Travel by Bangkok Sky Train (BTS)

It is my normal time to get up at 5 AM in the early morning to prepare the breakfast and chanting prayers to the Buddhas of ten directions for their empowerment and blessings for all sentient beings. The sounds of my prayer fills my room with burning incense sticks  even though I am alone and hidden from other people completely. It is mysterious and enigmatic even to myself for I don't have any directions in life. I move my life accordingly to time and tide but not systematically and strategically. 

Having done and filled my stomach with plate of rice supported by fried eggs. Time and tide waits for none. I need to rush with my dress up for the departure to my work place at Ekkamai,Sukkumvit 63, Chiva-Som company. No time to waste away in wandering thoughts but rush for the bike service  to reach me to the Bangkok Sky Train station at Victory monument, Annusouri. Riding on the scooter for about 15 minutes reached me for another type of transport services center in Bangkok to speed up my travel towards work place. Every minute is precious for me in this modern world to achieve my dreams. Having reached at the BTS, I approached the ticket counter for coins in an exchange. It is my normal dialogue to the counter as please can I have coins for " Ekkamai". Immediately she/he will say, 42 Bahts and handover the coins to me so that I can buy the tickets from the machine. Without wasting my time, I pressed the machine for 42 Bahts and put my coins so that machine issues me the ticket for Ekkamai immediately. 

Passing through the gates after insertion of my ticket and climbing upstairs to board on the train. Oh! The line is so long and passengers rushing like an ants for their agenda to meet. I am also one of the travelers who always rushes towards my agenda for the day. The train that I see with signals of " To Bearing" is approaching towards the station for us to board on. As soon as the train is stopped, we all rushes inside the train rubbing our shoulders and bodies very hard. It is terrible, I never get the seat but have to stand on my feet for long travel towards Ekkamai. The train is fully packed and loaded with passengers with different faces. Everyday I see different faces and shapes of people but never know what they are thinking inside their mind. Some passengers are busy with their IPhone playing games  in the facebook, listening musics and moving like robots. 

It is common process that I hear the cabin crew announcing" Please move inside the train and do not eat" and the next station updates and cold air conditioning kissing my body softly and cooling down from the heat of human breaths. The smelling of different people is terrible and disgusting experience that I share always. The dizziness that I get when the break is applied is another horrible experience that I get from BTS services. Seeing and hearing that many people are dying from train accidents chills my nerves when I board on the BTS. Will I reach my destination safely is the most hammering question occurs in my mind? And will I see her beautiful face again is another quest?  I saw her face so beautiful but never to see again travelling together for short time. This teaches me the uncertainty and fleeting Nature of life. We attach too much to this fleeting Nature of life to be with us and suffering great pains when gone. It was just my wild dream to see her face again but I am crossing the truth and suffer from agony and sadness if I continue longing for it. Sorry! It was another blunder that I committed after long practice.

 The same process is followed by me always to fulfill my agenda for the day. I know everybody in Bangkok is very busy like an ants to earn their life and to fulfill the dreams of becoming rich person one day. May all the wishes of passengers be fulfilled instantly by the blessings of Lord Buddha. May their life be useful and prosperous with showers of wealth and Happiness. It is another dream that I am going through in this samsara to complete my cycle of life here in Bangkok. There is no end to my frightening dreams and pains until and unless I am completely enlightened and lifted from this world. 

Mindu Wangdi

The Night Club

On the evening of 21 March 2014; I did join the night Club at Ekamai, Bangkok with my Soft Skills Development group members at 9.30 PM. The main reason for joining this first and last night club was to make movies and interview about myself by our group friends for our soft skills development project to be presented soon in the class. We want to be different and remain quite mysterious always as dreamed by our group members. Moreover, I want to move away from my "comfort Zone" and discover the blue oceans of life on this earth to understand the daily party goers mentality and intentions for spending whole night rocking their body and mind with drinks and thundering musics blown out inside the hall.

Having reached the club house, the guards asked for my identity card to check my minimum age to join the club.  I did show my University card (CMMU Card) and they instantly rejected my entry for it does not speak of my age. Then I showed my driving license after long search in inside the  pocket. Vow! Then they gave me now seal on my right hand and the gate is opened for the club for me. I was just wandering, what are possible reasons  for they go at this gathering that lasts so long with noisy music, drinks, smoking and lighting systems that rock the halls in different colors. Even my hand bag was brushed, searched and monitored by the security personnel for they feel typical guest or customer that I am joining their clubs today. The other friends were let easily go in for they are the daily customers and familiar faces without much check ups like me. Somehow, I could pass the security gate and went inside the club house and welcomed by our teams with soft drinks.

