Taking a Plunge in the Ocean : Books in 2013

The mind is a great slave, but a terrible master. To understand Buddhism is to take a plunge in its ocean.
The books I've read in 2013 were not as extensive as the year before that but I had a great time devouring each one of them.
From left to right, top to bottom.
1. Siddharta by Herman Hesse
2. Son ; A Psychopath and his Victims by Jack Olsen
3. Seeking Happiness by Master Hsing Yun
4. Wind and Rain
5. Sutra on the Past Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
6. Buddha's Little Instruction Book by Jack Kornfield
7. Finding Fulfillment : Four Insights by Master Hsing Yun
8. Perfectly Willing by Master Hsing Yun
9. The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha by Master Hsing Yun
10. Steal like an Artist by Austim Kleon
11. The Men who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson
12. The Peter Pan Syndrome
13. Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke
14. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

I have read other books but they didn't make an impression on me and I saw to it that in my temple stay, I devoured as much books as I could because there are things that the Philippine HALA program by Mabuhay Temple did not discourse to students. It was supplemental learning and the library at the temple was extensive.

I was fascinated with how the people would paint themselves in a corner and I believe that people are actually the one who bring themselves to much unneeded drama, problems, issues, and others that causes them suffering. That is why my solo show centers to the heart of that part of the human condition. I booked my solo show last year dated for September 2014 and have done a bit of my part for the artworks but I dedicated time to do some research like reading books and even going further as to live in a temple for three months traveling from the Philippines to Taiwan and back for the study. In so doing doors have opened for me and I am finding out ways to finish projects one by one.

Bought a book in Amazon and is
looking forward to reading this once
it arrives.

During my stay at the HALA program, it discussed how Buddhism is not merely a religion but is actually psychology and philosophy studies and also psychotherapy which is something that I would like to find out further. The people I met along the way were surreal and from then a distinction had been made in my brain.

What really caught my attention to the way that minds works is I noticed that half of my friends were diagnosed with clinical mental illnesses and I always thought they didn't have to be so hard on themselves. the explanation provided by the Sri Lankan monks (Theravada Buddhism) and also the information given by Fo Guang Shan Monastery (Mahayana Buddhism) opens up worlds in the construction of mental processes that can be done mindfully. Giving a way out of depression and other mental illnesses through Buddhist Psychotherapy without the need for pills or any chemicals applied to the brain. It is a holistic approach that explains thoroughly the power of a single thought and how it can affect the mind's function and condition.

It is very interesting to study in a scholarly fashion what we have discovered in the past three months living in a temple in a semi-monastic lifestyle. My artworks and ideas have always been centered on the human condition and so it was a fruitful learning experience for me aside from being able to travel a bit and discover things and people along the way. It seems that the planet Jupiter had been kind to be in 2013 and hopefully this year too by providing me with more opportunities on higher learning, philosophy, and travel.

Introduction to Buddhist Psychology
by Padmasiri De Silva
Also a book I'm eager to read since
I got it this year.

Bubbles That We Are

In Memoriam

Juneseven E.

Born June 7, 1987

Died December 4, 2013 

The rain and leaves fell that day

On a summer that yearned for autumn

In a universe where you no longer exist

The burden of remembrance is on me

Will you tell me again

How we ran hand in hand

Towards the ruins of an old museum

In the grove of Narra trees in full bloom?

The present can only summon memories from the past

But not the emotions that were buried long before we part

To dream of you is to remember you in my sleep

Always in a fleeting moment that can never be seized

 A dear friend from college passed away in the morning of my birthday yesterday...
In the midst of the celebration in the temple, a demonic grief almost swallowed me but I didn't allow myself to be unmoved with sadness. Let me mourn her passing through short stories and poems that can hold the versions of truths on what moments we had in the past when we were young and naive.

At ease in a strange land

Taiwan is a small but nice country just north of the Philippines and its weather is almost the same in the southern part but since the Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaoshiung occupies 5 mountains, the weather is substantially cooler than in my homeland. 

I arrived at the Taoyuan airport in Taipei past midnight ten days ago and slept on the rented bus provided by the monastery towards Kaoshiung which is around 4 hours drive from Taipei and I slept throughout the ride. Upon arriving at the monastery, I witnessed my very first sunrise in this foreign land. The sun is less fierce than in the Philippines and it's cooler in the evening.

Taiwan is an independent country according to its people but the Republic of China begs to differ. The number of temples in Taiwan is countless as more and more temples are built while others expand further but one of the most grandeur temples are from the Humanistic Buddhism Fo Guang Shan Order. 

Currently I'm staying in Tsung Lin Buddhist University in their head monastery. I find life here comfortable despite the strict routine system. The program includes lectures, volunteer work, workshops on vegetarian cooking, numerous ceremonies and rituals, sutra calligraphy, and my free time is spent sight seeing in areas available or at the very least explorable without having to spend money. The program is a bit different from the program we have in Mabuhay Temple back in the Philippines. 

