“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”
-Vincet Van Gogh
Prime numbers..They are like life.. logical but yet difficult to comprehend their pattern. He has been brooding over this trying to find his way out through the galleria of peculiar numbers. He tries to scribble something but pencil lead breaks. He scratches the paper with the broken pencil as if trying to sympathize with the fate of broken lead. How rough and weird is this, he thinks.
He takes out the dices from his left pocket and starts playing with them. He rolls them on the table and the numbercomes ‘2′ and ‘3′.
“Huh prime!”
“So you got a 5” someone speaks from behind. Taken aback as someone has just spoken his mind aloud he turns back.
“Actually I would say its 23 my friend”, He says
“You are again at it, aren’t you?”
“Well my friend it’s the way you want to see it”, saying that he smiles.
He has always wondered at the obscurity of life. Always been so unsure of the purpose. It has never been so right, It has never been so wrong either. This is he believed is the genesis of the confusion that clogs the mind of perhaps all the people around.
He picks the dices from the table and braces them back to his left pocket.
It has been raining heavily outside.
“Are we going to wait for the rain”, His friend enquired. His friend has been always been kind of person to throw certain subtle question on him and used to watch his expressions. He always attributed this behaviour of his friend as a new religion called sadism.
He observes the tiny minuscule droplets of water on the window pane. The window was quite dusty and with showers it was looking like the holy heaven was spitting on them as if saying this is what you deserve to be there.
“Funny!” he says to himself. Funny is the nature of windows. The classic humour of the light or rather darkness being filtered through so called transparent matter. Colourless they are, yet trying to be prismatic. May be they are like the signature of our souls. Deep within everything gets filtered with the deviations. May be it’s the nature of our souls that makes us so colourful.
“Are you ready now, the rain has stopped”, His friends informs him.
“uhhh..Yes I am”, A sudden sadness engulf his face which gives an appearance of hollowness. It’s seems to be another act of luck. Bloody luck! That he is in so much need of money. A tool created by man to trade. And today he is going to trade a life for another.
“bah! Humbug”, He groans in despair.
“What! I hope you are not having second thoughts, remember you need money, and for that you have to kill this guy!”, His friend says.
“Yes I know, let’s go”.
Life they are full of permutation combinations entangled with tight strings of thoughts.
I cant kill anyone. I am not a killer. Life is what I have cherished all along in perhaps most subtle simple things. I love life how can I take one. Its the enigmatic force of joy that binds my soul with this colour. If I loose it I will loose everything.
His friend shakes him to wake him up from his thoughts.
“C’mon pull the trigger”,
“What!”
He finds himself in front of a stranger pointing the gun towards him. Is it real? Am I going to do it? Suddenly everything seems to have stopped. Sometimes your heartbeats starts to amuse you in these times. The adrenaline gush takes you to another intersection of plane where you can see how your heartbeats slow down than your thoughts. You can see how you disintegrate in the moment with thousands of voices screaming in an obtuse manner. Every second takes a timeframe of hours and…and they scream. They scream so you can realize, realize those moments of truth
He also realizes that and shouts “NO!!”
“No! I won’t take his life, We have never been imparted on this land to do this. To save someone by taking another life is death in itself. I won’t commit this mistake. I am not a KILLER. My heart is clean and any kind of killing is unforgivable”
“You swine, coward!, I will do it myself then..”, His friend punches him and takes away the executioner from his hand.
He feels as if pierced by numerous needles from all directions and in response he jumps on his friend and tries to snatch away the pistol.
A crashing sound blurts out and He could feel the warm blood. His eyes widens seeing this and in acknowledgment of the fact that it was not his. The horror fills his mind. His friend’s body gets heavy tearing away his left pocket from which the dices rolls out bearing no ‘1′ and ‘3′
“4” his friend utters his last word.
He whispers “Nah! It’s 13, the prime number of death”*.
*Acc to Chinese tarot card. Number 13 is death card.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Mothers day !
Google has been changing its home page logo every Mother's Day in a tribute to mothers everywhere. And although the images for the years 2000 and 2001 don't look very different, take a closer look (images below) and you'll find a small but interesting distinction.
I took this years image from Google Australia, but you should see it on all of Google's sites very soon.Google 2009 Mothers Day Logo
Google 2008 Mothers Day Logo
Google 2007 Mothers Day Logo
Google 2006 Mothers Day Logo
Google 2005 Mothers Day Logo
Google 2004 Mothers Day Logo
Google 2003 Mothers Day Logo
Google 2002 Mothers Day Logo
Google 2001 Mothers Day Logo
Dedicated to all mothers of the world.
Mere happiness is not the song I'm singing:
Of mothers' joy a jagged piece is pain.
