A Bitter Encounter

 

Place: The Palace (columbarium at Head Nun's temple)

Occasion:  Qingming Festival (the annual "Tomb Sweeping Festival" or the festival for honouring dearly departed ones usually taking place in April)

Observers: HD and PH

PH:    HD, just look at the crowd coming to pray, and so many offerings they have brought with them! Unfortunately we don't have anyone to bring us offerings.

HD (smiling):  Not to worry, PH.  The other souls told me that they are willing to share their offerings with us, so don't look so sad.

PH:    Oh, how kind of them!  Wow, all that smoke from the joss sticks is making my eyes smart!

HD (suddenly sitting up):    Hey, do you see that spook over there?  He looks kind of familiar.

PH:    You mean that one eyeing the food?  No, I don't know him.  Hey, he has seen you and he's coming over.

Spook:    Well, well, I never thought I'd meet you here!

HD:  Hey, I know you from somewhere.  Let me think ....Damn!  You're my wife's lover, the one I fought with!  You pushed me over the balcony of our apartment and killed me!

Spook:    Correction!  You fell off  the balcony by yourself when we were fighting.  I didn't push you!

HD:   Say what you like, I'll never forget what happened! What the hell are you doing here anyway? You had your fun with my wife, then ran off with another woman and now you're dead!

Spook (laughing): If you must know, I died of natural causes - cancer.  My girlfriend put me in a hospice under the care of some kind old nuns and I died there.  She was the sweetest girl I ever knew, compared to your wife.  I still can't imagine how you could have married her!  After being with her for three months, I decided I had enough and left her.  She was the most selfish, arrogant and vain creature I had ever set eyes on!

HD:   Don't you dare speak bad of my wife!  

Spook (acting surprised):  My my, getting  touchy, aren't  you! Do you know, after I left  her, she never stopped pestering me until I got so fed up and had to get rid of her!

HD:    What do you mean, get rid of her?

Spook:    You know the accident she had?  Well, I fixed the brakes of her car and she shot off the cliff and boom!  Bye bye!

HD (gasping in horror):    What?  Why, you murderer!  

Furious, HD reached out and punched Spook several times but of course all his blows went right through him.

Spook:    Hey, why waste your energy?  Have you forgotten I'm also dead?

HD:    Didn't the police find anything?

Spook (grinning):    No evidence whatsoever.  They closed the case and called it a suicide.

HD (very angry):   I can't believe you got away with it!  You should have been hung or left to rot in jail!  Just get out of my sight and go back to wherever they have put you!

Spook:    Oh yes, I've actually got a nice place in a small temple about five km. from here.  I came here to see what's happening, having heard what a grand old temple this is!  By the way, I believe you were never on good terms with your wife even before I met her, aren't you afraid I might tell her where you are now? (he added slyly).  

HD:    Don't you dare!

Spook:  Look, both of us don't want her around us, so let's make a deal.  You don't tell her about me and I won't tell her about you.  Deal?

HD (hesitating):    Ok, deal!  How do I know you'll keep your word?

Spook:  Well, you'll have to trust me, same as I have to trust you.  Now I want to taste some of those sweet buns over there.  Ciao!

HD (growling):   Greedy pig!  I wish could kill him all over again!  

PH (who had been observing all that had happened): HD, he's dead.  He's got his just punishment, I'm sure he must have suffered a lot of pain from his cancer, so leave him be.

HD couldn't sleep that night.  When he saw that PH was sleeping soundly, he slipped out of their niche and made his way to the temple where Spook was staying.  The  "greedy pig" was snoring away having filled his belly and not only that, he had even brought back with him some food from the Palace.  HD looked at him in disgust, then an idea struck him.  He went back outside, gathered some dried dog shit, went back into the temple and mixed the shit with Spook's food.  Having done that, he gleefully made his way back to the Palace and slept like a log.

Cat Wisdom

 

The Buddha Said ...

 

Sadhu!  Sadhu!  Sadhu!

No Place Like Home

Now that all the festivities are over, the temple has returned to its quiet self and the nuns are carrying on their daily duties like before.  Most of the time they go to bed after watching the evening news on TV and I also go to bed early. When I can't sleep, I do some meditation but some nights are really hot, so I toss about trying to sleep.

One such night, I was surprised to see HD and PH come floating in.  I hadn't had much time for them during the festivities and was quite pleased to see them.

"Vege Cat," said HD.  "We want to talk to you."

"Sure," I said.  "What have you two been up to?"

