What I Learned in Singapore.

I have been busy due to the Chinese New Year and my trip to Singapore. So just sharing some of my experiences there.

1. I just came back from attending Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche's teachings in Singapore's FPMT Amitabha Buddhist Centre. I was late for the talk but even then the points I heard from his teaching was point blank in answering a question I had on my "Ultimate Guru". And on my last day, I just dropped by the centre, on the way to the train station to Changi Airport, even though it was just a few minutes at the centre to mentally bid him goodbye and thank him, at that crucial moments, I heard from him several verses to emphasise the same message from him again on the root guru. Were those moments just coincident? You can believe what you want but my experience with Rinpoche is that he always had a way to let the listener listen to those points that mattered to them. At least that's the case for me. That was not the first time. Last year in KL, for most of his talk, I could not make out what he was saying but at some critical junction, I heard some crucial sentences very clearly to answered some questions that I had been having... something on yidam meditation. Then after that it was time for me to go back and didnot manage to heard anything else anymore. I heard what I needed. And that was adequate!

2. I also managed to attend HE Dagpo Chenga Rinpoche's talk on Gong Chik. The latter is Drikung Kagyu's founder - Lord Jigten Sumgon's teachings often called "Single Intention" in English. These teachings are short sentences or statements that clarify points on dharma or related to dharma. I managed to attend 2 of the sessions, and the consequence of those was that I think very highly of those vajra verses. I have not heard officially any teachings from a lama before on Gong Chik and I thank Jigten Sumgon Ratna Shri for this blessings to receive some of it now. As a result on the teachings, some of my lngering dounts on Asanga was also dispelled, making my visualised field of merit, which included Asanga, now very clear. I regard that as having been blessed by Asanga himself. I am beginging to see the power of doing guru yoga. Slowly ..slowly, things are becoming clearer. I also was previleged to see a thangka of Lord Jigten Sumgon without the giant red hat and he was pictured as bald! His hand mudra was like that of Lama Tsongkhapa. Amazing!

3. Oh... I also "bumped" into my protector images. There were the 2 of them (statues) behind a glass display at a shop selling deity statues and  other prayer stuffs at the building next to the Outram Park MRT station. I donot know but they seem to be "tailing" me everywhere I go as if to tell me "I am watching you... do not do anything stupid. We are watching..." Even when I go to Nepal, even though those statues are rare, I still chanced upon them while in Kathmandu. Can you believe it? That's the thing about having protectors! They follow you around. But during the talk on Gong Chik, Chenga Rinpoche did say that our practice of the dharma is actually our own protector. That's because if we are practising properly, then our morality will prevent us from creating misdeeds that will court trouble and create bad karma. Our own morality "manifests" as external deties/helpers. Not anything else. If I slacked, they will go away and take a slumber!  So I am reminded of that!

4. I got myself a meditation cushion. My first one, and I like it very much. It was love at first sight. I like the colour and the pattern. It's mostly red in colour and it is the colour of the Tathagata of the Lotus family, which is Amitabha family. What's cool is that I got it at the 3 for 10 shop in Vivo City shopping mall. It's only 3 items for SGD10. Worth it!