Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos, part A

This week, i am inspiring by the Folklore of Laos by Katherine Neville Fleeson. Reading through part A, i find very interesting with those stories, including The Mountain Spirits and the Stone Mortars, The Man in the Moon, and The Parrot and the Minor Bird.

In the Mountain Spirits and the Stone Mortars, the spirits, who lived in the mountain, wanted money. So they brought some mortars back into the town near them, and forced the residents to buy the mortars back although these mortars had no use to them. Because its big and useless, people in the town just left them scattered over the street.

The Man in the Moon is the story about an blacksmith, who always jealous someone or something are enjoying the life better than him, complains to God about this. First, he wishes he can become a stone,  then a Stonecutter because a stone are being hurt by a stonecutter. He wishes to become a moon, then complains about its coldness. God transforms him into a sun forever.

In the Parrot and the Minor Bird, the Sao bird, which know the language of man, was punished by the owner because of speaking the true that the owner stole his neighbor's buffalo. The Sao bird therefore warned the Parrot and the Minor Bird not to speak other than the owner teaches. Therefore, nowadays, the Parrot and the Minor Bird just echoes the words of man.

The Mynahs bird.

Week 6 Story Lab: The Power of Creative Constraints

Source: John Spencer

TEDed Video: The Power of Creative Constraints, by Brandon Rodriguez.

I find the quote "What if the road blocks are actually hidden opportunities?"is related to pretty much the ideas behind the video about creative constraints, that is to deal better with hard times.

We usually faces many difficult decisions that sometimes beyond our capabilities. In a condition of limited resources, we have to manage things in a better way to achieve our goals without any wastes.

Creative freedom always faces with creative constraints (such as time, cost, knowledge...), and, of courses, creative constraint applies to all of the majors and across fields. However, these constraints, sometime are "hidden opportunities", that once we go over this, there will be innovation.

The video shows the example of the landers viking 1 and 2. In order to arrive to the surface of Mars, they have to rely on thrusters, in which in turn spills out the chemicals and contaminates the Earth's surface. 

That is a constraint. Scientists finds the airbag system as a solution and also stop burning contaminated fuels. But latter, we question that what is the appropriate size of the airbag?

"Constraints are't a boundaries of creativities, but the foundation of its"

Reading Notes: The Monkey King Unit, Part B

In part B of The Monkey King Unit, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921), Sun Wu Kung was appointed a stablemaster of the heavenly steeds by the Lord of Heaven. However, Sun Wu Kung angried when he knew that this was the lowest rank position, he escaped the heaven and called himself " The Great Saint Who is Heaven's Equal"(The Great Saint)

Sun Wu Kung's destiny.

With his empty title, Sun Wu Kung idled day by day. He ate the peaches, drunk the nectar and swallowed the pills of life (Laotzse)  He latter was punished by the Buddha, be imprisoned under the mountain until a monk came and helped him out (The destiny of Sun Wu Kung).

Reading Notes: The Monkey King Unit, Part A

I am a great fan of "The Journey to the West", so i decided to read The Monkey King Unit, which comes from The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

Sun Wu Kung in The Journey to the West. Source: Zing

This story is about a monkey who was born from the stone, and gradually grew and became a Handsome King of the Apes. He then later named Sun Wu Kung by his master, who taught him the kung fu and incantations. After years of learning, Wukung finally mastered the magical transformations and somersault on the clouds and many other arts (Sun Wu Kung Departs). Later, he used his powerful skills to save his apes from the Devil King. 

As a King of Apes, he seeked his own weapons that are worthy with his power. He came to the Dragon King, a Water and Weather God, to ask for a weapon and an armor. However, he found no weapon that suited for him except the golden rod, which weighted many thousand pounds and shone with a red glow. (The Dragon Queen).

Week 5 Story: Buddha's Reborn.

