Categories
Our Society

Religious Harmony Destroyer — Pastor Rony Tan?

Senior Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism blasted Buddhism and Taoism at his church sessions, recorded them on video and posted them on the Lighthouse Evangelism’s website.

These offensive video clips were subsequently removed on the church’s website but they had already made their way onto YouTube.

The Government’s Internal Security Department (ISD) hauled up the Christian church leader and told him that what he did was wrong. ISD told him that in proselytising his religion, he must not run down other faiths, and must be mindful of the sensitivities of other religions.

Pastor Tan has apologised after being called up by the ISD.

References:

Pastor’s comments on Buddhism/Taoism inappropriate & unacceptable MHA | ChannelNewsAsia

Pastor called up by ISD | Straits Times

Pastor apologises personally to Buddhist & Taoist federations | ChannelNewsAsia

Call for restraint | Straits Times

DPM Wong says glad to note Pastor Tan realised his mistake | ChannelNewsAsia

Reason pastor not arrested | TODAYonline

Pastor’s apology accepted | Straits Times

What is your reaction to the insensitive remarks made by Pastor Rony Tan? | TODAYonline

S’poreans must not run down or trivialise others’ beliefs: SM Goh | ChannelNewsAsia

Categories
Dharma Encounters

What books should new Buddhists read?

《妙雲集》 is a set of 24 Dharma books written by Master Yin Shun 印顺导师.

After studying《妙雲集》in detail, 宏印法师 Venerable Hong Yin recommended in his book “怎樣讀《妙雲集》” for new Buddhists to start with 《佛法是救世之光》 of 《妙雲集》.

Within this book, Venerable advises that the following short articles be read in sequence, one after the other:

Chapter Title Pages
一 佛法是救世之光 1－6
二七 人生的意義何在 273－284
二八 切莫誤解佛教 285－306
二 佛為救護我們而來 7－16
一四 佛學的兩大特色 157－166
Note: There are also other good articles in this book that are very suitable for beginners.

After one has finished and digested the above teachings, one should move on to the next book that Venerable recommends. Check out 如何讀《妙雲集》 for details.

Enjoy the learning!

May all have right view and right understanding of the Buddha’s teachings.

Categories
Tech Tips

How to tether with the HTC Hero?

How to surf the net on a Vista laptop by using the “Mobile network” connection on the Hero?

0. Install HTC Sync on Vista

1. Turn on “Mobile network” HSPA connection on Hero

2. Connect Hero to PC via USB cable. If it prompted to install a new driver but auto search for driver failed, manually point it to the “inf” file in C:\Program Files\HTC\HTC Driver\Driver Files\Vista_x86

3. On Hero: Menu > Settings > Wireless Controls > Mobile network sharing (click to turn on)
=> Skip this step if you forgot to do Step-5 previously cos it’ll auto connect

4. It may take 3-5 mins to connect. Monitor the handshake process by clicking once on the network connection icon in the system tray on the laptop (assume Vista). When you see this, the tethering is complete and successful:

Currently connected to:
<Some new network name>
Access: Local and Internet

5. When you are done tethering, turn it off on Hero:
Menu > Settings > Wireless Controls > Mobile network sharing (click to turn off)
=> It’s better to turn off to prevent accidental use while charging phone

6. Turn off “Mobile network” HSPA connection on Hero

Categories
Tech Tips

How to Split the GNU screen in half horizontally?

1. Create two screen sessions
2. Ctrl+a S to split in half
3. Ctrl+a TAB to move to bottom half
4. Ctrl+a ” to select session
5. Ctrl+a Q to return to full size screen

Categories
Tech Encounters

Why is Drupal “Contact Form” not sending any email?

PROBLEM : My “Contact Form” in Drupal (v6.14) was not delivering any email to my mailbox. No error was indicated in Drupal logs.

SOLUTION : Turned out my web hosting company had to move my domain name record from /etc/localdomains to /etc/remotedomains.