Watching, hearing and observing carefully the dances being rocked by our friends with the fast rhythm musics played by the organizer. I did join the herd shaking my body and hands which I never did in my life with our cameras on for movie clips. The room looks so dark and scary like cremation ground where dead souls are dancing wildly with dim lights and candles on the tables. Everyone is dressed in sexy, fancy  and 95% naked looks with protruding breasts from thin breast cover. That was another experience which I could gain from the generation Y friends at night club. Some are hanging out with their best lovers and companions and room mates. These days, the girls will never say/ declare he is my boy friend or husband  but as a room mate or business partner. The human beings are changing constantly and surrounding too adapts accordingly. 

We need to understand the mind set of highly educated ladies of this twenty first century. They don't want men as their husband with traditional marriages being involved but just as a temporary bed mate or business partners. Moreover, they do not want to have any babies between but temporary services of satisfying sexual urge only with precautions being taken. This is indeed bad news for the single man who wants to have hands with these modern ladies.  Same case might apply even to some modern men who feels marriage and having kids are burdensome and monotonous way of life. Just need for temporary bed mate only. This  is another dangerous trend for that could hamper the generation success in the long run. The world is filled with aged people only now who are unproductive soon. The whole world might reach a danger zone of no supply of the productive youths to replace this generations if no marriages are happening for economic growth and Human Resource development. 

The night club is another form of business model with differentiated market segment  for the generation Y youths and some generation X person like me particularly to cope up with. These clubs are making lots of money every night by imposing the heavy fees ranging from 500 Bahts and above per event. The another reason why our youths visit night club is that they are looking for "Happiness" "Joyous moments" inside the club after long hours of work in their offices. The tensions of job burnout is released here with rocking musics and shaking their body after few dips of wine and beer. They forget everything here freedom is gained. They get short duration of "Happiness" that they long for from elsewhere. But does this temporary Happiness and Joyous moment last for how long?

No way; it is just for that night hours. We are back to same suffering of pain, workload, emotions, rejections, frustrations, anger, jealousy and wrathful until and unless we are fully enlightened from this realms of life. The happiness and joy that we get from this night club is like "licking the sugar coated knife" which might cut our tongue if we are not that careful. one day and pose danger to our life. In the same, we are wasting our hard earned money, energy and precious life for short happiness provided by the night clubs. We need to Self-discover our "True Happiness" inside our hearts and mind but not in the bar clubs without paying any fees.

I would like to urge our youths to understand oneself to get the perfect "happiness" that does not change forever like the night clubs provide us. This is most expensive way of earning and buying happiness from the clubs that last for short duration and bounds back to same circle of pain and sufferings. Know the fact and learn to live with facts. We will be happy always without rocking our body with musics and wine.

By-Mindu Wangdi

The Mysterious Disappearance: Malaysian Boeing 777

It was deeply saddening  and painful to hear that Boeing MH 370 with 239 passenger on board disappeared in the vast space without much clue after its takeover from airport on 8th March 2014. The bombardment of hot news hit every media channels of its mysterious lost from radar still not solved with twenty-six Nations search teams consist of scientific advanced tools and satellite networks, brushing the Oceans for debris and black-box recovery. Who is the main deadly killer is unclear and blame game is now the last option for the cause of fatal accident of the Boeing 777 airplane taking away 239 lives leaving faint hopes of survival and safe landing of airplane in any Country if hijacked.

 Oh! The dirty hands of Pilots, the Terrorists,  Girl friends, Crew members, Passengers, Politicians, Ground staff and airliners' Competitors  must have done the criminal acts of diverting the plane from charted routes to crash intentionally are the points to blame after the damaged is already done. We are crying over the spilled milk.This is another failure of Science & Technology which we all rely on so grossly to make our life comfortable and easy. Many lives are lost due to failure of science and Technology in the world with an accidents and mechanical failures added by human intentions.  Even the small mobiles can kill the human beings if our life force is finished and such huge planes are deadly killers too. The sinking of huge cruise ship Titanic too killed many lives on board. Therefore, the truth of our life is so fragile and destroy-able by any ill forces.  

