PLEASE DON’T INSULT THEM..
Want to know what made me, a Muslim, write this in the first place? It’s the sight of a sculpture termed as “Lord Buddha in the decayed form” I mean like DECAYED FORM??? Maybe you would say that it is a form of art and needs a lot of imagination for that and me being an art dodo wouldn’t understand any of it. BUT STILL?? Don’t you people worship him, make offerings and ask him for help whenever you are in any need?
If I had a teacher whom I declare to love and after his death if I make or draw picture of him in the way I imagine him to be looking now right below the sod, decaying slowly, and put it up and proclaim to the world that it was because I loved him, you are sure not going to believe me. You would most probably say that I have some sort of grudge about him. Then why on earth do you so completely insult him by making sculptures of Lord Buddha in the supposed DECAYED FORM?? And in case any of you haven’t already seen it, trust me. It is NOT exactly flattering. If you ignore the fact that Prince Siddharthas eyes seem a teeny bit smaller in the Eastern sculptures he looks just fine otherwise.
On the other hand you might say that it is a Buddhism related thing and I not being a Buddhist wouldn’t understand it. I don’t think so because let me tell you that I, despite being a Muslim, have most probably listened to more Buddhist sermons even more than most of you in my age have. And let me tell you that I find the teachings very beautiful and the similarity of most of them to that of Prophet Muhammed pretty much intriguing. But have any of you noticed that in none of his teachings has Lord Buddha said that you should worship him, but rather he says that you should follow him?? The word worship is, as according to the oxford dictionary defined as the practice of praising and praying to a god or goddess while to follow is defined as act according to an instruction or example. And Prince Sidhartha mind you, is Lord Buddha and NOT God Buddha.
Well anyway, another factor I find that I feel, please correct me if I’m wrong, that pretty much insults Lord Buddha and the other gods (including their sons in the case of Jesus Christ) as in Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism etc is the sale and the actual prices of their statues and pictures. While a kidney costs hundreds of thousands and a heart bypass costs approx one million and other parts of the body would cost even more the God whom you worship, ask for help, seek protection from and seek forgiveness from costs much much less???I have even found their dusty posters costing a mere Rs30 on the pavements. Don’t they deserve at least a little more respect and regard than that??
And then too does it mean that a god who costs more is more powerful and is more capable of providing you with what you need than another who costs less. Like a poster priced one? Why is one god in gold and the other in bronze? Where is the connection between them? Are their spirits divided among their statues and the pictures or is it that they take turns in visiting each one of it? If so then would it not be that their devotees might be a bit overlooked??
But at the end of it, all I got to say is that Please forgive me if I’m totally confused or if any of my ideas don’t agree with any of yours. Maybe I’m wrong and please correct me if so. It is simply that I earnestly feel that the way things are done are just not the right way to respect them, it insults. And I have found too that , even if it was the hard way around, at the end of the day it is religion that take you through this maze of life. So please don’t, for any reason, insult any of your gods.
INTERNATIONAL BURN A QURAN DAY-A JOKE
The non denominational church in Gainesville, Florida, USA planned to host an “International burn a Quran day” on the 9th anniversary of the September 11th attacks which, for the time being, has been postponed, but NOT cancelled. This seemingly attention seeking endeavor, as expected by the church authorities, drew an International outcry from the Muslims the world over. But for my part, I’ve got to say that I was very much amused. And I am, mind you, a Muslim.
This being the latest in the line of attacks on the Muslims it seems that these people are fighting a losing battle. Islam is not a candle that can be blown at will nor is it a sapling that anyone can uproot. Neither is the Quran a book that would disappear simply because you proclaim a day to burn it and burn as many Qurans as you could lay your hands on. Let me get this clear to each one of you. This book, the manual of a human being for his life on earth, try as much as you can will not perish as long as humans exist on it .Even if you travel to every corner of the globe and burn every SINGLE Quran on the face of this earth we can and we would bring it back in ONE SINGLE DAY. Want to know how??
It is because this Quran is in the heart of a Muslim. It is because we try to bring this Quran, its orders and its laws and its beauty into the very marrow of our lives. It is because we try to live the Quran itself. And if we are those who have succeeded then you have to kill us and chop us right down to the marrow if you want to take the Quran away from us. You will also have to burn hundred of thousands of Muslims, some as young as five, some blind, some disabled and some extremely old who have memorized the complete Quran and millions who have a part of it etched in their hearts. And most importantly it is because the Lord himself has undertaken upon himself to protect his book. See? You would never be able to do it and never will you be able to win. Hosting International days for burning the Quran is not going to damage Islam, not in any way.
