolution for Life
Sometimes in life, the unexpected arrives quietly and painfully—being accused or blamed for something we did not truly do. Many of us know this experience. The pain that follows is hard to put into words. There is a sudden exposure, a sense of vulnerability, accompanied by shame or guilt—not because we are at fault, but because of how we fear others now see us. It is this fear of perception that stirs the urge to defend ourselves, to explain, or to strike back.
The Alchemy of “Seeing”
A flicker stirred behind the veil,
A ripple through the mind’s soft gale.
Not thunderclap nor stormy sky,
Just a hush where falsehood learned to lie.
No blade was drawn, no cry of blame,
Only silence whispering my name.
The shadow rose, a ghost, a guide,
A wrong I’d harbored deep inside.
Think, Feel, Do
Yet, from the perspective of mental cultivation, the meaning of “Think, Feel, Do” reaches far beyond personal success or social harmony. It is not merely about me or you, surviving and improving in the world. When seen deeply, “Think, Feel, Do” reflects fundamental processes of mind and body—impersonal, conditioned, and ever-changing.
Simplicity: Simplify Simply Simple
Avoiding evil, doing good and purifying the mind. Sounds simple and direct? Well, yes and no. To put it in a nutshell, it is simple and direct if the clarity, depth and consistency of what it means and how to go about it is fully realized. Otherwise, what it means and how to go about it will be misinterpreted, misperceived or misunderstood. Then clearly the purpose we aim to arrive at will never happen, ever.
When The Fire Finds You
It’s quietly astonishing how different traditions, born in different times and lands, sometimes arrive at the same inner truth. Sufi poets expressed it through longing, a fire that burned not for attainment, but for remembrance. The path of Vipassana unfolds, the art of seeing clearly, moment by moment, through the breath, through sensation, through stillness itself, not just in meditation halls, but in the middle of daily life.
When Views Run the Show
Most of us don’t realise how much our lives are shaped — even ruled — by our views. They quietly influence everything we think, say, and do. What we notice is likely only the tip of the iceberg.
Right Brain Cannot Meditate
"I do not have the mind of a scientist or private investigator. Does it mean I cannot meditate or investigate to gain insights?” Well, yes and no. Hear me out first please.
What is Freedom?
What is freedom? Have you ever paused to ask yourself, not just in thought, but in quiet attention? Freedom is a word we often use, but rarely sit with. This reflection is a quiet exploration of what freedom might mean through the lens of Vipassana, and how it reveals itself not through doing, but through being.
Wisdom Leading The Practice
This journey has shown me that cultivating the practice isn’t just something we do—it’s something that grows in us, layer by layer. Wisdom leads, stability supports, and awareness happens. With confidence and effort, the path reveals itself—always inviting us deeper, always humbling us.
The Suffering of Superiority
For most of my life, I’ve felt the weight of inferiority, often wishing for the confidence of superiority. Being on the “inferior” end has always carried feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem, while the idea of superiority seemed to promise security and self-assurance. I believed that inferiority was the source of suffering, and superiority was its relief.
Shortcuts in Life
In today’s current fast-paced way of living, we often find we are short of time or even already too late buried under the mountain of items to check off in our daily to-do list. So it is a no-brainer that time-saving tools or means to get things done are very attractive and tempting to keep our sanity intact and stress levels at a minimum.
The Mind Holds All Possibility
If you were to isolate a single moment in life, you would notice that it is never fixed or set in stone. Each moment holds the potential for countless possibilities—it is fluid, not predetermined. It’s true that once a moment has passed, it becomes defined by what occurred. Yet before it unfolds, anything can happen.
When Movies Become Your Mirror
As I start to question my obsession with chasing episodes, it reveals to me that the storylines mirror an inner yearning, a sense of lack within myself. The movies become more than entertainment; they are a means of indirectly experiencing what I feel I have missed in my own life. They fill a gap, a longing for the idealized love I felt I did not encounter. Watching these illusions feels like reliving my life, as though I could rewrite my personal story through the lens of these fabricated narratives.
Beyond Being Overwhelmed…
Oftentimes, despite everything we've learned, when defilements strike, it can feel like we're helpless—completely at their mercy. Recently, a particular insight from Teacher Tuck Loon’s sharing has helped me tremendously in this area.
The Screen of the Mind
It’s clearer now, the veil grows thin,
The blocks to truth lie deep within—
Greed that grasps and hate that burns,
And blind delusion, which never learns.
The mind reacts, it pulls, it sways,
Chasing peace in endless ways.
Aversion pushes life away,
While craving begs for it to stay.
Does Life Wear Dresses?
As I turned my gaze inward, I began to realize that we are perpetually engaged in dressing up our lives. This “dressing up” takes many forms—excitement, fear, joy, and sorrow—but at its core, it revolves around the self: “I,” “me,” “mine.”
From Justice to Simply Just
Standing up against injustice is something many of us feel drawn to. It is about pushing back against unfairness, mistreatment, and harm because something inside us says, “That’s just not cool”. It is speaking out when others are misunderstood, taking action when people are mistreated or denied their voice.
Meaningful Conversations
Recently I had the rare opportunity to ordain as a temporary Buddhist novice nun. I took on the 10 precepts, donned brown robes, shaved my head bald, had solid food only between dawn to midday and lived in a monastery to dedicate time for practice. It was a personal exploration of what and how my mind reacts and learns in such conditions.
Snails. Humility. Heedfulness.
Recently, I encountered a small but powerful reminder of this while walking to work. A snail was crossing my path, vulnerable to being crushed. Without hesitation, I lifted it gently, placing it safely out of harm’s way. In another instance, my friend Jin Jie and I saw a snail together. This time, instead of moving it myself, I asked him to help.
Start your journey
A thousand mile journey starts with a baby step. Start yours today!