I envy my ex-CF friend Shih Chung's journey in life. After working for years in the market research industry, he left and set out on a number of outdoor adventures around the world to help the needy. Tsunami victims. Marginalised tribes.
I'm glad to see i-Bridgers like him making an impact in the world.
It was also an eye-opening encounter with different cultures and races as well.
Here was once interesting and disarmingly revealing conversation he had over seafood steamboat.
I'm glad to see i-Bridgers like him making an impact in the world.
It was also an eye-opening encounter with different cultures and races as well.
Here was once interesting and disarmingly revealing conversation he had over seafood steamboat.
"It would have been a frequent sight in urban PJ, if not for the conversation they were having. It was the irony of a Buddhist Caucasian, an Oriental Christian, and an Oriental Agnostic talking about religion.
The agnostic grew up attending sunday school being taught that there is a God who demands our worship but eventually not quite pursuaded that such a great God would be so starved to seem needy of our worship. It hadn't seemed right for a long time, but only when teaching in sunday school did he decide to live his feelings, to live
his belief. So he left church. An ex-christian.
A pale skin white, Buddhist dude who has an atheist father, a Quaker mother, a born-again evangelistic brother, a Hare Krishnan uncle.
Possibly all the religions of the world on the same table during family reunions. A man perfectly comfortable wearing a string of monastery prayer beads around his wrist while wandering into a mosque, then sitting on a church pew, soaking in all the tranquility of rest in the heat of the city, then eating in an Indian restaurant and enquiring about their Hindu statues.
So we spoke about religion over sotong and kangkung. Thoughts were tossed about.
In many religions, there is a fear-driven approach to following God, a thou-shall-not syndrome, a culture of guilt, a lack-something-to-be-filled spirit. Where is the spontaneity of love, kindness and goodness?
In Christianity, we are often taught to believe in things that we cannot see, in things that what we don't understand.
In Buddhism, we know there are things we don't understand, but it's ok that we don't understand it, that we don't need to have a belief until we have better knowledge or better understanding.
Should we approach spiritual matters in an intellectual way, and intellectual matters in a spiritual way?
I recall a sunday school story of a train full of people headed towards a broken rail link, a cliff, a fall to their deaths. So the idea was to preach and convince them they needed to stop the train and get out. But now the twist is, what if the occupants knew this was your belief, but still wanted to stay in their train? What if they didn't mind dying? What if they asked to respect their right to hell?
And what is the gain of Man at the end of this table talk?
That you shouldn't slurp your sotong tentacle when it's covered in sweet sauce, especially if you're wearing white. Regardless of your belief.
Over to Piper."
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