The lord Buddha said that" Human life is like a candle light placed on the windy and stormy area." which can be put off at any time by the forces of wind and storm resembling of very low survival chances. The good forces of living is very little as compared to the deadly killers surrounding us to end our life force like the candle in the air. Our own property, wealth, cars, planes and ships will turn into deadly killer one day by hiring the hands of Lord Yama. There are tens and thousands of ways that we all human beings may die suddenly without any notifications received from the Lord Yama and leave our parents, relatives, friends, sons and daughters with heavy heart. This is the truth; we all should learn to accept it with gracefully and happily instead of clinging to have answers and solutions. After all, we all are not going to live forever on this earth. 

Let us live happily instead of running into disturbed emotions and turbulence for the lost lives. The very moment we are born, we are bound to die.  The schedule is different to all of us. That the is the truth; accept it and learn to live happily in turbulent times. I know it is not that easily said and done but we should think in positive way of life and uncertainty is the truth. Rejoice the the candle light for few years with its limited good attributes. The wind  of death will blow from any directions even to us which had happened to our loved ones. Be prepared for the worse and rejoice the current moment with available resources that we have. Never try to built the house in the sky; that is impossible and unrealistic dream that we all dream as a business minded people.

The only last contribution that we all can make to our lost lives are dedicating our sincere prayers and merits for their swift rebirth into Pure Land of Buddhas and Bodhisattva. Deeply pray and hope to meet in the next life as same family  members in the next generations. I have my layperson's simple and humble prayers to those who lost their lives due to any causes that we are looking for to reach Zangdoperi and join the entourage of Guru Rinpoche. Life is full of mysteries;  this is another mystery that human beings are facing in this modern age with frustrations. I also share the burden and sadness that faced by the family members round the world. May you all live long and happy life. May your misery and sadness be reduced. 

Written by: Mindu Wangdi

The Dead Body

The Dead Body

Who is ready to die on this earth with smiling face when the bells of Lord Yama rings on? We all want to live forever  and wants to achieve more and more within the short span of life on this earth. But the truth is that we all have to pass through this so called the gate of "Death" to complete the circle of life in this samsara.  Having visited the Thimphu cremation ground many times for the death rituals of my relatives and family members remind me of one day I have to follow the same path as they are doing in front of me. Sleeping in the icy cold rooms and waiting for many nights in the cremation ground due to some inauspicious omens sent from astrological calculations along with dead bodies line up to be cremated by the monks stationed as free service to the public by the central monastic body. Seeing the tears rolling down from the eyes of relatives for the lost soul and mind. Hearing loud noise of deep cry in front of the dead bodies melted away my heart into pieces. However, I tried to keep my emotions controlled in front of the crowds. From the deep of my heart, I am also crying along with the relatives and family members for the dead ones. I know, it is really painful moments in our life to face with. 

The passing away of my beloved father in my village taught me the greatest lessons in my life to accept the death as natural process even though we really feel uncomfortable as said and done.  Watching my father passing away in front of us was  really painful  and tearful moment. Huge crowds gathered to moan with me but we have to no choice but let him go away from the family life. Thinking of such events really makes me tearful and chokes my breathing. To accept the truth is very painful and beyond our human level. Everyone crying for his sad departure made the my house looked like cremation ground. Oh! my father, though you passed away many years back but I still remember you in heart and mind. My sincere and humble prayers are always with you to meet once more as son and father in the generations to come. With your deep wishes and prayers, my dreams are fulfilled and I am still gearing towards the success in life which has of no use when I follow your path. Will I leave any legacies behind? My success could be like the castle built on the sky? My father, you have taught me the greatest lesson in my life to accept the truth which I am not used to it. 

The reality in this life is that we all human beings are afraid of dead bodies to touch and feel it. It creates lot of fear and terrible events to watch on even. The real fact is, when we are alive, we love our body so much and cared with many cosmetics to look beautiful and handsome. Due to the aging and misfortunes, we have to depart from our body. How come that we cared, tendered and loved so much suddenly becomes our fearful object known as "Dead body" who has no life on it. From where does dead body come or erupted then? From the heaven or hell? No, it our own body that served us well when it was healthy and strong. It was our lovely home for the mind and soul to rest during the brief stay on this earth. There is nothing to be afraid of dead bodies, but we should pay our homage for it served us well before we get departed due to the exhaustion of life force. There is thin line between alive and dead body. Just a matter of breathing makes us alive as human beings and the moment breathing stops, we are declared as dead and gone clinically.