On the other hand if every single copy of the Bible ,the new and the old testaments , the Vedas, the Geetha, the Pali canon ,the Tipitaka scripts or the Torah was burnt ,no one, not even the respected religious leaders of the respective religions will be able to bring any of it back. That’s because no one has the whole scriptures memorized and even if they did, it wouldn’t be accurate as nearly every version of the scriptures are different from the other.Especially in the case of the Bible.
I’ll tell you what you should do instead. Take a wash, wear clean clothes, go to a peaceful place ,close your eyes and listen carefully, maybe that of Mishari or maybe that of Umar Ibn Al Aziz, to the recitation of the Quran EVEN if you don’t understand a single word of Arabic. The Quran will tell you story after story, consolation beyond consolation. And even if you still don’t understand any of it, don’t worry. For your heart would understand the words of the Quran and know what it says. It would rejoice at its words like it never did before, not even when you had piles of money, or wealth, or fame, or beauty or the even best of qualifications on earth. For know that your heart is your pathway to that happiness you are seeking and know too that your heart will never be happy unless and until it returns to where it once belonged..
Smoke it,Buddy!! 8 reasons why you should smoke
1.You wont grow old
With a failing lung, a kidney, an eye sight and a failing nearly every organ you just wouldn’t live long enough to grow old. SO during your time on earth you stay young!
2.No more thieves at home and no security expenses
With the lung cancer you’ve got courtesy of the cigarette company you are gonto be up all night coughing. Hearing that the inmates are awake No thief is going set foot to your home. And you don’t need to spend on security either. You are good enough. So go ahead buddy. Save some money for your family will you?
3. No more daughters
Now you would most probably like this especially if you were an Indian. You don’t have to spend lakhs on dowries or thousands for aborting your kid. Just start smoking. The resulting impotency would totally make sure that you not only will not have daughters, but sons too! So no more trouble about leaking nappies , running noses OR sticky carpets. And you wouldn’t have the patter of tiny feet on your floors to disturb you either or not even anyone you’ve got to help the homework with. Now wouldn’t you call that an easy AND a carefree life??
4. No more dogs to bite you
In time when all that smoke causes your bones to weaken you are going to start taking a walking sick around with you just to hold you up. So mind you the dogs are not going to disturb you and even if they did, no problem. This time around you don’t have to look for any stick. Congrats! you’ve got one right in your hand!!
5. You are good for the country
Did you know that SriLanka’s highest tax earnings comes from taxes on cigarettes and alcohol? And did you know that despite the tax levy being increased nearly every budget in a move to discourage consumption it STILL continues to be a good income tax earner? The last time I heard, a cigarette cost twelve rupees. If you are a heavy smoker and smoke about 50 or 60 per day .That would be about 700 rupees for a day and a whopping 21,000rupees just from you for a month!! Even if it is just 10 a day you still earn a good 3600rupees income for the country. More income for the country will mean a more developed economy. A more developed economy would mean better lives for the people. So you see, we do need you people to smoke your life away in order for us to have better roads and highways and infrastructure. Now if you stop giving us a big part of your income to better our lives what in the world would we do without all of you? Well, anyhow glad to know we’ve got some really patriotic people who are willing to give up their lives just to make sure that we don’t damage our Ferraris on potholed roads.
6. And You are good for the world
Experts calculate than in a few decades the world would face a food shortage and a hunger problem due to over population. So if you people are nice enough to join soon enough the people who die on a daily basis and become minerals for the earth through cigarette smoking then I’m pretty sure that we wouldn’t be having a hunger problem any time soon. So do the world a favour will you?
7. No more Signal toothpaste
The chemicals in the cigarettes are going to tint your teeth a nice yellow and in time all of your teeth are going to decay into oblivion. So buddy, no more brushing with signal for you anymore.
8. Fireworks!!!
Despite you being so thoughtful about every one in the world and started smoking sacrificing your life for the country your family however is going to be, very happy, when you die. With No one to nick their things to pay for a bit of booze and drugs and cigarettes or to blacken their lives smoking away like a furnace,life is sure going to be good for them. So the moment you are below the sod there is going to be a lot of fireworks in the neighbourhood. With no elections around and no LTTE to provide that service now, we sure can do with some fun around.
