Cats who teach me to fly…

Someone came to us and asked for help while we were feeding the community cats. There was urgency in her voice and she said that the cat needed to be removed from the sofa outside her house. Mel went with her to her place and the lady told Mel that no matter how they sprayed the cat with water, it never moved a muscle.

Bluey was abandoned at the corridor, hiding at someone’s place. The family was so scared of cats and found them unwelcoming. We took Bluey home.

Bluey had a beautiful pair of blue eyes and a coarse voice. She was skinny then. No matter how we trained Bluey to use the litter box, she wouldn’t use it. Even when we kept her in the cage with the litter box for two days, she still refused to use it. We had no choice but to let her pee and poop in the toilet.

We found her a family but she was returned back to us. When potential adopters visited her, she scratched their handbag and was unfriendly. We knew Bluey didn’t want to go to new home. We didn’t want to force her and decided to keep her.

Bluey was aloof. She didn’t allow any cats to go near her and if they insisted, she would simply walk away. She hardly initiated a fight but only to hiss at them. Throughout the years living with us, Bluey only had flu once. She spent her days eating, sleeping and entertaining herself. She often slept on top of my head when I was sleeping on the arm chair and I would lean my head against her and hug her.

With everything looking normal, we don’t understand how Bluey hurt her abdomen. In the evening, out of sudden she was grasping for air. We rushed her to VES immediately. The vet stabilised her with sedation and oxygen. Sadly nothing worked. The vet resuscitated her and we managed to say goodbye to her before taking her home.

The vet did an ultrasound and told us that there was fluid in her abdomen. When Bluey collapsed, the vet drew the fluid and found blood. I suspected that it may be a rapture in her stomach.

Everything happened so fast. We cremated her the next day. Bluey had been with us for 11 years and she was already an adult when we took her in. As pet parents, we always hope they can live a little longer with us. I often saw her sitting behind me at the gate when I was in the meditation room. I turned around again and she was no longer there, it’s okay. Our connection is a cause for us to meet again.

May the merits accumulated be dedicated to her favourable rebirth. May the conditions she had this lifetime be the cause for her to meet the Dhamma.

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A few days ago, while I was at the carpark preparing to feed the community cats, I heard loud chirping nearby. It was already 11 p.m. I guessed it must have been a lost bird, so I tried to follow the sound. I couldn’t find the bird on my first attempt, so I went back to get the food ready for the cats at the carpark.

I heard the chirping again and went to look for it. The bird perched on a car window. I tried to coax it to fly onto my hands, but I failed. The bird then flew to a nearby tree. I remembered seeing a notice at the lift lobby about a lost bird, and I thought it might be hers. I left the bird and rushed to the lift lobby to check the notice. It had already been taken down. I remember that I had taken a photo of it. When I returned to the carpark, I realized the bird was actually following me. It landed on the ground. Socks, the community cat, noticed it. Instinctively, as cats do, she tried to catch it. I thought I might need Socks’s help. She scooped at the bird twice, and I immediately took the bird from her.

I showed the bird to Mel and then placed it in the carrier in my car. Mel helped check if it was the missing bird from the notice at the lift lobby, but it wasn’t the same one. Mel googled and found out it was a lovebird. It was very cute and lovely, and I loved its peach-colored face.

Mel fostered the bird temporarily. The next day, Mel prepared a lost bird notice. I printed it out and put it up around the area where the bird was found. Mel also posted it online.

Someone online contacted Mel and insisted that the lovebird belonged to him. Since Mel and I are both inexperienced in birds, I seek for Geri’s help. However, the photos the person provided looked different. Still, he kept insisting that we send the bird to him. I told Mel that we couldn’t do that and what if the real owner contacted us?

The following day, someone contacted us and showed us a few photos. Yes, the bird did look like the lost one. We arranged to return the lovebird to its owner.

When we arrived at the owner’s place, the bird opened the cage door and went inside! The owner was extremely happy and promised not to make the same careless mistake again. We were happy too!

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People are so afraid of the truth because denying it makes them right.

I wanted to say the past two weeks had been challenging, however, everything seems cool. I can’t be like everyone who talks about their life on Facebook. I tried to but it was meaningless. I only posted three times and that’s the end of it! As a vegan myself, I do share posts on animal cruelty in a slaughterhouse. The animals are treated with extreme cruelty. Those who enjoy meat, which is no different from our own flesh, should know and witness the killing. Sadly, through forums, I’ve seen butchers said that they are doing a good deed for God. They feel no remorse and fear. With this it explains cycle. As long as humans find joy in killing, torturing and exploiting other sentient beings, the cycle would not stop. Vegans can only try their best to advocate. 

As a cat rescuer, I have to be truthful with what I do. In fact, no matter who we are, we need to be truthful to ourselves. When we are truthful to ourselves, we are also truthful to others. The reason others could not find fault in me is because I’m mindful not to lie. They tried very hard and they could not find anything. We all know people who speak the truth are always hated. I can’t fit into their view and that’s okay!

Greed, hatred and delusion. The more things happen around me, the more I see how they have fallen into place and I don’t seem to find anything that is good or bad and this allows me to see things as they are. I always love and enjoy living in solitude, therefore, I don’t feel anything missing. Not my pride, wealth or reputation. However, when I’m  accused, I do want people to know what others say about me is not true and it’s up to the rest to decide what to believe. That’s all! 

