Reality Check

Another blessing for me; as I came to Bali, I met new friends from the same teacher who teach us Self Knowledge. Since it's not a formal institution, I called them new friends because we just knew and then met a week after I arrived in Bali. That was after I received their email with a phone number given. They're a couple from Australia who decide to stay permanently in Bali and would like to get in touch with me to support the Balinese team to introduce the message to local people and how I could assist them since I'm the main translator.

Right away I called them to introduce myself and told them that I was in Bali. What a coincidence! Well, I say it's not a coincidence. Everything fell into places nicely. From the first time we met at the shop I worked, we then made appointment to work on the project. We also met the local volunteers who did the translation and I gave them some guideline how to do the voice over. Because the translated materials they have to be broadcasted on their radio are limited, I supplied them with some of mine and last night managed to make one in my friend's home office using iMovie software. Every time I work with Self Knowledge - especially in translating the material, there is always an insight and a new vista open up for me.

Interaction with People

The other night I tried to cool down one of the staff who got irritated by her friend's comment. And that got me talking with her and her friend about the way we interact with people. She started to open up, after I let them come to my appointment and introduced them on the subject that I worked on with my friend.

The way we respond is
a reflection of our inner self

Very often misunderstanding between (at least) two persons happened because both don't understand the other person's characters, mood and circumstance. And they think the worst about the other which then lead to unpleasant response and even hatred.

But when we have conquered our demons and understand our selves, and in that understanding also trying to understand other people, something else happening. Acceptance to the whole situation and the other person creates a feeling of understanding. And that feeling of understanding bring peace to our heart and mind, because there is no why or how-could-be questions to the whole situation. This is what people then labeled as patience.

There is a wisdom from Tao Te Ching about interaction with other people.

60. Demons
When you use the Way to conquer the world,
Your demons will lose their power to harm.
It is not that they lose their power as such,
But that they will not harm others;
Because they will not harm others,
You will not harm others;
When neither you nor your demons can do harm,
You will be at peace with them.

The demons is inherent in us as a human, as a creation being in which we have our yin and yang as our creation elements. And the demons can be seen very clearly especially when we are interacting with those who possess the opposite characters to ours. When we practice the Way, we are aware of these nature. And practicing the Way also means that we see goodness in everything and everyone. Knowing this and not just believing it can help us to manage our demons to not harm others. And this is what brings peace to our being.

Ritual vs Humanity

Last weekend I had to make choices in my interaction with people here. One, I had to make choice between making a visit of condolence to the staff here whose mother passed away or keeping my appointment with my friend to meet the Balinese team that I never met before. Both were due in the morning. The corpse would be taken to Java for burial that morning so he would go to Jawa with his family as well. And my decision was I sent a representative of all the staff while giving her the message that in the evening we - all his friends would send prayer for his deceased mother. And I went to meet the Balinese team with my friend, the staff didn't have to close the shop that could raise question from head office.

In living with dog, do we know that within us
lies dog-character that needs to be conquered as well?

The other decision I made was allowing myself to be kissed and nosed by my friend's dog because the dog was so lovable and so wanted to know and play with me. I mean, the dog followed her owner, which is my Australian friend and since I'm close to her owner, she wants to know me as well. So while we're working in her office, she wanted to stay with us.

My friend thought that I was afraid of the dog because I was afraid she would bite me. It's not so. I know that when the dog with their owner, they won't attack me. Or at least their owner won't let them attack me hehehe... The only concern I have is that I had been accustomed to the idea of severe impurity in islamic regulation. And to purify it, I have to use dirt once and water 6times. My friend certainly don't know about this prescription. And I am as I am - trying to be the follower of prophet Muhammad SAW as best as I can be. But on the other hand, I have this living experience and I respect them as friends, as human being. So what did I do? I let the dog nosed me and let my friend know that I was alright with the dog, I even petted her head to let her know I like her too for a being good dog. I mean this whole thing about having the dog reminded me when I had to live with my Australian host family who had doberman as their pet.