Legend has told that the deity must undergoes Forty-nine incarnation to be cultivated into the future bliss. This is his last life, to become an ordinary person and to understand all of the suffering and difficulties. When he really understands thoroughly the rules of "birth, old, illness and death", and the law of "causes and effect" he will be able to enlighten the supreme power. However, success or failure depends on can he overcome the lure of seven human feelings (joy, anger, love, hate, sorrow, passion, love) and the six root afflictions (application of thought, examining, decision, energy, rapture, desire).

Like many others, he reborn into a normal family in the Kapilavastu kingdom, ruled under the control of King Suddhodana. In a day of his reincarnation,  the hermit Asita came to the king and report that the sky appeared the new stars, which appeared super shine. Asita said that there will be a supreme lord who his reborn will soon make this country better.

The King send his guards to find the newborn. What a strange coincidence that a whole kingdom just appear only one pregnant woman.

Buddha walked on a lotus. Picture from Wiki

Month passed, she gave birth to a boy, but unluckily, she died after that. The King soon adopted him and officially named him Prince Siddhartha. At the same day, all lotus flowers in the kingdom are flourishing, spread a soft aroma. Prince Siddhartha appeared healthy, and beautiful. He also appeared with a light pale pink nimbus, just like the color of the lotus. Anywhere he came, lotus was born, people was happy. The whole kingdom felt highly enthusiastic. The king decided to open the three days party to celebrate of his newborn. The King also brought the nature mother of Prince to the national Buddhist temple to worship.

.........................................

Author's Note: Based on the Life of Buddha: The Birth of Siddhartha by Andre Ferdinand Herold, I changed the context a bit. The original version doesn't mention about the seven feelings and six root afflictions. Because of the limited in English, I can't take into account many things about Buddhism that I know. However, I believe that a Buddha should born in a normal way to understand a normal life.

In the story of Andre Ferdinand Herold, Maya, a Queen, dreamed about the elephant that entered to her womb. She then later pregnant, then born to Prince Siddhartha under the precious tree. She died about seven days later.

I add the lotus to the story because most of the Buddha i know (via pictures and movies), all sits and meditates in Buddha's throne made from lotus. 

The hermit Asita heard about the birth of Siddhartha. He came to the king to see the Prince. He told that the Prince soon became a supreme Lord Buddha.

Reading Notes: The Life of Buddha, Part B

Continue to part A, part B of The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold tells about the process when Prince Siddhartha left his home to become a monk and finally became Buddha.

Buddha Status. Picture from Indiamart

Prince Siddhartha and his horse Kanthaka with his guards left the capital and entered deep into the forest. Right here, Siddhartha made careful recommendation to the guard about his reason to leave and gave him the necklace for proof. Prince Siddhartha then exchanged his gorgeous cloths with the hunter and continued to find his belief of "true law" (Siddhartha the Hermit)

He lived and learned the doctrine of Arata Karama for a long time. But then he realized that it is not his "true law" that he had been looking for. This law of Arara Karama required people to live a suffering life. They supposed to get hungry, thirsty, suffered from cold and hot. He left the law since he understood that to persecute himself is not a deliverance.

Time passed, and that day Siddhartha enlightened himself. He sweared that unless he had attained the supreme knowledge to deliverance, he shall not move for any reason. And he crossed his legs and meditated under the Tree of Knowledge.

Reading Notes: The Life of Buddha, Part A

This week, I find myself interested in Buddhism culture, therefore, i choose to read The Life of Buddha, written by Andre Ferdinand Herold. This reading unit tells a story of  how Siddhartha awaken as a Buddha.
In Maya's dream, Maya, a wife of King Suddhodana, saw a six tusks elephant entered her womb, gave a signal of her pregnant. And months passed, Prince Siddhartha was born in a beautiful day under a special tree.
Growth up, Prince Siddhartha appears to have more omnipotence. He first realized life contains much of sufferings and painful. He saw farmers who work really hard under the burning hot weather in Siddhartha's First Meditation. He saw among those richest, youngest, strongest people in the city a poorest,weakness and oldest man in his first encounter. In the next two more encounters, the Price saw a sickness man who was so desperate, and latter he also saw a corpse.
He decided he should do something to bring people out of the miserable.

Buddha's Meditation. Source: Petrotime