A Dream turned out to be a Nightmare

I am not, not among those who always have a dream to travel abroad, preferably 'Australia' and earn a life changing income. It is not only Bhutanese who wish to change their lifestyle in over 2-3 years, working in the dust in countries like Australia, USA, UK and many more, but there are also people from other parts of the world who share the same vision. People go there to enhance their skills and knowledge but one of the main reasons behind for going abroad is the hope of reaching next level in life when back to Bhutan or in their own country. I have that dream to be frank!

However, my only way to get there is through government scholarships like Endeavor and AUSAID if it is in Australia and NUFFIC if it is in Netherlands and many other scholarships offered by our government and by donor governments. If I have to go on my own like some people who manage to go there, I don't have that means. I appreciate people who manage to go there either through Scholarships or through self.

Taking the advantage of this increasing trend of Bhutanese desiring to go to Australia and other third countries to do job and earn more, some heartless greedy people make a good business out of it colluding with the same-minded people in some other countries cheating the innocent people. When someone is driving a beautiful car, when one is successfully running a shop, when one is peacefully enjoying the monthly income, when someone is happily enjoying the rental income of his/her building and when someone is leading a happy family life, their minds are being disturbed by promising them the surety of working VISA and Job in other countries like Australia. Playing with their minds, these heartless people convinced the innocent which was easier than anything and made him sell his car, made her sell her shop, made him resign from a decent job, made them borrow money from bank, relatives and some even sell their building, land and all their belongings just to pay the fee for the people who falsely promised them with the ready job abroad. Convinced with the process and the faked VISA that they got, some paid full amount (few hundred thousands) but some who are smart enough paid half.  When it was time for them to go to their long wished land and fulfill their burning desires, there came a huge blow right across their face when they came to know that they were actually cheated with a fake VISA and a false promise of job surety abroad. That was the time where their dreams turned out to be a night mare. Some lost their home, wealth and some were even abandoned by their beloved family. 

It is bit of a relief for them because the culprits behind this are under police custody and they have greater chances of getting what they paid them. It is too bad to cheat our own people. People are willing to do anything for the money. Of course, some agents are good and genuinely help people fulfill their dreams. Therefore, it is up to us to choose well the agent whenever we are to approach any agent for assistance. 

I have heard of many such stories of innocent people being hooked up getting nothing after having paid a huge amount. The point 'B' is our destination but how to go about and whom to rely upon to reach our destination is crucial while we are still in point 'A'. When approaching any agent for such assistance, it is very crucial for us to study the accomplishments made by the agent in the past. Study well, do not listen to one or two friends and make decisions hastily. It is not advisable to sell all our assets in order to get there. There are many sad stories of people going abroad and have landed nowhere. If we learn to be happy with what we have, there is nothing happier than this. 

Being a strong believer in Karma, I feel, if we are not supposed to be wealthy in this lifetime by our fate, no matter how much we try, there is no way we become wealthy. Sometimes with the dream of reaching the star, we will lose the tract to reach the mountain.  

"I Dont get Time" - Is it an Excuse?

Many a time we say, "I don't get time, otherwise..." This has become a common thing for everyone just to escape or avoid doing something of not their interest. People often say those who say I do not get time are the ones who are free all the time and the ones who do not do anything productive. Even I feel it is true, people who get time to do anything are the ones who are busy all the time. "I don't get time' is just another way of saying I don't want to do.  

That is not an excuse but a pleasing way to say 'No'. One of the best examples of this is keeping ourselves fit with morning jogging for gym, going for prayers, evening walk, reading, etc...People often say they do not get time to do these things, not because they are occupied all the time doing productive things but just because they don't like doing things. There is always exceptional though. I have read in one of the books that those who say they don't get time to work for their personal development like early morning walk, reading good books and praying are like saying I don't have time to stop the car when all your fuel has been consumed. How much in haste you are, if your car runs out of fuel, you will have to stop by the fuel station. It is also said that people who don't have time for exercises will later have time for illness. 