Here’s a php script to test the sending of email:

<?php
$to = "[email protected]";
$subject = "Test mail";
$message = "Hello! This is a test message.";
$from = "<name>@<your domain>";
$headers = "From: $from";
mail($to,$subject,$message,$headers);
echo "Mail Sent.";
?>

Categories
Misc Quotes Our Society

Hostile takeover of AWARE

Excerpt from source @ Glass Castle: http://www.glass-castle.org/issue20editorial.html


Not Secular Feminists But Sectarian Fundamentalists: And They’ll Come For You Too

Editor Jolene addresses the takeover of AWARE by a group featuring prominent anti-gay activists.

Background

At the end of March, AWARE held an AGM attended by a large bloc of new members, many of whom had not previously been especially active in the organisation (according to the Straits Times, a large majority of them had only joined the organisation in the preceding 3 months). They proceeded to elect a new executive committee dominated by anti-gay activists. The new President (who has since, bizarrely, resigned), Claire Nazar, has publicly said that in her interpretation of her religion, Christianity, homosexuality is an ‘abomination’ and ‘the [result] of sin and flouting of God’s moral order’. The new honorary secretary, Jenica Chua, has previously criticised NMP Siew Kum Hong for his support for the legalisation of gay sex by referring to ‘the homosexual agenda’ and ‘the homosexual interest group’, language which originates from Christian fundamentalist movements in America.

Their supporters at the meeting included more individuals with clear connections to anti-gay Christian fundamentalist activism. Among these was Angela Thiang, who works in a company headed by infamous anti-gay Christian NMP Thio Li Ann, and who has publicly spoken in favour of Section 377A and in opposition to abortion rights. There was also Dr Alan Chin, who has used the language of American Christian fundamentalists by referring disapprovingly to ‘the gay lifestyle’.

Many of the members who voted for this new executive committee had only joined recently and were not well-known to active existing members of AWARE – suggesting that they were a new faction, rather than representing and reflecting the existing values of the group. In other words, the organisation appears to now be run not by secular feminists but by sectarian fundamentalists. It is likely that they will use it to push through a new agenda, promoting visions of gender, sexuality and women’s rights which are contrary to what AWARE previously stood for.

This has severe implications for women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and civic society at large. Even if you consider yourself wholly indifferent to feminism or LGBTQ rights, please sit up and pay attention. They could come for you next.

Read the full article at http://www.glass-castle.org/issue20editorial.html

Categories
Images

Screensaver / wallpaper for your mobile phone?

RedDodo.com provides the free creation of animated mobile phone screensavers/wallpapers of different sizes with personalised text on it. Here are some that I’ve created as reminders for myself. Feel free to d/l if you like them. Size = 176×220.

It may juz stop. It wun beat 4evr.

Make it good. R u really alive?

Anicca Dukkha

Anatta Who am i?

Categories
Dharma Quotes

學習佛法的三個過程：得要，深入，旁通

When collaboration among members within a Buddhist organisation breaks down, part of the reason could be due to the lack of “六和敬” 的 “见和同解”. It’s only natural for people with very differing points of view to part ways when there is no longer mutual understanding.

But why do they have such differing viewpoints in the first place? One possible reason is because some of them may have understood the Dharma in different and incomplete ways, but held on to the partial viewpoint as whole, i.e. thinking that the trunk is the whole elephant.

This is why Right Understanding of the Dharma is so important. How do we cultivate Right Understanding then? 印順導師 offered his viewpoint:

印順導師《教制教典與教學》p.178 ~ p.180：

學習佛法，無論是全體的或是專宗的，都應有三個過程。依照這過程修學去，多少總能夠得些利益。三種是：

一、得要，
二、深入，
三、旁通。

第一是得要：佛法廣大無邊，從何處學起？東鱗西爪的學習，不能認識佛法的宗要。就是世間學問，要想去學習它，首先須知其大概，選些較淺顯而扼要的書來讀。學習佛法也要這樣，對於佛法先要有一概要的認識，知道佛法的重心是什麼，包含些什麼重要的宗派等等﹔對於佛法從印度弘傳來的歷史也得知道一點。這樣，才能進一步去深入研究。如開始為東鱗西爪的認識，或一開始就去學習深廣的經論，那不是不知宗要，便是因難於了解而退學。所以對於整個佛法，先要知道佛法之所以的大概。