HD frowned.  "Why do you think we've been up to something?  Anyway, we want to tell you that we are homesick."

"What?"  I asked, surprised.

"It's not what you think," interrupted PH.  "We are truly grateful to Head Nun for giving us a home here at the temple but we kind of miss our old hometown and the folks there."

"Oh, you mean you want to "balik kampung" (go home)," I said.

"Yes," said HD.  "But only for a few days or so.  We want to see what's happening there since we died."

"You're free to come and go as you please, you know.  The other souls in the Palace wander about freely too without bothering to seek permission from anyone." 

"Great!" cried HD.  "We shall be off soon.  See you!"  And they both disappeared in a puff of smoke.

It must have been about two or three days before I saw HD and PH again.  They had returned from their trip and I expected them to be happy and excited but instead they looked quite forlorn and sad.

"So what happened, guys?  Didn't you both enjoy your trip home?" I asked.

PH shook his head.  "I went back to see my old flat and it was in shambles.  All my photos and souvenirs were gone, also my favorite armchair.  The couple who live there now do nothing but gamble and play with their phones.  I went round to see the neighbors but some had moved out or had died. Those who still live there have suddenly grown very old and are going about like zombies.  They don't even remember me when I whispered my name in their ears." 

He sighed and said sadly, "What a shame.  We used to be like one big family."

"What about you, HD?" I asked.

"You'll never guess what happened," he said.  "I went back to my apartment too and was surprised that the For Sale sign was still there. Nobody had bought it since my wife died.  I decided to go inside and was about to float through the window when horror of horrors, I saw her sitting inside in our old rocking chair!"

"You saw who?" I asked, not sure that I had heard him correctly.

"My wife!  Or rather her ghost!  She was sitting there staring into space with bloodshot eyes. Of course my first thought was to run!  But she had sensed someone was there and she shouted: "Who's there?  Is that you, my dear late husband?  I've been waiting for you!"

I quickly flew into the empty apartment next door before she came to check the window and hid there until the coast was clear.  Thank God I managed to escape from her clutches!"

"Then what happened?" I asked. 

"I wandered around the neighborhood and heard gossip about a ghost in an apartment waiting for her husband to return! Shit, why can't she leave me alone! When she was alive, living with her was sheer hell, now I certainly don't want to live with her in death!"

"Oh dear, I am sorry you both had such unpleasant experiences but as you know, the temple is your home now and you can stay for as long as you wish."

"Thanks, Vege Cat," said HD. "Are we glad we're back. We are very fortunate indeed to have a  place here.  Not only is it rent free but we also have free meals (offerings from devotees).  What more do we want?"

With that, they both melted into the night.  

Poor HD.  I hope his wife will never find him and leave him in peace.  Amen.

May You Be Happy

 

With Metta,

Da

Cat Wisdom

 

Painful Situations

 

How often have we been in painful situations!  Here's a video that may help you.  Happy watching!

With Metta,

Da

Happy Chap Goh Meh

 

Happy Chap Goh Meh and may all my human friends have a happy, healthy and prosperous year ahead!

With Metta,

Da

(Chap Goh Meh - the 15th night of the Chinese New Year and conclusion of the new year festivities)

The Photo

Chinese New Year is probably the busiest time of year for the temple with devotees coming to pray to the Buddha for new year blessings.  Some have brought gifts of Mandarin oranges and CNY cookies for Head Nun and the nuns, on their part, have been tidying up the temple and making it spick and span.

We had some visitors one morning a few days before CNY. I was out in the garden and saw to my surprise three nuns coming in through the gate of the temple. They introduced themselves as nuns from Cambodia and  I immediately took them to Head Nun who was delighted to see them.  The nuns said they were on their way back home and stopped by our temple, having heard much about it.  They talked with Head Nun for a while, then asked to be shown round the temple before leaving.

Ah Ying, who also happened to be at the temple, asked to take a photo of them as a souvenir. The nuns politely refused saying they were in a rush to catch their bus but she insisted, and after some persuasion, she managed to get them to pose for a picture. 

Before the nuns left, they had a quiet conversation with Head Nun again.  Since Head Nun did not divulge what they said, I thought no more of the matter until Ah Ying came to the temple the next morning, trembling with great excitement.

"You all won't believe this!  Remember that photo I took of the three nuns and Vege Cat?  Well, when I went home yesterday, I had forgotten all about it and only took a look just now. I can't believe what I saw. Head Nun, see for yourself!!"  