Therefore, whenever someone says I don't get time, always have a second thought that does he/she really don't have time to do what needs to be done. It should not be the lame excuses just to avoid doing things that could be done otherwise. 

Earth Quake- Conventional Vs Scientific Views

Conventional View

People call it Sayom (literally translated as moving/shaking of the earth) and in local terms people referred to it as Naka (Doesn't mean anything, just a name given by ancestors). It is believed that our world is in the hands of a Giant as it is shown in the picture. The circle called the Sidpa Khorlo or the Circle of Karma represents the six realms of Samsara. From the Buddhist point of view, it is said that this Samsara is divided into six realms and the earth is one of the six realms. When the mild earthquake strikes, it is believed that the Giant holding the six realms of Samara moves one of his body hairs. And if he moves his finger, the intensity of earthquake will be more and if he moves his body, it will be the end of world. It is also believed that during the earthquake, that Giant will be waiting at the doorstep of every household with a sack and whoever moves out first will be put in that sack and will be taken by him (meaning death). Therefore, during the earthquake it is believed that we should not move out at once, we have to throw something out of the door first and then have to move out. People also shout ‘Naka...naka...naka’ in order to drive away that Giant and stop the tremor. Some also believe that we should not shout and rather we have to pray and move out to open space. Some people in different region believe that during the quake, they have to say " sergi kawai dhos dhos" which means 'please support our buildings by the golden pillars' so that the giant will fear and give up thinking that the houses are made of strong golden pillars. But in some region people believe in contrary to this. They believe they should say such words because it would infuriate the Giant and will cause more destruction 

Scientific Views

The science says the world is made of underlying plates which are in a continuous motion. When these plates move and slides each other, certain energy is created which is being sent out as a seismic wave. This wave is being perceived by the world as tremors. The sliding of these plates results in the formation of ridges and valleys. This violent sliding of one plate on other causes the earth to shake and the point at which these plates slide is the epicenter. The Himalayan ranges are formed some millions of years ago due to the collision of Eurasian plate and the Indian plate.

Some earthquakes are also caused by volcanic eruptions. Due to volcanic eruptions, it sends a wave that causes the earth to move in the nearby areas.   

Being Positive Always

Life is full of ups and downs. There are days sometimes when you wake up in the morning feeling dejected, distressed, despaired and feeling like doing nothing the whole day. And there are times when one morning you wake up feeling so relaxed, energized, excited and ready to face anything the following day. This very few moments in the morning define the day for all of us. 

The feelings that we get in the morning is actually conditioned by the state of our mind the night before we went to sleep. Just imagine tomorrow is your birthday or a very special day for you. You will wake up feeling so excited and relaxed the next morning. And if you go to bed with so much worries and stresses, the next morning you wake up exhausted. So it is preconditioned. No matter where your life drags, you should look at it positively. Your car goes through rubble but you are being comforted by the cushion and do not feel the effect. In a similar way you have to cushion yourselves from all those negative things in your life. If you fail, remember, you are a step closer to your success. The successful people get excited with 'NO' in their life because they believe it is their 'Next Opportunity' to prove themselves that they are not what they seemed to be. Every failure in life has to be taken as a lesson and build foundation on it. It is said, wise men learn from their mistakes and the wiser you are if you learn both from your mistakes and the mistake of others. Shiv Khera in his book has mentioned that the only difference between the ordinary people and the extraordinary people is the 'extra'. That extra input that they put in makes them extraordinary. 

