What is the song of the highest bliss?

If this song is so nice to me, than what is the song of Nibbana,
Where it's happiness goes beyond any sensual enjoyment?

= )

True that there is no end to craving for sensuality, it never really satisfy.

A better lifestyle!

15 Oct, the Blog action Day!! Let me talk about environment.. and Dhamma!

In the fast improving Society we are in today... highly industrialized. I think this is where all the pollution and environmental issue arise. We thought that we are smarter than our ancestors, but somehow I feel we are killing ourselves by not having thought through things as deep, as far sighted by them. I feel, those people who doesn't cherish what our ancestors have left for us, which is our roots... think twice, before you start to be chuck away like a rubbish, just as how you treated your own roots.

Maybe if we have put consequences above personal profiting, maybe some of the problems we face together, as a World, will not be that serious. It's still greed, hatred and delusion destroying our world. It is still virtues, mental discipline and wisdom saving the world.

As a student studying Architecture... Bamboo is an environmental friendly material, because it is Grass... not a wood. So we actually reduce the amount of trees we cut if we can replace some wood with bamboo isn't it?

Some people began to invent environmental friendly machines, so that's a good news. Maybe humans should revert our lifestyle abit to the more green type. We wear leather shoes, rubber shoes... our feet seldom walks on the mud. actually walking barefooted, on grass, on mud is good for the body. Do more exercise by walking more, climb stairs... if you aren't that sporty sort of person.

Oh ya... reduce the use of aircon.. GREATLY. Why... cos those buildings having aircons are like huge refrigerators... imagine how much heat they are producing??

Plant trees, do some planting at your own garden too. I enjoy planting and meddling with soil and plants. =) I like to plant my own veg and fruits... Some flowers too, but I prefer food more. Hehe..

Nutritious Lunch Porridge

He he! Today I've cook my traditional Cantonese porridge with self mixed recipe.

Seems plain but inside full of stuffs =)

1. Prepare Chinese dry mushrooms(remove the stalk and squash them into pieces!), dried shrimps, dry scallop and dried 银鱼(the white tiny fish).

2. Wash them clean and soak in hot water for 20mins.

3. Prepare 50g of pork muscle meat, clean it with water and cut into pieces(tiny slices).

4. Prepare water into the pot and cover. When the water has boiled, put all the meat and dried stuffs in, including the soaking water so that the sweet taste of those dry food is not wasted.

5. When the meat and mushroom is cooked, and the dry scallop has turn soft, remove all the ingredients from the pot and leave them in a bowl, leaving the "soup" in the pot.

6. Add in 1-2 table spoons of soy sauce and 2 teaspoon of salt. (varies according to personal preference)

7. wash rice. than put the rice into the "soup", cover it and start cooking until it boils. Stir abit to prevent rice sticking the base of the pot.

8. When it boil vigorously for sometime, until you see the rice become big and abit transparent, very soft. Turn into medium fire and stirring frequently

9. Until around 40mins of boiling and stirring, the rice will grow bigger and turn sticky gradually. Don't stop stirring as the porridge may stick the bottom.

10. When it turns into something like larva, turn fire to small, pour in all the cook meat and cooked dried ingredients, and continue stirring for another 5mins.

11. Pour it into a big bowl and it's ready to serve! =)

Eating/cooking Etiquette

1. Do not eat from the pot. It is not elegant.

2. Cooking pot/bowl should not be use as serving bowl. Arrange the food into another bowl meant for serving food.

3. Utensils use in the cooking process should not be used for eating, unless washed before using for eating.

4. Use a proper bowl for all you cook and uncooked ingredients. Do not mix cook and raw ingredients.

5. Take care of hygiene. Wash all your utensils clean before using, including your hands.

6. Do not use the spoon to stir which you use that spoon to taste. You may scoop bits of the dish into a "tasting bowl" and taste from there. Elegant and hygienic. = )

7. Attend to your cooking, seat around your kitchen. Try not to do other things like watching television while cooking. Unattended cooking causes fire accidents!

8. Arrange your utensils neatly on the table and then serve you food. Seat down and eat.

9. Enjoy your every moments from cooking till eating with awareness and mindfulness. Be with your process, its a pleasure!

The key of this porridge is to use the soup as the water to cook the rice as compared the using of plain water to cook the rice and then add the ingredients. By using the Soup, the porridge taste more 入味。The quality of the porridge depends alot on the stirring and the fire and the time. = )

I discover, whatever I cook, seldom look nice, but it taste really nice! Haha, home dish doesn't need much garnishing I feel. Maybe I will next time.

And I see that I can cook is a advantage! I will not die without a lady cooking for me, as most girls nowadays do not know how to cook, its rare lah, they know how to eat though. Haha...

If I do not have a wife, I can cook for myself. If my wife doesn't know how, I can cook for her! Cooking is a romantic thing isn't it.

If I am a monk... I can cook too. But I can't imagine using the alms bowl to cook. it got no handle and it is made of metal...

True spirit of Spreading the Dhamma

"What matters is not to call oneself a Buddhist but to practice Vipassana, to practice the Noble Eightfold Path taught by the Enlightened One, to practice sīla, samādhi, paññā, and to really benefit from the teaching of the Buddha. " - S.N. Goneka

"Buddhism" was something created out of greed, hatred and delusion of man. The true "Buddhism" lies in the very practise of the Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha. So why are we meddling with all these defiled creations? Shouldn't get started in the training and learning of sīla, samādhi, paññā!