Xmas Eve ramblings

Went for a check up at KK Hospital yesterday. The clerk at the registration desk was super friendly and in chatty mood. She sounded like a Filipino but the name plate suggested Chinese. She then shared that she is married to a Singaporean, has been here for 21 years and her son is serving NS. Though husband is long retired due to illness and they live only in a 3 room HDB flat, she kept on repeating that she feels so blessed and was looking to celebrate Xmas. She reiterated again and again the blessing of living in Singapore, so I remarked that PAP should recruit her to campaign for them. She laughed and told me briefly about the hardship she experienced during childhood which made her so grateful for what she has today. I told her she made me ashamed and that she should talk to my children because we the true bred Singaporeans are rarely appreciative.

It just goes to show that doses of hardship in life do bring about happiness and appreciative joy. Yet there are also difficult experiences which do leave unfavorable scars and imprints in the lives of many. On this Xmas eve I should refrain from talking about the Buddhist concept of the "ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows" and how transcending them leads to peace.

 Yesterday I was discussing with a friend, a Catholic, about the documentary in History Channel on the Bible which traced the history of the Israelis from Abraham to Moses to Kings David & Solomon to Daniel and fast forward to Jesus. It is always a great puzzle to me why the Jews rejected Jesus whilst the whole Western world embraces him as the son of God. We discussed the Messiah that the Jews are still perhaps waiting for and what they expect of a Messiah, one who perhaps so powerful in all his glory that they perceived Jesus fell short of. We then went on to 'gossip' about the unrepenting Kong Hee and the prosperity gospel taught by Prince. We shared disbelief that people can be so taken in by religious leaders to suspend reasoning. My friend then asked me discreetly whether I still do not have affinity for Christianity. I replied that sometimes when I think about the earth in the whole wide universe being the only planet with intelligent life (or at least as far as we know today) it makes me think instinctively that there is surely a God. However I find it hard to believe in a Judaism God because of the enormous sufferings throughout the millenniums brought about by strife and conflict in the Middle East. It seems lame that God would let his "chosen people" suffer so badly. What kind of unreasonable test is this?

So I told my friend I am more inclined to Buddhism which teaches the way to live. Yes, there is no God involved here or rather Buddha said it isn't wise to ponder whether there is a creator because you will never find the answer. Buddhism is a philosophy that focuses on skillful living. Indeed it is a most difficult religion because there is no divine power to reach out for when one's soul is tormented, for the Buddha is within ourselves to discover. Yet when one works hard on it one can find peace incrementally. There is a special rapport between me and this Catholic friend of mine in that we respect each other's views on religion. So whilst I do admit that at times it is hard to believe there is no god, she consents that Buddhism is a good philosophy.

So on this Xmas Eve, a Xmas tree is up in my living room celebrating the birth of Jesus who guides about half the world through centuries to live well, indeed a Great Figure whether he is the son of God or not. Having written this it is also time for my meditation to hopefully catch a glimpse or two of the undisturbed mind within me.