Colours, each a mood

like our very emotions

hidden mysteries

The first duty of the mind

is to know its proper place

that of the heart is to advise

the mind the meaning of beauty and grace

When I was young

the word 'shame' was loud and strong

in middle-age I began to realise

such mindset was wrong-



now in my 'soon to say goodbye' days

with what my conscience says I can easily go along

life might not be all joys and grace

yet to myself I've every right to belong

'Progress' is a dangerous word

don't be too eager to embrace

many followed that path only to later regret

others rushed on and fell flat on their face

Colours are language

they tell stories when combined

note their eloquence.

When I sense that the idea which is hatching in my mind

seems a carbon-copy of someone else's,

I realise I am on the wrong track and immediately abandon it-

not to do this is dishonesty and hypocrisy which I can't live with.

The open road beckons

now is the time lest I regret

life rushes and cannot wait

I have to move forward


ere the day's light dwindles

and too soon comes the sunset

the wanderlust- heart will not rest

until its deepest desire is met

'Things To Do' List



In youth,                30 on the list



in middle-age.      15



in retirement.         5



from 80 onwards   1 (only one, the LAST one--this we all know)

Try Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Epicurus, the Buddha's  and the teachings of Zen.

If the mind doesn't choose in its neutrality,  the person cannot be thrown out of his equanimity and equilibrium.

Death is nothing according to all these modes of thinking.

The right way of living conquers death.

Holding on to security is the greatest impediment to peace of mind and happiness.

Thus, accepting impermanence is the greatest wisdom.

The self that holds too tightly to itself lives in fear and causes its own suffering--it has not grasped that it exists only in temporal time and that soon enough, it will perish as all living creates must at the end.


Be empty, be grateful, be gentle with yourself in self-compassion,  be in harmony with yourself, with your fellow-beings and with the universe, exercise compassion and humility, embrace and accept the moment, be it joy or pain, discard all trivia, drop all regrets,

forget time--the past is no more and the future exists only in thought,-- enjoy the simplest of things, have humour even in your darkest hours and when calls on you, walk into its shadows in fullest acceptance, grace and dignity.

That part of your life that's not lived

might open up new vistas

that you would never have believed--

it might heal yours many scars



even banish your deepest grief

as you set aside the dust and look to the stars

unlock your once-broken heart to receive

the rarest gift--to live a life without tears or bars

Give me not thy words
I would easily forget
give me then your heart
it will ingratiate--

that you desire most
my love and loyalty, you'll get
in our coming-together
there would be no room for regret

If I could set my inner ecology in order

there's little else I would desire more

FOR MB

A thought is a picture
as concrete as an object
crystallised in the artist’s mind
each a mini life-aspect

a meaning that comes to light
a mystery set in track
a painting is a journey completed
bearing he artist’s glorious flying-flag

In melancholy

joys of the past she recalls

naked in her thought

I don't have time to dream
too much to do on hand
a moment lost I can't redeem
towards the call of duty I should bend

The limits of what I know

guide me to where I shouldn't go

In some lonely grove

swans glide in blue serene pond

they come from nowhere

When I come to realise I'm about to lose the plot,

I step away, create a new one and switch course-

this has worked well in the end - this rule I never forgot

Sometimes I can read others' feelings better than my own and in a shorter time as I am more objective and also don't need to weigh or struggle as I have to do when it comes to examining myself.

We are all more complex than we would dare accept.

This in no way diminishes us or our humanity as what pertains to this is that there are so many variables that come into play when we are charged with strong feelings or emotions and, as a result, we need to step away to reflect to be sure of the particular position we hold at a certain point of time.

This is in no way negative but beneficial and productive as we will be on surer ground.

Desolate bare trees

beneath late evening's sun

heart in nostalgia

My tears can't tell

the depth of my pain

in throes it breaks my heart

again and over again



yet there's no escape

and for love I'll die in vain

oh let me sleep, sleep away

to be forgotten in some unknown plain

The best next step for mankind to take might be to look back
at what values it has lost and where and how it has gone wrong-
without this hindsight, it might fall into the same claptrap as before.

This is a Broken Age, not a Golden Age.

Language is the soul of thought
without it, all else is naught

All hands are unique

what they do is the essence

mine I'll not neglect

I had to take the long, long route

as no shortcut did I know

though  constantly being in hard-put

I managed to overcome my sorrow

Art is beyond mind

nameless feelings interfuse

mysterious music

You asked:

the best part of me-

it's the most arduous task

still a deep mystery

Student:  Master, how do I reduce my stress?



Master:     Just think less



Student:   How do I think less, Master?



Master:     Forget words.



Student:   Master, how do I forget words?



Master:     Just breathe in and breathe out

                  slowly and as gently as possible

                  such an act requires no words

                  they will no longer create any more trouble

(.    25 years later, the student took over the Master's role

      in the same place after the Master had passed away)

In many life-situations, the best move

might be in not making any move as later events prove

Dear Beth, thanks.

This reminds me of a real event some 7 years ago. Our home in an eastern suburb of Melbourne is surrounded by a few low trees. I was taking a walk and lo a tiny birdie dropped from a tree on a patch of grass below!  It was struggling and I noted that its mother was helpless looking from up the tree.  I held it in my right palm--it was shivering but its body was warm and its eyes were still twinkling.  I rushed home as I needed my wife to drive me to RSPCA as I couldn't drive (had not passed the stringent Aussie driving test).

The staff there were very helpful and promised the birdie would be well looked after.  One of them said: We hope to find a keeper.

A thought struck me and I asked: Should we give it a name as I will be phoning RSPCA to make sure it it's OK?

     It was April.   After trying a few names, we agreed on APRIL.

I rang up a month later and was told: April found a good home.