She handed her phone to Head Nun who looked, then said, a serious expression on her face, "Ah Ying, have you shown this photo to anyone else?" 

"Well, no, I was too shocked when I saw it and came here straight away...."  gasped Ah Ying breathlessly.

Now all the nuns were craning their necks to look at the photo, including myself.  I even jumped onto the table where Head Nun was sitting so that I could have a better view.  But Head Nun kept her fingers closed around the phone blocking the screen and did not pass it round.  

The nuns started asking what was in the photo, then Head  Nun suddenly let out a shriek, "Oh, oh, I have accidentally deleted the photo!"

"What?" Everyone gasped.

"I'm so sorry, Ah Ying," said Head Nun and handed the phone back to Ah Ying who tried to restore the photo but strangely, it could not be found in her phone.

"Ayoh, how could this have happened," she cried, then all of a sudden, she fell in a swoon.  Everyone panicked except for Head Nun who gently massaged her head and neck and after a few minutes, she came to.  One of the nuns brought her a glass of water and after drinking it, she appeared to feel better.

"Are you alright?" asked Head Nun.

"Yes, I think so.  What happened?"

"You fainted, my dear," replied Head Nun.  "It must be the heat.  You had better go home to rest."  She then led Ah Ying out to her car and told her to drive home carefully.

The nuns were still speculating about the photo when Head Nun returned to the kitchen.  She ordered them to go back to their duties and they did so reluctantly, still very curious.

Later, when I was alone with Head Nun, I of course had to ask her about the photo.  I was bursting with curiosity and I had the feeling that she had deliberately deleted the photo for some reason or other.

"Head Nun," I began.

"Alright, I know what you're going to ask," she interrupted.  "Your curiosity is going to kill you one day, you know!"

"But why did you delete the photo?"  I asked impatiently.

She looked at me, then said, "Vege Cat, the three nuns you saw were no ordinary mortals."

"Really?"  I gasped.  

"They told me that they are time travellers from another planet and they had assumed the form of nuns because their original form is very grotesque and horrifying to the human eye.  If they had not taken on another form, they would not be able to move about freely.  Not only that, they warned me that they radiate a powerful force of energy which we humans, and animals included, cannot take, its so strong that it can stun or even kill us if we look at them in their true form, even if it's only a photo. That's why they didn't want to be photographed because the camera will capture what they really look like.  But unfortunately Ah Ying  kept insisting."

"So that's why you deleted the photo?" I asked wide-eyed.

"Yes," said Head Nun nodding her head.

"But why didn't you just call Ah Ying yesterday and tell her to delete the photo?"

"Questions, questions!  My dear Vege Cat, sometimes I think you don't trust me or have confidence in my judgement of things."

"Sorry, Head Nun....." I apologised.

 "Thankfully I managed to revive Ah Ying," she continued. "Just think, if I had called her yesterday, she would have taken a look at the photo and fainted with no one to help her since she lives alone.  If you and the nuns had taken a look at the photo just now, you would all have probably collapsed. Now you understand?"

"But no harm came to you, Head Nun," I argued.

"That's because I know how to protect myself but that's another story. The time travellers are good, kind beings and mean no harm to anyone.  They also told me that they had seen our temple shine like a sparkling jewel from space, that's why they decided to come and see for themselves.  Isn't that wonderful? Praise be to our Lord Buddha!" said Head Nun, bowing her head and clasping her hands in prayer. 

"Wow," I whispered in awe. To think that our small temple can be seen millions of kilometers away from space can only be described as the work of the Divine.

"So now are you satisfied?"  asked Head Nun.

"Yes, but are you going to tell the nuns what you've just told me?"

"Well, if I did, they will never be able to get the whole incident out of their minds for some time and that would be a great distraction from their duties.  So I think it's best they and Ah Ying forget about the whole thing."

 "But how are you going to make them forget?"  I persisted.

Head Nun laughed and patted my head.  "You'll see," she said mischievously.

The nuns were having tea in the kitchen when I went there later.  They were talking about this and that and I knew I had to test them to see whether they still remembered the photo.  When I mentioned it, they looked at me blankly and asked, "What photo?  What are you talking about?"  And Ah Ying hadn't the faintest idea either when I met her later.

Head Nun had done it again!  

Gong Xi Fa Cai

 

Sending you wishes of good luck, good health and wisdom in the

Lunar New Year!

P.S. This photo was taken by Ah Ying some time ago.  I remember Bruce Lee insisted that he be included in the snapshot, hence this awesome picture! - Da