Ditelan mati mak, diludah mati bapa

Ever heard of this saying? Losely translated it means that if swallowed, your mother would die and if spit out, your father would die. Some people call it catch-22 situation though it may not be a very accurate translation. A better word describing the situation would be dilemma - a situation where in a situation, neither one if two decisions will be suitable.

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Choices are always difficult especially when most the time the choices we have been making were relatively easy to make or when we do not have to make them. However, recently dilemma has fallen upon the devotees in a Buddhist community somewhere in Selangor.

Devotees are being made to choose - temple A or temple B? Must decide, lobbying is intense for one of the sides - wait a minute...... did I mention lobbying? I am just wondering since when Buddhist organization need to lobby for support and members? The last time I did any lobbying was when I was in a political party. With the private meetings, "buy you makan" get togethers the race is heating up. But wait a minute, who is racing who? Somehow, I saw only one team and they are racing very hard against.....(who is that again)?

This situation makes the above sayings relevent. People are being torn between one child wants to go to sunday school A while another wants school B. Families are beginning to feel the pinch. Husband wants to go to temple A and wife wants to go to B. The dilemma continues....

I remember when I was young(er), in a Dharma talk, a monk spoke about dilemmas and difficult choices. This monk told me that people think tend to think in a box - in one direction. He reminded me that sometimes, we need to make many decisions, often times, we need to think outside the box. Sometime, we need to decide NOT to make a decision and at times continue to create more and more choices - this only makes the situation worse. We were also reminded by this monk that actually there is only one way....


The way of our heart. This way can only be achieved when we learn to quiet out minds and listen to ourselves, as the answers lies within - not what other people say. The result might be just something we did not think of earlier at all. So, don't get caught in a perception of dilemma, just ...

Take care my friends!

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. - Buddha ...