Of course by the time I got home, I knew I had to change my clothes, purify them and any part of my body that had been nosed using dirt as prescribed. And I did it not out of disgusted. It's just a matter of following the prescription of prophet Muhammad SAW, about following what my heart and mind telling me to do. Because for me to do so was like being reminded to the dog character in me and how to manage it. The one time dirt and six times water carried a profound wisdom, the symbol of how to cure the demon - the dog character within me. For our body is made up of water and dirt. In fact that evening as we watched the video our teacher reminded us about human being content 70% of water.

Human Sacrafice Ritual -
Ritual is the end of compassion and honesty
the beginning of confusion

My principle value when religious ritual oppose to humanity as living experience, I choose humanity and postpone or compensate the ritual without trying to create a new one. The reason is because (particularly my religion understanding - Islamic) any religious rituals is designed to bring us closer to our Creator, and to me it is my personal communion with my Creator in my personal time - though some of them sometimes is done in groups as community. And humanity to me is the reflection of the our Creator's actions in the universe for we are the witness of His existence. And being in harmony with my friends or anyone in their own uniqueness is important. Like I can tell them my value or understanding on things, and if they can or can't agree to it, it doesn't matter. They will always be as they are to me and I respect their choice. Those who don't understand me, may think that I will get offended with their choice and act differently. But those who know me will find that I will be alright with whatever their choices are. And again there's a wisdom from Tao Te Ching about rituals that we should understand in living this life.

38. Ritual
Well established hierarchies are not easily uprooted;
Closely held beliefs are not easily released;
So rituals enthralls generation after generation.

Harmony does not care for harmony, and so is naturally attained;
But rituals is intent upon harmony, and so can not attain it.
Harmony neither acts nor reasons;
Love acts, but without reasons;
Justice acts to serve reason;
But rituals acts to enforce reason.

When the Ways is lost, there remain harmony;
When harmony is lost, there remains love;
When love is lost, there remains justice;
And when justice is lost, there remains ritual.

Rituals is the end of compassion and honesty,
The beginning of confusion;
Belief is a colorful hope or fear,
The beginning of folly.

The sage goes by harmony, not by hope;
He dwells in the fruit, not the flower;
He accepts substance, and ignore abstraction.

So in living the religious prescription, I don't want to just imitate it. I must find my own foundation in doing it as my understanding and knowledge. By having that foundation, I know what I'm doing not just believe in what other people said about such and such. To my living experience now, the religious prescription is no longer a ritual. It has become part of my living experience; the fruits of doing it has been the living experience itself.

Peace Reigns Supreme

Sleeping peacefully -
What is our understanding of
peace?

My peace isn't because I'm in any place that is beautiful, serene or tranquil. In fact, though I've been three weeks in Bali, I have never been to any places that have become tourist destinations here. My three weeks had been spent in places where I met my family, friends (at home), team members (at school) and customers (the shop I work). As up to now my heart and mind haven't told me to go there, so I don't think or feel it is necessary to go.

I know well, my peace doesn't depend on particular places or other people's acceptance. It truly depends on my heart. When I follow what my heart tells me to do, regardless the end result or the response of others, I'm fulfilled. It's like the night after my day and evening with my friends and the dog. I was too tired to pray so I fell asleep while laying down in bed. But around midnight, my body became restless and it woke me up. And as I was conscious, my mind reminded me that I haven't done my prayer, of my communion with my Creator. That's when I then got up and did my prayer to fulfill the call of the heart. It's all personal and not because of the existence of hell or heaven. It's about being in peace, in fulfilling my mind, body and soul request in living this life consciously.

What dove got to do with peace?

So yes, in all my interaction with people, event and things my reality check is based on my heart and mind. Whether they're in peace or not. If they aren't I know, I have to amend it. Otherwise the feeling of restless will bug me for days. And I also know, if I let one restless feeling happen and then another and another, my heart will be hardened and I will lose sight of my true values. The parable of this amendment is as simple as washing hands before taking meal. Why we keep washing hands every time we're going to take meal though we see our hands are clean?! It's because we want to be certain that no micro-particle will go into our stomach and affect our digestive system.

And being in peace is essential to me. And so far it reigns supreme in my heart. May it stay forever regardless the changes that's going on in the outside world.

Oh, by the way... all the writings here I think come from the joy of my left brain in understanding what the right brain is doing and thinking  :D