Evelyn
Evelyn
The 5Cs of Buddhism
The 5Cs is a well known acronym in Singapore. It typically refers to the Singapore Dream. It was coined in the 90s due to a local observation of the materialistic obsession of Singaporeans. The 5Cs are Cash, Condo, Car, Country Club Membership and Credit Card. When I started my banking career upon graduation years ago, I had the same dream.
(Photo taken in Singapore Botanic Gardens from where I practice Taichi also known as a form of meditation in motion.)
Even today, many young adult Singaporeans can attest to the chasing after the same dream of 5Cs. The problem is that the 5Cs is all about material goods. So social or community values have largely been ignored.
Bells of Mindfulness
A reader, by the name of Art Gould, wrote to me and asked if he could share a useful self-help tip on mindfulness. I have always enjoyed personal empowerment techniques and was most intrigued by his email. Here is an excerpt from his message…
(Photo taken of a street stall selling bells and wind chimes in Tokyo, June 2010)
What a great site! I have been reading Abundance Tapestry for over a year and have found your site to be simply awesome! Your advice has not only helped me navigate through more than a few tough situations but it has enabled me to embrace them as a part of life and learning opportunities. Not only do you have an uncommonly well balanced perspective but you are able to communicate the ideals that guide you thereby helping and guiding others. I especially enjoyed “Keep Holding Onto Faith“, which was such an insightful piece and a wonderful reminder that it is through falling that we learn to fly! I was actually writing today with a suggestion for a guest post.
Keep Holding On To Faith
I had an amazing dream recently. I saw myself standing on the rooftop of a tall building with a male companion. He did not look like my husband or any friend I know. I strained for a clearer view. However, his face still appeared hazy. I just could not make out who he was. What I sensed instead was that he was some kind of a mentor, a guide probably.
(A page on “Holding on to Faith” that I made in my scrapbook album after having my dream. I enjoy making arty reminders!)
In a dramatic turn, I saw myself free falling in the air. I seemed to have fallen off from the top of the building.
Down, down, down I went.
Learn The Art of Drinking Tea
Drinking tea is a lost art if you are not paying attention to its joys. In Asia, where there is a long tradition to tea-drinking. To enjoy tea fully, you have to savor the fragrance, color and flavor of the tea as the brew becomes stronger. You learn about the world from your teapcup when you engage your senses as you drink.
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has one of the best advice for us when drinking tea….
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
20 Inspirational Abundance Quotes
To me, abundance quotes are worth gold. I enjoy reading abundance quotes because I feel expansive instantly. They serve as wonderful reminders for me about holding a paradigm of prosperity.
Reading abundance quotes tells me a lot about what true wealth really means. I am inspired to live the truth that the words convey. Knowing that they are espoused from some of my favorite people on this planet offers an extra kick!
7 What-If Ideas for Creative Visioning
Why Ask Yourself A What-If Question?
Posing yourself the all powerful question “what if” helps you unlock your creative visualization ability. “What if” is an act of allowing your mind to dream up the possibility of new options. You break the conditioning of your mind from its fixed routines, limited patterns and past thinking. You venture into the playground of imagination to toy with an idea that is not yet manifest. Should you apply the power of intention to a what-if pathway, you allow your inner mind to assemble required resources to answer this question.
(Flipping through magazines is fun visualization time – a favorite activity of mine!!)
Be Open to Receiving $10 Million Dollars?
One email jumped out from the rest. I received an email from “Ben S Bernake”, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. In the message, I found out that I was about to receive $10 million dollars. Under normal circumstances, I would have moved the email right away into my trash can. But this time round, I decided to allow myself some fun in my mental playground.
(Personal album: original photo taken in Tokyo Disneyland; playfully enhanced to go along with this post.)
Here was what the email said….
Short Story: The Spiritual Warrior of the Labyrinth
The Spiritual Warrior hesitated. Even though she was standing still, her mind was racing a thousand miles. “Should she proceed or abandon the hunt?” She wondered. Beads of perspiration gathered on the side of her forehead. The Warrior started to reflected on her journey so far.
Since entering the labyrinth, the Warrior had found herself chasing a strange looking beast. The Warrior felt somewhat disappointed by the memory of the chase. She was dismayed that she had not been successful with a quick conquest.
Inspirational Story: Song of the Little Bird
There lived a little bird in the forest. It had been singing songs ever since it was born. It learned how to sing from papa bird, mama bird and all the other birds in the vicinity. It would sing everyday.
(A collage made out of printed transparent plastic with photoshopped details against a wooden background).
One day, while the little bird was singing on the branch of a tree, it got interrupted by the sound of a little boy. The little bird looked down. A boy was pointing at it with his finger and saying “what a sad haunting melody!”
Inception Movie Review: Your Mind Is the Scene of the Crime
I had a dream in the wee hours of Sunday morning. When I woke up from the dream, I decided that I needed to watch the move “Inception” as soon as possible. My dream had felt real. It was intriguing that I was able to understand its message for me while I was in the dream state. I wanted to find out if “Inception” had more to teach me about dreams.
“Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.” — Inception