At this life's frail lingering hours

     my last four songs I'll sing thee

     winter has fallen the fairest flowers

      the once-green meadow is now empty-



     take my heart, take my all

     out of your love but not of pity

     in my non-waking sleep I'll still recall

     those tender moments we had beyond every beauty.

Books might not cure but each is a powerful tranquilliser in troubled times as the pandemic we are in now

I am silent, not because I lack the courage to speak or am in fear of being ridiculed--
it's that I need firstly to look at the issue from all possible angles, dispassionately,  circumspectly and intelligently.

Rashness would harm or ruin myself---prudence and patience would save me.

In dealing with another person, my delayed response is being fair to him as he's given a fair chance of being respectfully heard.

I close my eyes

so clearly I see

what is in sight

is not reality

My priority should be to look into myself first

  before venturing to look at others.  I am not talking of being selfish here but about awareness of my own self. Then perhaps I can make sense of the turmoil, conflict, the confusion and restlessness of the outside world.  If life were a vehicle,  I should know at least the basic functioning of each part so that when it (the vehicle) is not working, I can at least pinpoint where the malfunctioning is coming from-

and, by analogy, the tools available to me in life are my perceptions, my insight, my experiences and perspicuity.  

No machine, no computer, no known device is as complex as the human brain and mind--the epicentre of all our thinking, our feelings and emotions, our consciousness and our being as an individual.



If I were fortunate enough,  I might be able to put the scattered
jigsaw pieces in their proper order ---a formidable task indeed as this calls for the utmost patience, perseverance. and circumspection. This will be my starting point--to put myself in proper order so that I will be more prepared for the outside world, to respond to it efficiently and intelligently and to know how I can best fit in.

Do I own my dream

or does it own me?

which is the water, which is the stream?

surely we can't be the same entity!

I don't have the answer
but will not die for such account
perhaps many years later
it might on its own quietly come around

Most of the posts in LI relate to success as though that's

the raison d'etre of life. There's much more than that.  

Success is tempting--who doesn't want success?

On the other hand, who wants to be a failure?  

But success is an addiction----once people are hooked into it, they are trapped forever.

Another pernicious side to success is that such people want more and think that this will be perpetuated.

Somehow, disappointment will set in as nothing is permanent in life.

Why's there so much of stress, discontent and anxiety in the West?

It's because of greed, hunger for power and self-aggrandisement.

Studies show that Buddhist societies suffer from much less neurosis-

this should wake the world  up to a better understanding of the deleterious aspects of capitalism.  



What then is success?

Vincit qui se vincit, goes the famous Latin saying.

It's about self-conquest----if one succeeds, one has overcome everything in life. Here's self-awareness, insight, peace, harmony and self-compassion.  In being fully attuned to oneself, one is able to reach out to others in the fullest empathy and humility--one enriches others, spreads calm and goodwill and is companionable to everyone he meets or interacts with.

Values last, not success or money.

Through my eyes: From Brahms's secret diary (1857):



Let's  keep this purity

Robert is not dead--deeply

he dwells in our being--we

do him wrong if our memory



should fail him---he will weep

for our lack of fidelity- ah, how deep

indeed is our affection-- his legacy

I'll immortalise in each my symphony.

I can't fool anyone

     don't have the skill

     being a nobody

    am no target for their ****

Space has its language

heard only by artists' ears

and seen through their eyes

Stepping out from oneself any day
it's healing and renewal indeed
old pastures have fallen into decay
on new ones the heart must feed

Even if I do know

   it would only be partially

   further I can't go--

   for clarity I would need a century

A poetry-book

she holds page in tenderness

love is in her eyes

I trust the coin in my pocket as I can see

  but it's beyond me--this thing called 'Creepy-Currency'

  sorry I can't spell correctly, I hereby extend my apology!

Don't blame the sinking ship

when you are already in it

you should have checked its seaworthiness

beforehand-- where then was your wit?

The 21st century Tao:

1. In success, be humble

2. In failure, accept with grace

3  Embrace the good and the bad

4  Count others wiser

5 Always pay attention to details, even the minutest

6.  Listen to the mind but obey the heart

7.  Generosity never impoverishes the giver

8.  In prosperity, conserve

9.  In adversity, endure

10  Honesty is your greatest asset

11.   Know your friends

12  Count none as enemy

13  Know that mankind is one

14  To be in harmony with the Way

is the route to peace and wisdom

15.  Avoid comparison and envy

16.  Do not gossip or back-bite

17.  Work with, not against time

18.   Know what is timely

19  Always be punctual

20. Blame yourself, not others

21.  Don't teach or preach

22.  Don't laugh aloud in the presence of sad people

23.  Treat your host's home with greater care than with your own

24.  Do it right --the first time

25.  No one wants to hear your complaints

26.  The best bargain is fairness

27.   Conscience has nothing to do with reason

28.   Gratitude is root of humanity

29   Winning and losing are both illusions

30.  Live life without apology

COPYRIGHT

Knowing I could contribute nothing

I left the room in silence and in humility

hypocritical to give the impression I knew something

that would strip me of every dignity

Dear Albert, but some subjects can't be explained simply and your relativity theory demonstrates this.  We can then think of Wittgenstein's TRACTATUS...etc.  There are just too many subjects that are beyond the grasp of ordinary people, even if the best attempt is made to 'simplify' them.

Dear Albert, I was looking for the music you played but couldn't but those who played chamber-music with you did say you were relatively good.



Your eyes always gazed faraway

into some strange foreign terrain

whether it were night or day

your imagination knew no restraint



and me a poor mortal have nothing to say

not a word would any advantage gain

E-MC squared for a millenium would still stay

your theory would suffer not the slightest of stain.

from
your fellow-violinist from Melb,  but I guess you did better!