SO the next time you hear someone telling you to stop smoking just ignore them and don’t be in their company. They simply don’t understand what a favour you are doing for the world. So you just smoke it buddy, JUST YOU SOAK IT!!
A FLY IN A BOX AND AN EAGLE IN THE SKY
Trap a fly in an inch glass box and watch as it tries desperately to escape buzzing hard against the sides of the glass box. Then watch as it, clearly exhausted, settles itself down and remains still. Most probably lamenting the fate that had befallen on it .Then after some time has passed, take away that glass box and you would find that the fly wouldn’t move an inch. No, its not dead. But it would in time most often shrivel up and die right in that same place quite oblivious that now, for him, the whole sky has just opened up.
An Eagles egg was once placed in a nest of chicken eggs. The eggs hatched and the little eaglet, quite unaware who it really was, grew up with the chickens leading the life of a typical chicken. Time went past and the eagle, now old, was scraping the hard ground searching for worms when he happened to look up and gasped at the sight that met him. A majestic bird like what he had never seen before was soaring high in the sky, its long wings spread wide against the blue sky. Awestruck, he turned towards his chicken brother inquired as to what that beautiful bird was. “Oh that, that’s an eagle and it’s the king of birds. We are mere chickens and that’s what we will always be. So don’t waste your time gaping at the sky. we’ve got worms to catch”. With a deep sigh the old eagle turned its head towards the ground and began to scratch it again.
How many of us do think are living or have already lived a good part of our lives like this fly and the eagle? Is it many of us or is it just a few of us? If its just a few then how is it that only a few turn out to be high achievers and not the rest?? What about the rest of the so called under achievers and the dunces?? What stops them from being the best or even that eagle from being an eagle and that fly from trying just once more?? Was he not born as an eagle and even if it was after some time did the sky not open up for the fly???
Let the past remain the past. Its about time we started to realize who we really are and its about time we start reaching for the sky and mind you, what you’ve been told about the sky being the limit is just not true. Theres still the space and the stars and the planets out there for you to reach. And when you do that don’t forget your religion, your family, your friends and each and every rung in the ladder of your life. For mind you, if you do that, in time, you would be lost somewhere out in that wide space.
And if you are in the bottom of your class, then its about time you left that place to someone else. There was once a time when I used to be among the first few positions in class-right from the bottom i.e. Then few years later I was back again among the first few positions. But this time around it was from the top. I’m not sure what got me started, but maybe somewhere along the line I must have realized that I had in me much more than what I was being right then. And once I started, well, lets say there was no looking back. And being on top of not just the class, but the whole batch in nearly all the subjects was just sooooo cool for me, a one time dunce. And to all my fellow dunces let me tell you, none of you were born a dunce, so don’t you just try to be one.
Why I veiled myself
After a long drawn battle of wits with my dad, I finally won. Won what? you would ask. I won the right to veil myself, to cover myself completely from head to toe leaving only my eyes open.
It so happens that I’m someone who has been unanimously declared by most of my friends as a ‘tomboy’. Thats basically due to my complete lack of any interest in anything a girl adores , i.e clothing, jewellery ,makeup and of course boys. That is without mentioning a bizarre interest in motorbikes, electronics and wiring. Now why would I, of all people, want to cover myself in a manner in which the world considers as nothing short of oppression? Why am I not rather battling with my dad to wear tshirts , shirts, denims and shorts??
Its because I want to be free. I want to be free to wear what I want , to do what I want and think in the way I want and not end up harming myself in anyway I don’t want. And its also because I don’t want some men running their eyes down my body resting in places I don’t want it to and most probably having thoughts that would make me cringe. Even if my interests lies away from that of a normal female, my body, it so happens is not. Regardless of the fact if we are good looking or not, females do and have been given the ability to attract males. Yet sometimes in an undesirable manner (check the daily rape rates which runs to 1000s for conformation) with their figures, faces and their voices. You’d sure agree with me on that. And I DO want to be respected and accepted for what I am and not for the curves I may carry.
And now being completely veiled together with a flowing cloak over my clothes which completely covers me whenever I go out no man can see me in a way that I don’t want them to. Know that a gem on display is more likely to be stolen than that same gem wrapped and kept away from prying eyes.
