Cats who teach me to fly…

The last time I saw 慈宽 was the day before the stray dogs appear. According to the feeders, the dogs were already there when they saw them and 慈宽 may already be their victim. Nobody gets to witness anything and I can’t even find his remains.

For the first week, i kept searching for him. I didn’t believe the dogs would attack him. I thought one of the feeder took him home. I was wrong and I started to panic. I put up notice on the places where he usually roamed. I spoke to the cleaners and none saw his remains. It has been more than 2 weeks and I didn’t hear anything from anybody and gradually, I’ve come to accept the fact that 慈宽 was gone…

Wherever he is right now, I hope he is in a good place. Whatever merits that I’ve accumulated, be dedicated to him and still…

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The Division Of Expositions (Vibhangavagga) and The Division Of The Sixfold Base (Salayatanavagga)

The last few chapters of Majjhima Nikaya is so inspiring. Starting from the last chapter, The Development of the Faculties. Buddha taught us how to establish equanimity when things are agreeable, disagreeable and the both agreeable and disagreeable which arise from the six sense bases. Having understood that they are conditioned, gross, dependently arisen and that equanimity is peaceful and sublime, we then should not cling to the agreeable, disagreeable and the both agreeable and disagreeable. We would then quickly replace it with equanimity.

The chapter on The Purification of Almsfood (Pindapataparisuddhi Sutta) is very interesting. The bhikkhu should always be mindful when wandering for alms by reflecting on themselves. When unwholesome thoughts arise, are they making effort to abandon them? So are the desire, lust, hate, delusion and aversion, and the five cords of sensual pleasure. The bhikkhu should also reflect on whether the four foundations of mindfulness have been developed. So are the four right kinds of striving, four bases for spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, seven awakening factors, the Noble Eightfold Path, serenity and insight. They must also have the realisation of true knowledge and deliverance. By repeatedly reviewing or reflecting, the bhikkhus will purify their almsfood.

I think it works for everyone too and not only the monastic. It is so nice to always reflect on our practice with every meal we have so as to abandon the unwholesome thoughts and to develop wholesome thoughts.

The Great Sixfold Base (Mahasalayatanika Sutta)

This sutta talks about how condition arises and when we clearly see how condition arises one after another due to clinging and craving which cause suffering, we will then stop clinging and end our sufferings.

The sutta I learnt most is The Exposition of the Sixfold Base.

• six internal bases
• six external bases
• six classes of consciousness
• six classes of contact
• eighteen kinds of mental exploration
• thirty-six positions of beings

I have made some highlights in the sutta especially the six kinds of joy, grief, and equanimity based on renunciation. This sutta can be found in suttacentral MN 137.

A single Excellent Night(Bhaddekaratta Sutta) goes like this:

“Let not a person revive the past
Or on the future build his hopes;
For the past has been left behind
And the future has not been reached.
Instead with insight let him see
Each presently arisen state;
Let him know that and be sure of it,
Invincibly, unshakeably.
Today the effort must be made.
Tomorrow Death may come, who knows?
No bargain with Mortality
Can keep him and his hordes away.
But one who dwells thus ardently,
Relentlessly, by day, by night –
It is he, the Peaceful Sage has said,
Who has had a single excellent night.”

Interesting!

Good night!

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I’ve picked up muay thai about 2 months ago. I didn’t expect myself to fall in love with the sport. It is all about focusing and not so much about fighting and winning. I am always having so much fun when I was being paired with others. Always laughing and acting dramatically with all the exaggerated actions when being punched by my opponent and she would laugh at my actions. Plus the sound effect!

That’s my gear! I don’t like black colour. White as in to be mindful not to hit others. Blue as in keeping calm. Muay thai for me is to practise focusing and keeping a calm and steady mind. I’m glad that I’m still flexible at this age. Speed plays an important role in every sports. Muay thai is no exceptional. I do not need that. I just need a comfortable speed.

Next session is at 10.30a.m tomorrow. I choose to attend early because I hope there is time for animation or meditation after feeding my cats and cleaning the house again as I need to leave home at 4.30pm.