What makes me feel lighter is having fewer people around me! 

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I’ve seen many shared quotes using the name of the Buddha on Facebook and 99% spoke nothing about the Buddha’s teachings. Sometimes I would comment reminding them what the true teachings are. 

Most of the Theravada monastics are kind. They seemed to accept teachings not from the Buddha. But I am not kind at all. Anything that is outside the Buddha’s teachings, I’ll never accept. I am not sure if blending into the society means one should accept the teachings even it is not from the early Buddhist texts. If that is the case, I would rather walk alone, simply because the eight worldly concerns mean nothing to me. They have no value and are just empty shells.

A while ago, someone posted a Dalai Lama photo with a quote, it says something like “if we talk less, we’ll listen more…” I am not sure if you heard about the good witch. I am probably a “good” bad person. I left a comment saying that “he, the Dalai Lama, did not listen to the Buddha”. I am more lenient to the lay people, especially the Mahayana followers. I have great empathy for them for they are being led by those who hold wrong views.

Recently, Mel’s teacher’s mother passed on. Someone told her teacher that a chanting ceremony was done for the deceased and the chanting had turned the deceased into a Buddha! My first response was “what?”. Mel’s teacher is chanting very hard for her mother to become a Buddha as well. Mel said her teacher was so sad that she didn’t want to explain to her and I told Mel that we need not to correct the Mahayana belief but we can always explain the true Buddha’s teachings. A simple Buddha’s teachings like keeping the precepts, doing good, reading a sutta(Nikayas) a day to honour her mother is good enough.

I don’t visit Theravada temples where there are statues of Bodhisattvas like GuanYin or Avalokiteshivara and others… This only tells me that the Theravada monks are not learning, let alone practising. They have no faith in the Buddha’s discourses. It turns me off straight away!

In the suttas, Buddha always mentioned that we should discuss only the Four Noble Truths but today, we often talk about everything except the Four Noble Truths. When attending Dhamma talks, the teachers should always remind the lay followers to discuss only the Four Noble Truths and nothing else. Once the Four Noble Truths are fully penetrated well, we are able to skilfully deal with our daily challenges. However, whenever I attend Dhamma talks, the lay people would often ask questions that is outside the Buddha’s teachings and the monk or nun may not provide them with the right answers. Sometimes the answers could obstruct and stop them from seeking the path. 

I remember attending a retreat by a Myanmar monk. I registered for the retreat because the topic was Satipathana sutta. In the end, the discourse of the Satipathana sutta was not taught and we were only allowed to ask questions based on the Satipathana sutta. Hilarious! Yes, I am laughing again. He came again this year and I didn’t attend!

With all these happening, I have no confidence in landing myself in a monastery. Moreover, the rules that Buddha laid down when Mahaprajapati requested to go forth… Somehow it’s not right for the enlightened nuns like Ayya Khema to listen to the order of the novice monks. Something is not right here. It is a danger to listen to  unenlightened novice monks. To me, these rules didn’t sound like it was coming from the Buddha. alth Buddha often said that we should support the monastics even if we find flaws in monks or nuns, if flaws come from a senior monastic, I would stop the donation immediately. However, any monks or nuns who make contribution in translating and sharing Dhamma online or books, I would give my support. After all, we are the one who should make all effort to understand the Dhamma and we should also ask questions and receive answers from a well learned and practiced monastic. 

I also understand that Theravada nuns had a hard life. I would suggest making the donation platform easy and convenient for those who would like to show their support from overseas. I always believe if nuns follow the footsteps of the Buddha closely, gaining support shouldn’t be difficult. Monastics shouldn’t blame anyone when supports are not met. Blame not the monks or the lay people. For the lay people who are intended to learn will show their support only if the monastics are genuinely practising. 

The Dhamma is precious only if it falls into the right hands. The conditions today are not right for me to go forth. To me, we still need Buddha to be around for discipline and this is very important to me. I have started looking into the monastic code translated by Ajahn Brahmali. It is not because I enjoy looking at the fault of the monastics, it is the discourses that I enjoy reading. 

I don’t sit on high chairs or big table when I do my work. It is often on the floor with a small foldable table. It’s a simple settings. I believe many monasteries have better conditions than what I have today. Rejoice to the pure Theravada monasteries who are practising the good way, practising the straight way, practising the true way, practising the proper way..!:)

I hope one day this life time, I will never be bothered by the Mahayana belief and the immoral conducts of the monastics and this changes are already happening gradually. 

My sincere wish to those who genuinely practising the true Dhamma to receive all support they need!

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I saw him immediately when I was parking my car last night. The first thing was to offer him food. Yes, he was so hungry that he almost finished three cans of food. I alerted other feeders as well, just in case his owner didn’t pick him or he couldn’t find his way home.

The good thing is, he is already sterilised. I usually wait for a week and if no one picks him after a week, I’ll find him a home.

The deadline for owners to register their cats is August next year. We believe that there will likely be more cat’s abandonment when the deadline is nearing. Fingers crossed!

Cats like him shouldn’t be difficult to rehome. Hyperactive cats like Sara already found a home. During that time, I kept wondering what if no one wants her. Yeah… if that’s the case, I am most willing to take care of her. However, due to my age, I avoid keeping young cats unless there really isn’t any choice.

Meantime, I hope the cat is safe until this weekend. I’ve been accused of stealing cats and I don’t want this to happen again.

We are all ready to rehome him!

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