As far as possible in life, you have to avoid excuses. Excuses are the deadly trap that entraps you from reaching the success. You would feel you have cheated others giving excuses but you are actually cheating yourselves. Excuses breed mediocrity and mediocre people are always complacent. Complacent people are limited by many things in life and there is no way they are going beyond it. Looking at something positively breeds positive things only. Even the negative things can be changed to positive. If you are being criticized for your work, take it positively. Learn from it rather than confronting it. It means there is a room for improvement and prove your strengths. If you have lost something valuable, rather than repenting over and blaming self or others, try to be calm and look for a solution. Stop blaming each other because it will not help, it only creates disharmony. Even if you can’t find it and there is no other way you can find it, accept that it is lost and do not curse anyone because it never helps. Rather, pray that let it be useful for someone and give happiness to anyone who uses it. If you feel this way, there is no way you can keep on thinking about it, haunting you.  

So, even if you wake up full of worries and anxieties, calm down, go for a walk, get energized, reading some inspirational books, breathe deeply and make your mind still. Think nothing for few moments. Be in 'Now' state, not in future and not in past. That will help you boost your energy and you will have many options to tackle whatever situation you encounter. Maintain the positivity in you; never get too excited when everything goes well because you can't take the feelings when something goes wrong. The first few hours of your day right after you get up is very crucial. Start up with something positive like going for walk, reading some inspirational quotes/books and some mindful breathing exercises. It helps set up your day bright. I always remember this quotation by Shiv Khera, "Winners don't to different things, they do things differently".       

WHY DO WE EAT? Do we Eat to Live or Live to Eat?

If we had no stomach, will we be working still? I had this question since I was a little boy looking after the cattle with a torn notebook in hand. Actually was herding cattle and at the same time preparing for the exams. This was the only help I could render to my parents. I was then in class two.

One day when I was with my daily chores of looking after the cattle, an elderly man came by. He was carrying a bunch of firewood on his back. I know him very well, a jolly person, worthy to spend time with; he is a friendly neighbor. A locally brewed wine is his favorite. I always used to give him a cup or two without even my parent’s consent. That is why he always come to me and share all the skills and experiences he had as an army personnel some twenty years ago. He sat beside me with a long “whoosh of breathe”. I helped him rest his firewood stably on the little slope so that it would be easier for him to lift it latter. “Have to bear the hardships because of this stomach” he spoke in a tone that was regretful placing his hands on his stomach. I smiled. He was really tired; I offered him whey that I was carrying in my bag. After having rested for sometimes, I tied my cattle, two of them and a calf. I helped the man get up with his firewood and walked with him to my house. I knew what he was expecting. My parents were out for works at neighbor’s place and it was easier for me to offer his favorite quenching brand. I looked for it but all bottles were empty. I felt it would upset him. I opened the jar and sieved out a cup of alcoholic liquid, locally termed as ‘singchhang’ and offered him apologetically for not having local wine. He gulped at once and warned me if my parent knows about it. He also taught me an idea to add some water into it so that it will be unnoticed by them. I did it like he said and lidded tightly. He went with a smile on his face and I went back to untie my cattle and herd them.

That night his statement ran all over my nerves. I questioned myself, why do I study? Why do I look after cattle? Why do my parents work so hard in sun and rain? Why do neighbors fight over boundaries? Why everybody is busy morning till evening? And many such questions. That is where I started to think “If we had no stomach, will we be working still?” The man that I met earlier that afternoon was very much aware of it. But now when I think back about this statement, having learnt a bit of science, if there had been no stomach, none of our body parts would have been functional as stomach is the main organ that digest and distribute food to various other organs to function properly. Stomach is necessary and every sentient beings work hard to get this organ filled up before going to sleep. If we just narrow our thinking that we work to earn food and we eat food to work to earn a food again, there is no purpose in life. I once read a book that states ‘the purpose of life is life of purpose’ so we need to have purpose in life. If we have the purpose, we will have many other reasons to live and many other reasons to eat. Not just eat to live and live to eat. We have to eat to live and when we live because we eat, we have to fulfill the purpose. So it becomes ‘eat to live to fulfill the purpose of life’.