第二、明了佛法中的宗派的概要，然後再選擇一宗一部門去研究。這個方法，對於研究一宗一派，也是應該採用的。如學唯識的，不應該一下手就去研究《成唯識論》，這是沒有辦法可以懂的。必須要從《百法》、《中邊》等先了解得大概，再作深入的研究。如初學天台宗的，要先讀《教觀綱宗》、《四教儀》等，然後再學三大部等。但有些修學佛法的，並不這樣。聽經學教，僅是隨緣的去聽法師講。佛法的基本知識都沒有，竟然已變成專宗的學者甚而法師了。別的不知道，自然唯有自己所學的什麼宗最好，旁的宗派都不如他。其實別的宗派究竟怎樣，他還一點也沒有知道。像這樣一下手就專學宗派的，弊病實在是很大。偏聽則蔽，兼聽則聰。如對各宗都知道一個大概，對於三寶、四諦、緣起、空性等根本大義，也有相當的了解，然後再求一門深入，就不會偏執了。

第三、能一門深入，還要旁通。如學唯識宗的，最初對於其他宗派的教義，都知道一些，現在從自己專學的唯識學的立場，再去理解彼此的差別，而貫通一切。這樣，對於佛法的認識，也就愈加深刻了。不但大乘各宗如此，大乘與小乘間也要這樣。為了要教化世間，對於世間的一切學問，等到確定佛法知見，那麼也要從旁知道些。世間的好事情，好道理，也是很多的，不過不能圓滿的清淨，總有謬妄的成分夾雜在內而已。好的部分，要用佛法去貫攝它﹔不好的部分，要用佛法的真理去揀除它。修學佛法的第一步，必先從一般的共通的教義中，把握佛法的共通的宗要。切勿初下手即偏究一經一論，以為深入其微，其實是鑽入牛角，深而不通！我們應從此下手去學，也應該教人如此，切勿迎合好高騖遠的劣根性，專以艱深玄奧去誘惑人！

Categories
Misc Quotes

Barry Schwartz: The real crisis? We stopped being wise

TED talk – Barry Schwartz: The real crisis? We stopped being wise

Feb 2009

Barry Schwartz makes a passionate call for “practical wisdom” as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world.

Check out the 20 mins short video.

I find Barry’s following message especially true:

“…  as we turn increasingly to rules, rules and incentives may make things better in the short run, but they create a downward spiral that makes them worse in the long run. Moral skill is chipped away by an over reliance on rules that deprives us on the opportunity to improvise and learn from our improvisations and moral will is undermined by an incessant appeal to incentives that destroy our desire to do the right thing. And without intending it, by appealing to rules and incentives, we are engaging in a war on wisdom.”

In life, there are apparently many questions without known answers, and many situations seen as hopeless and beyond our control. When “we” can’t understand or solve these problems at our level, we tend to turn to “higher entity” for answers.

I guess it’s a lot easier for most of us to push the personal responsibility of our lives to an external entity. That way, we avoid the accountability for our own actions. Harmful actions can thus be proudly committed in the name of the “higher entity” without remorse or guilt. We stopped doing the right thing, because “right” is now fuzzy.

It’s always easier to simply believe and not question because we’ll have less work to do, less facts to verify, less concepts to learn and digest, and less cultivation to do. “Why so serious?”, some will say. Because ignorance begets suffering. We all need that wisdom beyond blind faith to start taking responsibility of our lives.

IMHO, Barry Schwartz’s secular statement above says it well, if you substitute “rules” with “dogmas” and “incentives” with concepts such as “believers will rise to heaven while non-believers suffer in hell forever”.

We need to stop creating or turning into zombies. Wisdom must take center stage. Wisdom guides all actions.

Categories
Dharma Quotes

只能從行願中去分別

印順導師在《佛法概論》里，對所說的「佛法」做了以下的「定位」：「關於佛法，我從聖龍樹的《中觀論》，得一深確的信解：佛法的如實相，無所謂大小，大乘與小乘，只能從行願中去分別。緣起中道，是佛法究竟的唯一正見，所以阿含經是三乘共依的聖典。當然，阿含經義，是不能照著偏執者──否認大乘的小乘者，離開小乘的大乘者的見地來解說的。」

－－《佛法概論》〈自序〉p. 1