But one factor all those men in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and in any other ‘tans’ need to know is that NO woman whatsoever can be forced to veil herself if she doesn’t want to. If you guys are Muslims then how come you seem to have forgotten what the Quran clearly says; “Let there be no compulsion in religion FOR THE TRUTH STANDS OUT CLEAR FROM ERROR”?? If she feels that the burka has no benefit for her, then so be it. Its her wish. If the creator himself does not will compulsion then how can you, a creation will so???
And to all those who give me a look as though I’m crazy to wear the veil in all that heat let me tell you that its worth for every minute of the freedom, the privacy and the safety I get in return. And to those who think I’m oppressed, imprisoned, illiterate and old fashioned then I’ll declare to all of you that I am proud of what I am and I am proud to be a muslim. And I am; to be in a country where its leaders , with whatever shortcomings prefer to battle against terrorists in order to liberate a country from their clutches rather than leaders who, clearly unable to battle terrorists would rather tackle a woman’s wardrobe in order to liberate these women from just the clothes they want to wear. And to be in a country where people can be found as people and those who accept you for what you are regardless of who you may be: I am more prouder to be a Sri Lankan.
HOLIDAYS,HOSPITALITY AND SRI LANKANS
Lankans are considered as one of the most hospitable people in the world and this Sri Lanka has the highest number of holidays in the world. A coincidence? Well, I don’t think so.
You do have to agree with me that the level of rest and stress in a person directly affects their personality. The more tired and exhausted we are, the more crabby we tend to be towards others in an attempt to take it all out on them. The more relaxed we are the more we tend to be nicer towards others. But thats ignoring the fact if we are always crabby. In that case no amount of leisure is going to help.
Coming back to my topic I know that Lankans are considered as a lazy bunch and its true we are forever on the look out for a holiday. Even me. But doesn’t that mean that we are a bit more relaxed nation than, lets say, the rest of the world? And it doesn’t hurt to have the ‘very hospitable nation’ and ‘always smiling people’ name tag does it? Frankly, I don’t mind. Even if it comes with the lazy tag. See Japan? They are the most hard working people in the world and have the least number of holidays, and yet they have a very high rate of stress related suicides due to over work. (I know Sri Lanka has too, but its mostly not due to work related stress) . Looks like it didn’t take them too far except to early graves. Don’t take me wrong cause I’m not encouraging laziness here and I do want my country to be advanced like others. I just mean than no advancement is worth losing your personality and your life for.
You wouldn’t find any place in the world where you get such an ethnic pot of people who live together as one and just one accepting the others way of life all in one stride. I know there are a few eruptions along the line, but thats just by the few odd ones. Even the cricket team is a good example. They are united, well behaved and always in good spirits. And you wouldn’t find any of us burning their pictures ,screaming slogans and damaging their houses every time they lose do you? They are always heroes even if they win or lose.
So the next time you think of complaining about Sri Lanka having too many holidays ( And believe it or not, some workaholics do) know that MAYBE that the Sri Lankan general good nature and their hospitality stemmed from the very fact that we do HAVE too many holidays. That’s just my theory and maybe there is another reason out there .Just maybe. Or do you think its all that paan and pol sambol simply doing its humble job??
IDIOTS AND THE IDIOT BOX : WHO IS THE REAL IDIOT??
NO one needs any explanation as to what an idiot box is. It’s the tv. But what I’m not sure is how the word was coined together or as to why the t.v is called so. But after watching the real eye opener of a video ‘The Arrivals’ this fact really got me thinking..
Now Was this word coined together to assure our subconscious mind before hand that it is the tv that’s the idiot and not us ,who spend or rather waste a big part of our lives glued in front of it getting fatter, lazier and of course stupider?? The t.v keeps us tactfully attracted to it so much so that even our families, our spouses , our children and even our own hygiene is neglected. No wonder the divorce rates are skyrocketing even faster than the NASA rockets are. Who in the world needs a stupid, lazy, obese partner? Not me. And as according to the oxford dictionary ‘an idiot’ is a stupid person. Now who do think is the real idiot??
According to George Carlin, a well known speaker of the 90s what the “real leaders” of the world want are workers obedient and smart enough to run the machinery and do the paper work and dumb enough to accept everything that’s thrown into their lives. That way they can keep going to the bank. And the way to achieve it is through mind control and the way to achieve mind control is through?? You got that right. Its through the tv!!
Now if you happen to think that I’m a sort of miss goody two shoes whose never watched any television in my life or you think that its too late for you to get off this compulsive addiction to become an idiot, then you got it wrong. On both counts .Even if you are a tv or a movie addict you still cant be bad as I once was. Embarassing as it may be to admit it now there were times when I used to watch up to six movies a day. Don’t ask me how I managed it, but I did. And yes, I’m still surviving even better than I did before and am I not glad that I did stop before I turned into a fully fledged DUMBO.