From the religious point of view; we are taught that we have to eat only to gain the energy to practice Dharma. The purpose of Dharma practitioner is to liberate all sentient beings from the oceans of suffering, the ‘Samsara’. The Dharma practitioner like great Yogi Jetsun Milerepa survived on a single meal of nettle plant broth a day. Lord Buddha meditated feeding on a single grain a day for six years just to attain the enlightenment and help liberate other beings. If we have that purpose in life, we will eat bearing in mind that, ‘I am eating just to gain enough energy to fulfill my purpose’. That is a mindful eating. Eating with mindfulness gives the adequate energy that is required by our body. Science says we have to chew twenty four times before we swallow just to grind it well. This is as good as mindful eating. If we eat mindfully, there will not be any cases of diabetes or other lifestyle related diseases. Being mindful helps us to focus at our purposes, it helps us to eat with compassion, it makes us thank for the joy that we get out of eating and the most importantly it let us know the purpose of eating.

Human beings do not make own food. We depend on other living beings for food. So we have to be thankful to them. Once I was in my friend’s house and he has cooked some sweet potatoes. I took a bite and enjoyed the sweetness of it. “Indeed it is a miracle that the plants can make a sugary taste themselves” he said with a look of confusion. And now we get to taste that sweetness, we have to be thankful for the joy that they are able to provide us. We have to be compassionate while eating because our food cost a life of other living beings. Eat with good purpose, the ultimate thing. So eat not for the taste, eat to gain energy and that energy should be used to fulfill the good purpose in life. We should not live to eat, live for the purpose and eat as a tool to reach that purpose. I eat to live with purpose and live to get my purpose done. 

The man that I met that afternoon passed away in the year 2011 when I was in 2nd year in college. It was sad to know but he has lived his life with a purpose. He reared all his seven children and they are now of their own.       

***THE END***          

How to use WeChat on Computer- Web Wechat?

WeChat can be connected to Desktop and you can use it if you have internet connection on the desktop. The WeChat on desktop is super-fast, as fast as the speed of your internet. How to connect WeChat to desktop: Follow the steps below:

1. Open WeChat on your phone
2. Go to discover (may depend on WeChat version. It works on version 6.0)
3. Click on Scan QR Code, it will open camera like screen with green line moving down 
4. Now on your desktop, go to web.wechat.com 
5. You will get the code, a maze like thing on the screen (Picture above)
6. Now take your phone in front of a computer and align the mobile, the camera like screen that you have opened in step 3 with that code of the desktop.
7. It will get connected 
8. Press okay or log in on web

Then enjoy WeChat on destop with full speed. 

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Little tips to a Healthy Diet - From the Books of Robin Sharma

1. 8PM to 4AM- Absorption time. This is the time, our body absorbs food, digest and produces required energy.
2. 4AM to 12PM (Noon) - Elimination time. This is the time our body excretes waste materials from our body. 
3. 12PM (Noon) to 8PM - Feeding time. This is the time where our body requires incoming of food materials(Healthy ones only) 
4. Get up early and go for a morning walk in the woods (Nature in broader sense). Practice mindfulness exercises such as breathing exercises.
5. Start a day with lemon juice or at the most an apple (could be other healthy fruits too) 
6. We should not disturb the process within our body as described above. Eat rightful amount after 12PM till 8PM. It is advised not to take anything (if possible) after 8PM. If you have to take, we can have soup, green tea)
7. Diet should contain "alive natural foods" (green vegetables & fresh fruits) and avoid "dead foods" (Meat).
8. Six hours or five at the minimum of quality sleep is necessary.  Should not sleep more.

This is what I follow after having gone through 3 books of Robin Sharma: "Mega Living", "A monk who sold his Ferrari" and "Who will cry when u die" and currently I am with "A Leader who had no title". Also collected information from other personal development books viz: "You can live successfully in life" by Ben Abbot, "Buddha Body, Buddha Mind" by Thich Nhat Hanh and "Buddhic Essence" by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. These are mostly personal development books which I am mostly interested in. I recommend to all those who have not read it.