The program I'm in seeks to provide ordinary people a peek to the lives of monastics and their system with which they spread the Dharma teachings as discoursed by Buddha. Fo Guang Shan follows Mahayana Buddhism and has hundreds of  temples across the world. 

Amitabha Buddha, the biggest Buddha in Taiwan at FGS Kaoshiung.

Next week, we will visit several branch temples in the northern part of Taiwan. I've been with temple for approximately two months. I have left my family and let go of responsibilities for this opportunity. I haven't seen any of my friends for a long time and I could say that it is a sort of trade off to be here. 

I can't go online often since we have too many things to do. 

I have embraced this sort of mundane living for now. I'm not sorry and would even believe that it provides a wonderful experience for all of us in the program. I'm not too eager to comeback.

Midnight City Tour

I remember well an evening,

Where the wind howls softly in our ears,

And the rain drizzled gently

Leaving dew drops on our hair and skin

That night,

Someone ate the moon

Leaving a quarter to shine

Despite thick clouds

Bike wheels raced through the road

The air filled with speeding laughter

Midnight tour in the city

Her first

My last

Contemplates Life at a Temple

I find myself hurrying to finish projects, favors, and gifts to people I care about, and also for the sake of my undying sense of honor.  

I only have a week left since I decided to take the scholarship that was offered last month that will take me to a temple in Bacolod and live there studying Buddhism and other things like calligraphy and Buddhist etiquette regarding living a simple life. Not to mention the delicious vegetarian food in there that I can eat. Finally eating healthy! 

Despite having the opportunity to decline and simply get on with my life and just follow what I have laid out for myself this year, I would still grab this opportunity.  

It's definitely something I've always wanted to go to but since I chose to focus on my solo show,the single most important thing that I've been working on, everything not related to my solo debut has been nothing but a distraction. 

This one is different because aside from getting in as a scholar, it can teach me in so many ways that may even help create better artworks in the future. 

I just know that I'll come out of this a better person. 

The many projects I have will then have to wait.

I also want to go to Tibet someday and I would like to go there not as tourist but someone who studied the ways of Buddha. 

I believe in fate. Everything seems to fall into place.

Short Travels on Two Wheels and a Million Things to be Sad About

A biker on a corner of a huge painting, a Siopao vendor riding a
vintage bike, I think.

September is here and I did a little bit of travelling where I get to see art. I have been using my bike as far as I could but had to commute all the way to Angono. I sort of regret coming all the way there but it was because I had to help a friend in need of someone to fix their roof and ceiling not to mention she's been depressed and been wanting to kill herself since June. I thought that going there might alleviate the misery and ease a little bit of pain even if it were environmentally, like the ceiling that has been leaking. Unfortunately, I realized that it was a bad idea and found myself trapped in a rather unpleasant situation.

Apparently, depression has always been a puzzling subject for me and I wonder how people stay sad for a very long time. It must be tiring to think about killing oneself every now and then and to be sad that it gets in the way of routine or normal human functions. It must also be very mind-exhausting to think about the shitty things that happened to one's life and sulk about it. When that happens to me I usually get mad and try to avoid situations but I don't normally act on it.
It doesn't mean I haven't been sad or depressed, I have been sad and depressed but I don't let it last for weeks or months. I do get heartbroken because I know I lay my heart too often and it may last for a while but it doesn't mean I'll stop functioning or stop living. I always try to find things that will make me happy or find a way to be happy doing mundane things. Merely existing is not enough, one must live and provide meaning to the void that one has because it will not come and fill itself up on its own. Too often than not doing leisure hedonistic things actually gets me down, what's really rewarding and fulfilling is to create things that reflect parts of my soul and hopefully, I would get to live by it and earn just enough to survive.
My friend said she has been crying herself to sleep and thought that death is a sweet release. There have been shitty things that happened to her recently that she couldn't bare accept it.

It was a huge inconvenience for me and I have wasted time, effort, and money doing so.
The commute to Angono from Cubao was a grueling ordeal, I don't know how these people do it each day.
It was like being in a container van with strangers, ready to be trafficked across the border except for the very loud ghetto music that the jeeps going there play on end. No wonder my friend is depressed.

For the sake of our friendship I decided to just go ahead with it and just look at the positive side of things.

As a consolation, I decided to visit Pinto Art Musem for the second time and see what new art works they have in store. Since my friend have no idea how to travel around her province, we have wasted an hour and a half going around to Antipolo and spent a few more bucks. It really pays to know one's province.

At the Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo. It was a breath taking 25 ft by 10 ft
painting, at least the approximation of the size.

