Fear and hunger drove him sneaking, hiding and running around. It was another abandoned case and when will these owners listen? GET A TOY!!!
He was a black cat and so is 小福. I thought it was Xiaofu, I attempted to stroke her as usual whenever she is eating, he jumped with fright and hissed at me and I jumped like he did. We both were startled. He ran away immediately. That wasn’t Xiaofu! It was an imitation of Xiaofu! I laughed at myself.
Since then, I’ve been leaving food for him and finally, he settled down and waited at the same place and time for his only meal. He had 2 small cans of food every time and he would just simply stand there and stare at me until I left Sembawang.
He wasn’t sterilised so I arranged one for him. I didn’t want him to be a stray so we decided to rehome him.
Asher was a FIV cat and I believe that he had an underlying heart issue that weakened him quickly after his vaccination.
The photo above was taken to publicise him in the social media for the coming adoption drive. Sadly, it never happened…
Asher, when he was still a “fugitive”! He was a sweet boy. He allowed me to pet him and would roll on the floor. Many times I had to get him off the road.
I didn’t have the fortune to find or give him a home but I hope, like what I’ve always hope for, that all the cats who had passed on, may we study and practise the Dhamma together in our future lives.
She has been consistently hyperactive for 10 years. Always dashing here and there. Zoomed up the trees and zoomed down towards the top of the lorries’ tyre to satisfy her need to scratch. Then zoomed here and there at her fastest speed. Whenever I caught her catching rats, I’d stop her immediately. Most of the time, it was too late. She often pretended to eat in my present and from her pretense, I understood that she appreciated our presence.
Above photos were beautifully taken by a Chinese couple recently. They love her so much and often gave her treats. Knowing that Daisy had gone missing, they spent hours looking for her at night till I was there to feed the cats which was already midnight. The man got up early the next day to check with the cleaners if they had seen Daisy.
Daisy met with an accident in the wee hours of Friday morning. I petted her before I left on Friday midnight. According to the cleaner, Daisy was found at 7.30am in the morning.
Daisy in 2020…and 2014
Daisy’s owner wanted her to be pregnant again. Kittens were born only to be abandoned, hit by cars and the only lucky one was taken home by me. Sunshine aka 小起 was Daisy’s kitten. I sterilised Daisy when her kittens were old enough to eat by themselves. Daisy was happy then and put on weight gradually.
As a hyperactive cat, Daisy had all the freedom that she wanted. There wasn’t any health issues. She was still able to climb up the trees and dash around. The vehicle must have been travelling in an extremely fast speed that night that Daisy failed to avoid it.
No matter what, I’m always glad that beside me, along the years, a few people have come to love Daisy and the community cats. I want to thank those who feed and love them. These caregivers have lessened my load. Most importantly, I want the cats to feel loved and cared for.
Daisy! May we meet again and practise the Dhamma together! That’s my wish!
When Futian started to breathe heavily with her mouth opened, I probably knew that she wasn’t going to live long.
After 2 weeks of antibiotics, she began to breathe with her mouth opened again and that was when I had decided to send her for a second opinion.
After the surgery, the vet was optimistic and sent her back on the same day. Immediately when I let her out from the carrier, she began to grasp her breath and passed on shortly. Her suffering was short from my point of view but to Futian, a second can be a minute and 5 minutes can be an hour. Both the vet and myself carried an intention to relieve her pain and sufferings as well as to extend her life… we cannot see nor can we control her life. I wanted to cry hard but that won’t help.
Since the truth has been discovered, I don’t chant anymore. I’ve complete confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha and practising virtues myself, I shall not compromise.
I read Salla Sutta for Futian and other suttas as well but repeated Salla Sutta often. It was the first time I read this sutta and it penetrated deep in me.
The Salla sutta goes like this.
Anthology of Discourses 3.8
The Dart
Unforeseen and unknown is the extent of this mortal life—hard and short and bound to pain.
There is no way that those born will not die. On reaching old age death follows: such is the nature of living creatures.
As ripe fruit are always in danger of falling, so mortals once born are always in danger of death.
As clay pots made by a potter all end up being broken, so is the life of mortals.
Young and old, foolish and wise—all go under the sway of death; all are destined to die.
When those overcome by death leave this world for the next, a father cannot protect his son, nor relatives their kin.
See how, while relatives look on, wailing profusely, mortals are led away one by one, like a cow to the slaughter.
And so the world is stricken by old age and by death. That is why the wise do not grieve, for they understand the way of the world.
For one whose path you do not know—not whence they came nor where they went—you lament in vain, seeing neither end.
If a bewildered person, lamenting and self-harming, could extract any good from that, then those who see clearly would do the same.
For not by weeping and wailing will you find peace of heart. It just gives rise to more suffering, and distresses your body.
Growing thin and pale, you hurt yourself. It does nothing to help the dead: your lamentation is in vain.
Unless a person gives up grief, they fall into suffering all the more. Bewailing those whose time has come, you fall under the sway of grief.
See, too, other folk departing to fare after their deeds; fallen under the sway of death, beings flounder while still here.
For whatever you imagine it is, it turns out to be something else. Such is separation: see the way of the world!
