In the recent camp, I had the opportunity to assist to conduct a meditation session, as the person who was invited to conduct the session was engaged to other commitments. Am I lucky to had this opportunity? I would have said I am, which is my usual answer. However, due to recent events (which started to take place since I came back home in Mar-08), I would like to use the word "lucky" less frequently. By using it, no doubt it creates a "carefree" me who would appreciate good things when they come, but it will not push me to work further for more "lucky" opportunities.
Therefore, back to this opportunity, I would say I have planted the seeds in the past, starting way back in 1990 (I have to keep backdating this as I write...)
- 1990 - In primary school, Standard 3, met WC and started the friendship with her.
- 1994 - In secondary school, Form 1, first day in school, MH looked for WC. Their older sisters are good friends therefore the 2 older sisters asked their younger sisters to befriend each other. I was never that close to WC in primary school, so I'm not really sure of the part how I get to be with WC on our first day in school and together we met MH. Maybe MH found WC first, when WC introduced me to MH?
- 1996 - In secondary school, Form 3, got introduced to Buddhism by MH (thanks to her granny who's a devoted Buddhist, she instilled this in her granddaughter). Joined Buddhist Society in our secondary school. Later that year, MH asked me to joined the School Holiday Dhamma Camp (SHDC) at Brickfiels (thanks to the organizers and the initiator of this camp!).
- 1997 - In secondary school, Form 4, joined SHDC for second time and met KY - we had the opportunity to be in the same group and it was a fantastic group - the friendship with some of the gorup members continue to this day.
- 2002 - In university, First Year, second sem - WC asked to join 17IDC. Met KY again - we were participants.
- 2004 - 22IDC - Start facilitating after 4 times participating as participant. GN was my co-faci and my mentor in facilitating, she was great.
- 2005 - 23IDC - Started to join the organizing committee as programmer (MJ invited me)
- 2005 - 24IDC - I was camp secretary. AL asked me to "conduct" a meditation session - it was more to script reading - that was the first time I "narrated" a metta meditation.
- 2005 - 25IDC - KY joined as programmer, I was again an IDC programmer
- 2008 - 29IDC - I am kind of out of touch with IDC by now, but thanks to kalyana mitras (MJ, KY, FW, etc), the connection is still there and I went back as faci. AL was not available for 2nd day meditation, so KY asked me to assist.
In another chain events which started from workplace, due to some unhappiness at work from dealing with a colleague, I started to go for IGC (this idea came from there - do not let anything happen by chance), and started to take my Buddhist practice to the next level and started meditation. I was really stuck and unhappy with my situation at work and turned to Buddhism for answers. One of the answer I found was in metta meditation. KS once recommended to do metta meditation. I first learned meditation back in 1996, I think - but I had NEVER practised meditation at home - at least not properly. Anyway, I would always remember this conversation on metta meditation with him, can't remember the start of the conversation though - perhaps was talking about my previous company, but I remember the impression it left on me.
Ok, so I did metta meditation again just a one week before the camp (and I got the metta meditation CD by DDVW from BGF because I went there to assist with the 29IDC camp prep). And.. from this year Wesak - I spent almost the whole day at home - at night time I surfed the net to find "Wesak aspirations"... the link brought me to "Peace Every Day" site. So... recommendation to meditate 40 minutes a day + recommendation to do metta meditation + DDVW CD from BGF = I started to meditate...
When KY asked me to assist, I was actually happy with it (though I also dislike the fact that it was such a last minute request). Anyway, it was definitely a good opportunity which I appreciate very much.
KY (a sanguine and prob a ENFP) got this idea to do meditation with a twist - to incorporate wishes of well-being to victims of the Myanmar's Nargis Cyclone and Szechuan's earthquake. So we modified the script. Me (a melancholic and ISFJ) went to search for script online + ideas from a meditation booklet I bought from Times warehouse sales for RM10. We created a metta meditation script with a relaxation exercise, contemplation on a flower, followed by metta wishes to the victims of the recent natural disasters. I was happy with the feedback - it wasn't perfect and we had to cut the session short (by half) because we did not book the shrine hall after 9pm. But still, it was definitely a good experience to have the chance to work on a modified meditation script and the opportunity to narrate it. Datuk's CD is wonderful - and I tried to follow his way of narration as well.
So... to summarize - why do I say nothing happens by chance - I get this chance to assist because:
- KY knows me (...from the events leading us to meet and work together)
- I am an INCOVARian (...from the events leading me into a journey in Buddhism and INCOVAR)
- I probably have confidence to take it on because I have started to do some meditation on my own and I am interested to narrate a session (from the factors leading me to be inspired to start meditating)
This is such a long blog... As I typed a lot of other chain of events came into mind as well. Probably the whole thing is better illustrated with a mind map. I guess my chain of events of this event would also link to my own chains of other events plus chains of other people's events as well.
I would just like to end this with another chain linked to the first event in the chain above. Who enrolled me in my Primary School, SRK Pudu 2?
My father, who would have planted his seeds from being honest. He was from a poor family. He failed his Standard 6 exam and had to repeat it, his father, my grandfather, was a loving father who supported him to repeat the exam. My father started to be more hardworking, and was the first and only member of his family to be accepted into a university. He finished his degree, and worked for a couple of years before enrolling in Dip Ed and applying to be a teacher. Then he was posted to Terengganu. At that time no one wanted to be posted to such a far away place - my granny was also not comfortable with it. So he tried to applied to local secondary schools. I'm not sure how many schools he applied to, but the school he was accepted to - Pudu English Secondary School - the headmistress back then told him that not many people would admit that they are from Dip Ed, because the candidates would need to adhere to the posting by the government. But my dad admitted and even forewarned the HM that he is from Dip Ed. The HM was impressed by his honesty and helped my dad to change his posting to her school. That's how my dad got to the school where he taught for more than 10 years... and that was also why I was enrolled in the primary school just next to the secondary school he was teaching at - so that it was more convenient for him to look after me. If I'm not enrolled in this school, I would probably have a different story to tell here.
Therefore, seeds have been planted since the beginning of the universe. I believe whatever happens might be by chance - but how we are able to react to it and the result of it in our own life - depends on the seed we have planted. I will tell myself that whatever I do today, will eventually have its effect somewhere down the road. Like the saying I like very much from a talk by Bro Tan Ho Soon long long time ago when I was studying in university and EH asked to join her for a stay at UPM Buddhist House (and I met EH from INCOVAR...)
Do your best, Kamma will take care of the rest
And to top it up with what AT said in the 3rd IGC:
Do not let anything happen by chance
ttg
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