A pocket 2014 planner I bought for 20 bucks

I told my friend that she might enjoy getting a hobby like biking in order to get her mind off her sorrow. She said she could use it to travel back and forth Manila but I noticed she's not so into it. But as one can see, the beauty of bike is undeniable and there're art to prove it so. It is one of the hobbies that I would like to keep and share with friends.

I've tried my best to cheer her up and tell her that sadness is just a state-of-mind but she argued that she's having a mental illness which results to depression. In the end, there was nothing I could have done, she'd be sad either way.

I'm very happy about what I discovered and to set aside the ordeal I had to go through. I'm just glad I got home and was welcomed by hungry kitties who have been waiting for my return. Although finding out that my family ate one of my chickens while I was a way made me sad for a bit, I'm just not that sad enough.

As for depression, people are going to be depressed because they unknowingly keep themselves depressed. They kept on thinking about the sad thing that happened and they chose not to move on. There are in fact at least a million things to be sad about and the list doesn't end but we can provide a few things to get people down and experience agony even just momentarily.
Which I will then discuss on my next entry because I don't want to make reading this entry awfully long and might trigger depression to some.

Adopt a Pitbull with CARA Philippines

A pitbull contemplates a forever home.

More than a year ago there were more than 200 pitbulls rescued from a dog-fighting syndicate where they were mistreated and forced to fight to death with one another. Dog fights were then caught on webcam as online gamblers bet on their mishaps. They were bred in a terrible environment and were raised for terrible reasons, to please the gambler's lust for carnage. Some of them died of sickness and were unable to go on living a normal dog's life after a very traumatizing experience, those who survived suffered irreversible damages, intellectually, emotionally and physically.

This is Bailey, she has serious issues where she tends
to lick her cage ceiling every time someone approaches her.
She was used as a dummy for pitbulls in training where her
snout was taped and her teeth were filed so she won't be able
to fight back or harm the dogs attacking her. It made her socially
retarded and awkward towards any living creature.
She's not ready to be adopted yet, through dog
psychoanalysis and therapy, she will be. For now,
healing her physical wounds is priority, hence the silver nipples.

My visit to the rescue center was prepared and I did all the paper works before hand, I came in as an adopter and would like to give one of these dogs a forever home in Sta Rosa. The trip to Tiaong Quezon was smooth on a Sunday morning where traffic was very cooperative.

The many adoptable pit-bulls fighting for the visitor's
attention through barking, puppy eyed glares, and tail wagging.

Adopters will get to know the dogs better through volunteering their time at the center and also by bonding with their dog of choice.

This one caught my eye because of her beautiful coat and charms.
She got me at "ARF ARF ARF!"

Adopting one of the dogs here requires total commitment and preparedness for the responsibility at hand. It's like wooing a person. I am willing to cross seven mountains and give a day of my week for a dog whom I'm willing to give a forever home. It's hard work, but I know it's worth it. Knowing the dog's personality and behavior can't be done in a single visit, just like Rome was not built in a day.

Let's start with giving her treats and a walk with an interview
"What are your interests?"
"What do you think about interplanetary travel?"
"Do you like cats?"

Volunteer work consists mostly of giving the 164 dogs a walk and giving them baths, at least that's the more active things to do. Observing them and checking out if something's wrong with them is also part of it. There aren't a lot of volunteers and CARA is looking for people who are willing to give their time for these poor dogs.
It's a great way to spend a Sunday and can be done with friends or family. Volunteering here is a satisfying activity that's definitely worthwhile.

This is one of the most aggressive pitbulls in the center. He should never
be approached and is considered to be very dangerous. I think I like him.
He has a nice dark coat as dark as his past and has a look reserved for
grandma-rapers.

Pitbulls are loving dogs who are loyal to the point that they'd do
anything for their masters, even so to kill off another creature of
their race. Their master's happiness is their happiness.

It's terrible that these dogs were raised to kill off the next dog
they bump fur with. It's twisted and had thwarted their
chance at a meaningful dog to dog connection.

Adopt a Laguna pitbull and give these poor creatures
a chance to live in a caring environment where it is safe.
Some dogs are not adoptable yet because they are still sick physically
or must recover from their PTSDs.

Buying a dog or a cat is a shame but adopting an animal
is a gallant and respectable deed. It helps so much in abolishing animal
exploitation in many ways.

I walked three dogs and checked out a group of dogs as part of the volunteer work, the walking part was a bit tiring as I tried running with the dogs to see if they were fit for jogging along with. The dogs were harmless but my shirt and pants were not spared of mud as one of the dogs kept lunging at me with excitement.

These dogs enjoy having visitors because they don't really get a lot of people visiting on them.
For those who wish to volunteer or have inquiries with regards to volunteering, they can email: volunteeratlpb@gmail.com
For those who wish to adopt can email: adopt.a.lpb@gmail.com
Donations are also welcome! Visit http://helpsavethepitbulls.com