Food For Thought

I was cleaning my bedroom out of boredom when I came across some books on Zen which I bought years ago. Some interesting food for thought:

"When you are hungry, eat; When you are tired, sleep."

This phrase looks absolutely hilarious at first sight, but upon further thoughts it does make sense - although everyone of us do that automatically, how many of us actually really just 'eat' when we are hungry and 'sleep' when we are tired? More often than not, most of us when eating, are full of thoughts and desires and when sleeping, are full of cares.

How many people awake each morning with a mind unburdened by things of the past? One has to dispel dangerous things that cause inner turmoil and live according to one's original nature.

How to lead a better life
A man asked a Zen master on how to live a more fulfilling life.

Zen Master: You need to speak words of Zen, listen to the sounds of Zen, carry out the work of Zen and have the mind of Zen.

Man: What are the words of Zen?

Zen Master: They are factual, cheerful and modest words.

Man: What do you mean by sounds of Zen?

Zen Master: You must transform all sounds that come into your ears into refined ones. i.e. you must be able to turn insults hurled at you into compassionate sounds and transform slander into encouragement; when you no longer take offence at the harsh words of others or anything you consider unpleasant, you will be able to hear the words of Zen.

Man: What is the work of Zen?

Zen Master: It involves charity, service to others and all actions that are in accord with Buddhist teachings.

Man: What is the mind of Zen?

Zen Master: It is the harmony between your mind and the minds of the sages and ordinary people which blesses all beings.

Me, The Hermit

Accompanied mom to see the doctor a few days ago and also some of mom's friends came over to our house to visit her. All of them said the same things - she needs more rest, go on a longer diet and she cannot move about too much. Quite true. I thought mom was recovering pretty fast, so I went for a project meeting with my mentor on Tuesday afternoon, but I was shocked and upset when I returned home to see mom looking weak. She told me her wounds hurt a bit and felt dizzy because she had to rush to close the windows due to a thunderstorm while I was away. Oh no... :(

Ever since mom's operation, I have been staying at home most of the time doing the daily housechores and avoiding letting her move about too much. Maybe it is also a good thing that the resumes I sent out so far never get any responses. A few of my friends complained that they sent out 30+ and 50+ resumes, yet none of the companies replied. As compared to them, no replies to the six or so resumes I sent out was within expectations...

I had stopped sending out more resumes since then - got to see how mom progress before I start sending more. Luckily the next mentor meeting can be communicated through email - I guess I need to remain as a hermit for the next few days or so...

Went to watch the movie 'Get Smart' last friday evening with some friends (Dad was at home). I didn't expect it to be such a hilarious show - a 4-5 stars for this comedy. Somehow, it reminds me of 'Johnny English' ;p I was hoping to watch '10 Promises to my dog', but such movies seem to be less popular among friends. Guess I have to wait for the DVD version to be released..