Watching the dead bodies being burnt with angry fire engulfing rapidly in their respective pots downsizing the bodies into ashes after three hours. The movements of monks throwing different ritualistic items on to the fire followed by prayers chanted by a Lama of the dead ritual. It was another dream that I was dreaming; since there is nothing left out of my dead ones when I realized. Everything has turn into ashes and black coals that we collected to be thrown away into the rivers with heavy hearts. Such is the truth of our life that we cling so much and toil to become rich and successful not knowing one day we have to leave everything behind and turn into ashes. If it is the case, what is the point of struggling to become rich and successful person? Will I see you (dead ones) again in this human form? For you have lost all your bodily identity being burnt into ashes. The smile that I have seen before you die was the last memory that I could carry now as my relative in the form of human life. No where to point out and catch hold of you, even now the ashes are gone with the rivers. The legacies that you left are like the scripts written on the sand banks washed away immediately.

The so called our human life filled with wrath, jealousy, angry and sloth ends with leaving no traces to be seen when it is snatched away by the powerful Death. Did we really lived the happy and contended life or we wasted out life completely in the process of searching for wealth and power? It is just a food for thought to all human beings to explore oneself and realize the facts of life rather than racing to become business tycoon and famous leaders with power for few years. The choice is in our hands to make it happier or doomed our life in the quest of wealth, fame  and power which has little value when it turns into ashes?

Written by: Mindu Wangdi

The power of smile.

The power of smile.

It was wonderful and memorable event to recollect  in my life for a brief stay with you my mysterious  damsel with your blazing smile and gentle hugs. You left huge imprint in my mind to think that you were the best and wonderful girl ever I met in my life with the gift of kind heart and love that is unconditional you can shower to the sentient beings like female Buddha Green Tara did. The real qualities of Green Tara is in your innate heart and mind to be shared to such a ugly man like me who is wandering in this Samsara for many generations for I did lose the track to my original home.

The moments of our stay was like a dream state which suddenly ended up with a pain and agony to depart away forever due to the forces of karmic wind and fate. The truth of life is we cannot control the karmic wind or fate. It brought us  together just for few months  supposed to be fleeting and momentarily happiness. The happiness and lovely atmosphere that you provided me for that fleeting hours were just unexpected and mind blowing. The deep and resounding memories were left out so that I can shed my tears when recollected in times of sadness, worries, happiness, pain and sufferings. It rather adds salt to my wounds. The blazing, enchanting smile and kiss that you offered me were the loads that I carry on at my deep heart to be fleshed out time to time for rejoicing with sufferings. 

Oh! The mystery of karmic wind or fate is something that I could not understand at all. The more I dig on, you seems to be as deep as an ocean and as vast as sky expanses. The power of your control on my life was magical and beyond my understanding. You separated my darling from my soul and hand it over to someones else to be his partner in front of my eyes. How painful it was when the rejection comes from your trusted and beloved ones being forced by the karmic wind or fate. With deep sadness and low mood, I crouched in the corner of life when the best person is gone forever that I may not see her again with her smile. The hope and expectations in life is crushed and nullified. The world looked so dark and blacked out when she is gone. Left wit tears and sobbing, wandering around the forests in the hope of consolations never to be heard.

The life is crippled when things does not work as we wished to and  followed by alcoholic consumption as a depressant. The truth of playing love game is another form of pain that Lord Buddha taught us to refrain from but which we all cannot avoid. Since, the karmic wind will blow from so far and near places to stage our brief love show to the world. It might bring me some sought of relief and satisfactions when I recollect at my old age or will that be taken as a lesson by the coming youths to be careful of such incidents which is very harmful to our life and it derails our career tracks. May the universal lovers know the facts of life and ill effects of the love game. It is my pleasure to all youths of the world, not to take love game seriously when things does not work at all. Just let it go away as it is and accept new ones as provided by the karmic wind or fate. That is your true and faithful lover or life partner who can benefit us truly and try to live compromising life. Life is full of compromises and sacrifices if we want to succeed. Participate it and drink the taste of love rejections and acceptances for fun.

Written by: Mindu Wangdi