The Golden Path to Enlightenment

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash “We are ONE human FAMILY.” – Desmond Tutu “Personally, I am Buddhist, and I consider faith very important, but at the same time the reality is that out of seven billion people, over one billion people on the planet are nonbelievers. So, we cannot exclude them. One billion is quite a large number. They are also our human brothers and sisters. They also have the right to become happier human beings and to be good members of the human family. So, one need not depend on religious faith to educate our inner values.” – Dalai Lama   I grew up in a non-religious family, never saw my parents pray, and wasn’t even sure if God* really existed. But as an Indonesian, I have to choose and declare a religion from an approved list. Religion is a big part of an identity in my country and it’s written on official documents and forms, including on identity card. My parents, the second generation of Chinese Indonesians, registered themselves as Buddhists. As their ...

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash During this extraordinary time of a global pandemic (COVID-19), a particular favorite song has been playing in my head and I want to share the message of Love, Peace, and Oneness with all of you. Imagine John Lennon Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people living for today Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people living life in peace, you You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one And...

Photo by Syed Ahmad on Unsplash When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created. Being and non-being produce each other. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short define each other. High and low oppose each other. Fore and aft follow each other. - Tao Te Ching I had a lot of unprocessed negative emotions. As I look back, I can’t recall anyone in my life ever taught me how to process and manage my emotions in a healthy way. Although I went to some of the best schools in Indonesia and in the US and achieved highly in academic life, no one taught me how to become emotionally intelligent. It was all about the IQ. It didn’t help that my old coping mechanism when I felt strong uncomfortable emotions was to go numb, suppress, shut down, escape, and refuse to feel or deal with those emotions. It all started from a childhood trauma. When I was ten, I was sent by my mother to live with my gr...

My Wedding Ring “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” – Mary Oliver Loving myself was once very difficult. When I was a child, my mom told me that my dad and my paternal grandma didn’t come to see my arrival to this world immediately because I was born a girl, instead of the expected boy, a gender that was highly valued in my Chinese family. I understand that my mom just needed to vent her anger and disappointment. But as a child, the programming that I got was that I was not worthy of love for being female. At that time, it felt like a verdict and it was deeply traumatic. So, I grew up as a tomboy, always wanted to be a boy, and denied my feminine side. But ironically during adulthood, I became a feminist, had a lot of judgement towards men, felt jealous for their privileges, and really struggled living in a highly patriarchal society. Most of my friends were strong inspirational ladies and at one p...

Photo by Arto Marttinen on Unsplash Vipassana meditation is not for the faint of heart. It is one of the most challenging and rigorous spiritual programs that I have experienced. For ten days, I practiced noble silence and wasn’t allowed to communicate with others verbally, using gesture, body language or eye contact unless for emergency or during consultation with the teacher. Each day, the program started at 4:00 am and ended at 9:00 pm (17-hour day) and included the practice of eleven hours of silent mediation (there were chants here and there and oh how much I cherished the beautiful sound!). The whole routine reminded me of my past lives as a monk and I am so glad they were all behind me now. Although joining a monastery had crossed my mind during one of my darkest times, I realized during this program that I don’t want a repeat of my monk life. One of the main challenges for me during the program, surprisingly, was the disappearance of reading and writing activity. I...

Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash The first time I heard these sacred verses recited by Deepak Chopra, I sobbed. I was overcome with a profound sense of familiarity and ownership. Surprisingly, my soul told me that I wrote this, a long long time ago… This hymn reconnects us with our Spirit, our core, and eternal reference point. Connect to your heart, soul, and spirit and feel your body as you read this beautiful, divine, and ancient wisdom. Although My Spirit may wander the four corners of the earth,  Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here. Although My Spirit may go far away over the sea,  Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here. Although My Spirit may go far away to the flashing beams of light,  Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here. Although My Spirit may go far away to visit the sun and the dawn,  Let it come back to me again so that I may live and j...