Hope I’ve time to take up muay thai twice a week in the near future!

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The meowing sound was so loud and it seemed to be calling out for me. I spotted it! Second level, a tiny head with a loud voice shouting for… food!

Wasn’t that Ah Fei? What was he doing at somebody’s flat? I’ve never seen him once there. The flat was dark. White curtains flying at the kitchen windows and sometimes it can look creepy and scary. He must be hungry I guess as he often come to me for food. Perhaps his owner hasn’t come home.

I carried the bottle of kibbles and went up. Hmm…no way to leave the kibbles properly for him. Luckily there was a tiny hole at the bottom of the door. I can push the kibbles in. As the kibbles rolled in I heard Ah Fei eating loudly. He was making noises at the same time. Guess he must be very hungry. I believe his owner will be home soon. I left more for Ah Fei before I left, just in case his owner come home the next day.

On the second night, Ah Fei looked out from the window again. No, his owner didn’t come home. And on the third night, I got Melanie to contact Town Council, HDB and finally the police. The police came but can’t do anything. Only HDB can do something about it. We were told by the HDB that they will keep us updated with the situation. On the 5th day, we heard nothing from HDB and I had to break…..

This happened about a month ago and we still didn’t hear anything from HDB. Our government always emphasized on compassion. This is really distasteful!

Ah Fei is safe now. I check on him every night and if I didn’t see him for one night, I’ll make sure I see him the next day. Fed him earlier. He was hungry. Water and kibbles are always available for them. Ah Fei knows where to find them.

There was absolutely nothing for Ah Fei to climb or jump into the flat. Now, how did Ah Fei enter the abandoned flat then?

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A feeder texted me before I went for my feeding rounds in Hougang. She told me 3 dogs were spotted at our usual feeding area. When I reached there, I saw no signs of dogs. What a relief I thought!

As usual 慈忠 ran towards me. Safe… We were 50m away from the feeding ground. I forgot to take the kibbles, I left 慈忠 with his favourite wet food and left for my car for the kibbles. As I was walking, I spotted a brown coloured form that looked like a dog and another black coloured form that looked like a pair of dog’s ear. I couldn’t recognise because it was dark and they were resting under a bush.

Out of curiosity, I moved forward to investigate. Bang! 3 big dogs – 2 brown and a black. They barked at me real loudly and were moving towards me. I do not have any experience in dogs. I was glad I had Primal freeze dried nuggets with me and that’s for the cats. It was the first time I brought for the cats. How lucky the dogs were! No, I wasn’t at all afraid of them. I stood down and quickly took out the nuggets and offered them!:) Hoping they will not attack the cats if they were full. A passer-by told me that it’s not possible for them not to attack the cats even when they are full because it is their instinct and I hate the word “instinct”.

While throwing the nuggets towards them, I told them not to kill or do harm to others. I know that’s silly but that’s what I wish. The dogs look well-fed and well-built. The black one with shinny coat.

They had lots of nuggets I hope and I continued giving them cat’s wet food. I left them and picked my kibbles and replenished the food. 2 dogs quietly followered and that was dangerous because the cats may be waiting for me. So I decided to bring them back to Defu Lane which I believed it was where they came from but I was too naive. They didn’t understand me just like any community cats.

I quickly shooed my cats away instead but they too didn’t understand me. So I turned back to look for the dogs and they were no where to be found. I met another feeder along the way, she was sitting on her wheelchair and told me she shooed the dogs back to Defu Lane.

I definitely love the dogs. I remember years ago, a pack of 6 or 7 dogs came roaming here. Many cats were killed by them. I had no choice but to inform the authorities to trap them. I don’t think they survived. Only one was rescued…

I asked myself what would I do this time. I probably would bring home the community cats and leave the dogs alone…

The three dogs were kind. They didn’t attack 慈忠 when he walked past. And if only I had a shelter… I wish to help them all.

Spending some time with Toofy while writting this blog.

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