To love is to be amply burdened, bringing
Hearts with gifts to an uncharted plain.
Even so, one longs to be a mother,
Remembering a richness unreserved
'Ere one could barely recognize another,
Sustained by love unsought and undeserved.
Deeper than oneself is one's communion,
A revelation reached alone by union
Yet yearned for, though through years of love well served.
Wishing all of our readers and all of our moms (and mums) a happy Mother's Day!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Realizing the Dignity of Life
Francisca Annan has worked as a nurse at the Tema General Hospital in Ghana for the past 23 years. Although she was always dedicated to her work, Ms. Annan feels that she has gained increased compassion for others, as well as a clearer understanding of the purpose of life, since she began practicing Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism in 1981. Before that, she approached her work purely from a professional point of view, working according to the dictates of her profession.
Ms. Annan was introduced to the practice of Buddhism by a former patient who wanted to thank her for nursing him during his illness. She recalls, "He told me about Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which he referred to as the greatest treasure he could give me ... one that would benefit me the rest of my life."
At first, because she was already a firm believer in another religion, Ms. Annan was not interested in what he had to say. However, because he was so sincere and well-behaved, and a true gentleman, Ms. Annan accepted his invitation to attend a culture festival held at the Arts Center in Accra.
Eventually, she would accept his hand in marriage. Ms. Annan was deeply moved by the enthusiasm and dynamism of the show, especially because she had thought that members of a religious organization would be quiet and reserved and would not engage in traditional Ghanaian drumming and dancing with such vigor. In fact, she was so impressed with the SGI's objective of promoting culture and education that she decided to begin practicing Buddhism.
Treatment with Dignity
As her understanding of Buddhism deepened, Ms. Annan's views on life began to change, leading to a change in attitude towards her patients. She recalls, "I realized how precious life is and learned that every human being should be treated equally. I became more compassionate towards my patients, instilling them with hope, confidence and joy, no matter how hopeless their situation seemed to be." She also developed a more serious attitude toward her work, and especially toward patients with communicable diseases: "Many nurses are reluctant to treat such patients, but I make a special effort to treat them with dignity, based on my conviction that they also have a right to live."
"My patients and colleagues alike have confidence in me, and they notice that I am somehow different from the other nurses. Whenever I am on duty, my colleagues feel at ease because they are confident that I am capable of handling difficult and complex cases."
Because of this experience, Ms. Annan began to practice Buddhism even more vigorously. One day, however, thieves broke into her home and stole all her clothing. In the midst of all these problems, she remembered the words of Nichiren Daishonin, "As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge, vying with one other to interfere...." Ms. Annan recalls, "I therefore encouraged myself not to waver and courageously carried on in my practice. I also tried to encourage my three young children. They never complained, even though on many occasions we had to walk long distances to meeting places."
Poison into Medicine
Another experience which put Ms. Annan's faith to the test occurred when her son suddenly started having convulsions and seemed to be on the verge of death. Despite all her medical knowledge and her best efforts, his condition worsened. She rushed him to the hospital, chanting daimoku with the firm conviction that he would recover. Today, her son is the epitome of health.
Ms. Annan recalls a time when she experienced difficulty concentrating during gongyo and had doubts about her practice. About the same time, her husband started complaining that she was participating in too many Buddhist activities. She was so surprised by his change in attitude that she wondered if he was really the same person. At one point, she even felt like quitting the practice.
Demoralized and confused, Ms. Annan turned to a senior member who advised her that instead of giving up, she should strengthen her determination to encourage her husband in his Buddhist practice. Soon after receiving this guidance, she attended a study seminar in Accra where she was deeply encouraged by the following passage from the writings of Nichiren Daishonin:
"Although I and my disciples may encounter difficulties, if we do not harbor doubts in our hearts, we shall as a matter of course attain Buddhahood. Do not harbor doubts simply because heaven does not lend you protection. Do not be discouraged because you do not enjoy an easy and secure existence in this life. This is what I have taught my disciples morning and evening, and yet they begin to harbor doubts and abandon their faith. Foolish men are likely to forget the promises they have made when the crucial moment comes."
Actual Proof
While at the seminar, she renewed her determination to work for world peace after viewing the film "The Human Revolution," which details the challenges faced by the successive presidents of the Soka Gakkai. On New Year's Day 1995, Ms. Annan made a determination to have an "Everything first" attitude. In order to have more time available to do Buddhist activities, she rearranged her work schedule. She was able to obtain permission to work night duty for an entire year. This schedule change enabled her to do her best at work as well as to participate in the culture festivals and other SGI Buddhist activities together with her husband and children throughout the year.
