The Universal Migrator

I’ve joined a Chinese language meetup group on the site meetup.com, and my first meetup with the group took place at the 2006 Moon Festival at Colima Hong Kong Plaza in Rowland Heights. The festival itself seemed a bit too commercial for my tastes, but all in all it was a fun experience. It was really great to connect up and be a part of some of the Chinese culture here in Southern California. I met a lot of great people in the group and look forward to meeting up with them more in the future.

The best part of the day was at the restaurant in the plaza. I don’t remember the name of the place, but it had some of the most authentic Chinese food I’ve ever eaten in the States. It actually tasted like the food in China! You can see some pictures from the Moon Festival by clicking the images below.

Filed by Chris 大斌 at 3:33 pm under General, Photography
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Incarnation in the form of Bhaisajyaguruvaidūryaprabha, or Medicine Buddha, the Supreme Healer.

Tibetan Buddhists consider the Medicine Buddha Empowerment to be the most powerful blessing for healing, dispelling sickness and for awakening the innate healing wisdom that lies within every individual.

This is the long version of the Medicine Buddha Mantra in Sanskrit:

Om Namo Bhagavate Bhaishajyaguru Vaidūryaprabharājāya Tathāgatāya Arhate Samyaksambuddhāya Tadyathā: Om Bhaishajye Bhaishajye Mahābhaishajye Bhaishajye Rāja Samudgate Svāhā

This is the short version of the Medicine Buddha Mantra, which is known as the Medicine Budddha Heart Mantra:

(Tadyathā) Om Bhaishajye Bhaishajye Mahābhaishajye Bhaishajye Rāja Samudgate Svāhā

The Medicine Buddha mantra is held to be extremely powerful for healing of physical illnesses and purification of negative karma. One form of practice based on the Medicine Buddha is done when one is striken by disease. The patient is to recite the long Medicine Buddha mantra 108 times over a glass of water. The water is now believed to be blessed by the power of the mantra and the blessing of the Medicine Buddha himself, and the patient is to drink the water. The practice should be repeated each day until the illness is cured.

Tibetan Buddhism also teaches that the Medicine Buddha mantra can be used to liberate the animals one eats. The practice involves reciting the Medicine Buddha mantra and then blowing on the meat. It is held that the dead animal, wherever it has been reborn, will be liberated from its suffering and reborn into a happy existence.

Incarnation in the form of Toshiro Mifune, legendary master of classic japanese film, whose powerful performances inspire me greatly in life.

Filed by Chris 大斌 at 3:28 am under Photography, Reflections
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Although this is not my poem, I wanted to share this with the few people who actually read this little blog of mine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did . . .

In the Quiet Land, no one can tell if there’s
someone who’s listening for secrets they can sell.

The informers are paid in the blood of the land and
no one dares speak what the tyrants won’t stand.

In the quiet land of Burma,
no one laughs and no one thinks out loud.

In the quiet land of Burma,
you can hear it in the silence of the crowd.

In the Quiet Land, no one can say when
the soldiers are coming to carry them away.

The Chinese want a road; the French want the oil;
the Thais take the timber; and SLORC takes the spoils . . .

In the Quiet Land . . . In the Quiet Land, no one can hear
what is silenced by murder and covered up with fear.

But, despite what is forced, freedom’s a sound
that liars can’t fake and no shouting can drown.

Filed by Chris 大斌 at 9:57 am under Adventures In Poetry, General, Reflections
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“Spring brings cherry blossoms to comfort you. The summer stars. The harvest moon in fall, and the powdered snow in winter. All of these things, and the promise of them, is what makes sake tastes so good.”

What more can one say . . . it rings true to these ears—and mouth!

Filed by Chris 大斌 at 2:59 pm under General, Reflections
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This is horrible news! Well, it’s not a tragedy, but come on, like this is really going to help the economy of Xi’an?! It’ll just be another overpriced western venue, unaffordable to a lot of the people in the city.

April 28, 2006

Wang Jinlong, chairman of Starbucks China, says his company hopes to make Xi’an an important city in the northwest part of China to develop its business and wants to work with the local government to quickly open new businesses.

Wang said that he will bring the successful operation model of Starbucks to Xi’an and set up a flagship store there.

Starbucks was started in Seattle in 1971. At present, it has 11,000 chain stores across the world, including up to 200 stores in Beijing, Shanghai and the rest of China.

This article is originally from ChinaFranchiser.com.

Filed by Chris 大斌 at 9:45 pm under China 中国
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