Even if a human lives a hundred years or more, they are parted from their family circle, they leave this life behind.
Therefore, having learned from the Perfected One, dispel lamentation. Seeing the dead and departed, think: “I cannot escape this.”
As one would extinguish a blazing refuge with water, so too a sage—a wise, astute, and skilled person—would swiftly blow away grief that comes up, like the wind a tuft of cotton.
One who seeks their own happiness would pluck out the dart from themselves—the wailing and moaning, and sadness inside.
With dart plucked out, unattached, having found peace of mind, overcoming all sorrow, one is sorrowless and extinguished.
Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato
Futian didn’t put on much weight but her fur grew better.
Her latest photo taken recently. Futian cremation will be held on this Sunday evening.
I’ve been reflecting on the sutta. Understand the Four Noble Truths at a deeper level. May the understanding and penetration on the Buddha’s teachings never end.
Thank you Futian. May we meet again and practise the Dhamma together in our future lives.
I’ve finally made all effort to look into the emergence of the Mahayana tradition. I’ve been googling a lot not only looking at the emergence of the Pureland teachings but also the arrival of of the core teachings of the Mahayana tradition, the Bodhisattva path.
While I was googling on the web, the information provided were bits of here and there. It’s hard to grasp a full picture of it. Jan Nattier’s theories caught my eyes. She explained her findings on YouTube. This is the link to her talk. Stages of the Path: The Origins of the Bodhisattva Bhumis. https://youtube.com/watch?v=DbFCXBcGdGE&feature=shares
The talk provided wasn’t enough for me, so I decided to buy her book.
In the early part of the book, Jan Nattier extracted the importance of how monks were practising the Bodhisattva path in the time of Ugra. And also advice from the Buddha on how lay Bodhisattva should practise. Like Jan Nattier, I’ve listed the points below.
1. The monks who walked the Bodhisattva path were forest dwellers.
2. They respected the Sravakas and lived in harmony with them.
3. They used materials from the Sravakas for their practice.
4. One should attain Buddhahood through one’s own effort.
5. There were no Buddhas’ name or Buddhas’ lands to call out to.
6. There were no mention of the 10 bhumis or the 10 stages of the Bodhisattva Path.
7. The male lay Boddhisattva were taught to see their wives as an evilish person.
8. No female practitioners were mentioned.
After Nattier has explained everything and here comes the sutta!
I thought to myself: Was that Buddha who was teaching the Bodhisattva path to Ugra, the lay follower? The wives of the lay male followers have to be seen as an obstruction to their practice. You’ll not find loving-kindness and compassion towards their wives in the discourse. Serious? Buddha was teaching us to see woman as evil? If you have been reading the nikayas, you’d probably know that’s not the Buddha. Buddha had always been seeking protection for the nuns during his time. He had so much compassion towards women and taught men to respect women.
When I was practising the Bodhisattva path, I often refer to the 10 bhumis. Very often, it doesn’t fit into my practice. The sequence doesn’t seem right for me. I strongly believe, and finally convinced, such sequences are meant for monks and nuns. They practise with their mind, just like Shantideva. I would suggest those who believe in the Bodhisattva path practise the way how Shantideva or the monastics practise and you probably won’t hurt yourself and it’s easy if you call that a Bodhisattva path! Most importantly, the fact is there is no 10 bhumis. It was a later creation not from the fully enlightened Buddha.
In the book reviews, some commented that with just one sutta, we cannot arrive at a conclusion. To me, with one sutta, it already told me so much! Ok, let’s say it’s not enough. I’ve got another book on the Gandhara finding. I would post it soon!
Hmm…. since when Tizzy has become a potentially aggressive cat?
Yes, with this picture, somehow she looks like one! Haha! One who pretends to be demure BUT, POTENTIALLY AGGRESSIVE!
I just can’t stop laughing when I saw this hanging on her cage.
Tizzy’s teeth were badly decayed and there were fragments of it rooted in her gum which made it even harder for the vet to extract. Dr Wendy must be super stressed!
We believed Tizzy must be extremely scared to behave in such a way. However, from how Dr Wendy had described to us, Tizzy seems to be aggressive towards her cone, collar and her mouth. No one seems to be hurt in the process of her aggression. Haha…
As we can see in the video, Tizzy’s collar was ripped! Haha!
She was better after we visited her. The nurse took the opportunity to get me to carry her while she changed her pee pad etc…
So Tizzy is home! It must be cooling resting in the litter sand. UU loves to sleep in the litter box. Tizzy now eats without any issue and we’re happy for now!
“Bhikkhus, dwell with yourselves as an island, with yourselves as a refuge, with no other refuge; with the Dhamma as an island, with the Dhamma as a refuge, with no other refuge. ~ SN 22.43
“Enough, Vakkali! Why do you want to see this foul body? One who sees the Dhamma sees me; one who sees me sees the Dhamma. For in seeing the Dhamma,Vakkali, one sees me; and in seeing me, one sees the Dhamma.” ~ SN 22.87
A place to discover and explore the discourses of the Buddha.
I highly recommend reading the sutta translated by Piya Tan. His "Laymen Saints" has been an inspiration to many lay people.
Cats who teach me to fly... 