Last year, Ms. Annan was presented the Tema Municipality Best Nurse of the Year Award. She was truly surprised to receive this rare honor and believes that it was bestowed upon her as a result of her Buddhist practice. Moreover, the award encouraged her in the fight to protect and cherish the dignity of human life in her profession as a nurse.
Filled with confidence, Ms. Annan says, "Looking back, I realize that all those problems in my practice have given me the hope to continue and never falter along the way. I am convinced that no matter what situation may confront me, I will always overcome every problem with faith in the Gohonzon."
Ms. Annan was introduced to the practice of Buddhism by a former patient who wanted to thank her for nursing him during his illness. She recalls, "He told me about Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which he referred to as the greatest treasure he could give me ... one that would benefit me the rest of my life."
At first, because she was already a firm believer in another religion, Ms. Annan was not interested in what he had to say. However, because he was so sincere and well-behaved, and a true gentleman, Ms. Annan accepted his invitation to attend a culture festival held at the Arts Center in Accra.
Eventually, she would accept his hand in marriage. Ms. Annan was deeply moved by the enthusiasm and dynamism of the show, especially because she had thought that members of a religious organization would be quiet and reserved and would not engage in traditional Ghanaian drumming and dancing with such vigor. In fact, she was so impressed with the SGI's objective of promoting culture and education that she decided to begin practicing Buddhism.
Treatment with Dignity
As her understanding of Buddhism deepened, Ms. Annan's views on life began to change, leading to a change in attitude towards her patients. She recalls, "I realized how precious life is and learned that every human being should be treated equally. I became more compassionate towards my patients, instilling them with hope, confidence and joy, no matter how hopeless their situation seemed to be." She also developed a more serious attitude toward her work, and especially toward patients with communicable diseases: "Many nurses are reluctant to treat such patients, but I make a special effort to treat them with dignity, based on my conviction that they also have a right to live."
"My patients and colleagues alike have confidence in me, and they notice that I am somehow different from the other nurses. Whenever I am on duty, my colleagues feel at ease because they are confident that I am capable of handling difficult and complex cases."
Because of this experience, Ms. Annan began to practice Buddhism even more vigorously. One day, however, thieves broke into her home and stole all her clothing. In the midst of all these problems, she remembered the words of Nichiren Daishonin, "As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge, vying with one other to interfere...." Ms. Annan recalls, "I therefore encouraged myself not to waver and courageously carried on in my practice. I also tried to encourage my three young children. They never complained, even though on many occasions we had to walk long distances to meeting places."
Poison into Medicine
Another experience which put Ms. Annan's faith to the test occurred when her son suddenly started having convulsions and seemed to be on the verge of death. Despite all her medical knowledge and her best efforts, his condition worsened. She rushed him to the hospital, chanting daimoku with the firm conviction that he would recover. Today, her son is the epitome of health.
Ms. Annan recalls a time when she experienced difficulty concentrating during gongyo and had doubts about her practice. About the same time, her husband started complaining that she was participating in too many Buddhist activities. She was so surprised by his change in attitude that she wondered if he was really the same person. At one point, she even felt like quitting the practice.
Demoralized and confused, Ms. Annan turned to a senior member who advised her that instead of giving up, she should strengthen her determination to encourage her husband in his Buddhist practice. Soon after receiving this guidance, she attended a study seminar in Accra where she was deeply encouraged by the following passage from the writings of Nichiren Daishonin:
"Although I and my disciples may encounter difficulties, if we do not harbor doubts in our hearts, we shall as a matter of course attain Buddhahood. Do not harbor doubts simply because heaven does not lend you protection. Do not be discouraged because you do not enjoy an easy and secure existence in this life. This is what I have taught my disciples morning and evening, and yet they begin to harbor doubts and abandon their faith. Foolish men are likely to forget the promises they have made when the crucial moment comes."
Actual Proof
While at the seminar, she renewed her determination to work for world peace after viewing the film "The Human Revolution," which details the challenges faced by the successive presidents of the Soka Gakkai. On New Year's Day 1995, Ms. Annan made a determination to have an "Everything first" attitude. In order to have more time available to do Buddhist activities, she rearranged her work schedule. She was able to obtain permission to work night duty for an entire year. This schedule change enabled her to do her best at work as well as to participate in the culture festivals and other SGI Buddhist activities together with her husband and children throughout the year.
Last year, Ms. Annan was presented the Tema Municipality Best Nurse of the Year Award. She was truly surprised to receive this rare honor and believes that it was bestowed upon her as a result of her Buddhist practice. Moreover, the award encouraged her in the fight to protect and cherish the dignity of human life in her profession as a nurse.
Filled with confidence, Ms. Annan says, "Looking back, I realize that all those problems in my practice have given me the hope to continue and never falter along the way. I am convinced that no matter what situation may confront me, I will always overcome every problem with faith in the Gohonzon."
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