My studies those days was not something to be proud of and neither was my movie packed brain. But now I find it amusing that people call me a brain and quite often seek my help in their studies. I never realized before the talents I was gifted with, nor my abilities caus most of my time was spent in getting stupider watching movies and the tv. Even my salah, i.e my prayers sadly used to be a between commercials affair. I never realized that prayer was prescribed for muslims not only as a means of worship, but also as a compulsory stress reliever. Especially the prostrating position. Needless to say I’m more happier now. If I hadn’t got off that train few years ago I wouldn’t be writing any of this either asking you stop making the mistake I once did. And yet again if you think I’m a sort of a grandma giving you kids some advice from my ripe old age, well I’m not. I’m 24.
Since it so happens that none of us happen to be angels it is not possible to stop this addiction all at once. It takes time, but when you do even the sound of the tv on starts to be annoying. First calculate the number of hours you watch and reduce ONLY about half an hour from your daily quota and that way alone you will save yourself from 15hrs of stupidity for a month! Now that’s a lot of improvement. If half an hour is too much then at least go for 15mins. Possibly in few months you will be able to reduce the number of programs and movies you watch to just your favourite ones and from thereon to your really favourite ones and in time it would all feel as a waste of time. And I’m still working on my slight weakness for Disney cartoons which despite being only 2 or 3 times a month its still a waste of time.
I’m not sure where along my line of life I decided that I needed to change or what caused it. Maybe I was just tired of being an idiot, I don’t know and I cant remember. But one thing I know for sure is that I’m glad I changed my course of life before it was too late. At the end of the day our lives depend only on us just the way when we die its just us. And If someone like me could change then there is no reason in the world why you cant.
PRINCE SIDHARTHA AND PROPHET MUHAMMED THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY SLEPT
Any of you who has studied first aid would be aware of the first aid given to a patient having breathing problems. They are first turned towards their right side ,the knees are slightly bent, the right palm is placed under the right cheek and the left palm is placed over their left thigh. This eases any obstruction in their airway and helps them breath more easily. This position not only helps the heart situated on the left side to pump blood more easily but also aids in the easy digestion of food.
Now being in a Buddhist country, even if you may not be aware of any first aid, this position would most probably be very familiar to most of you. This is the position in which Lord Buddha slept! All the sculptures of him in the sleeping position shows us ample proof of this fact. As for the knees bent part it was most probably not noticed by his disciples due to his flowing robes or has been lost in recording within this approx 2000 years of Buddhist history. And now for the interesting part.
Many of you might be surprised to learn that Prophet Muhammed too, who Muslims follow as their prophet ,slept exactly in the same manner and that’s the sunnah or recommended manner in which all Muslims are expected to sleep . For evidence you couldn’t find any sculptures ,but you can find it among hundreds of books written about his lifestyle .Going a little more deeper into history books I found that that was also the manner in which the other prophets slept, from Moses to Jesus and Adam to Solomon. Now how could this be so?? Most of the prophets never even met each other to share this interesting health tip and some even lived centuries apart, let alone in different continents. Don’t you think this fact alone contains a mystery that requires some serious answering?? Over to any of you who can solve this for me..
WHY IN THE WORLD DO GIRLS WEAR MAKEUP???
NOW let me get this straight. I’m a girl .A normal one who according a good friend needs a BIT of rehabilitation. And one of the things in her bid to “rehabilitate” me is to make me promise that I would wear a chain. A promise I dutifully keep ONLY when I know she would be around. This friend of mine means a lot, but not even she cant MAKE ME WEAR MAKEUP and I’m not even sure why in the world girls do wear it.
I mean I’m not Aishwariya Rai or Deepika Padukone. Most certainly not .But yet even I’m not so ugly that I need to spend most of my pocket money on different coloured paint and powders in order to smear it on my face and cover it up. And it sure confuses me as to why girls who are most certainly good looking would do so. Is it supposed to be some sort of disguise or some secret service that I’m just not aware of?
Well anyway, Since I am not gifted enough to belong to this elite club And being an economics student I thought I’d be charitable and provide the members of this club some tips on saving their money spent on makeup. So here goes..
1) Rose powder or blush
This is used to give the afore said ladies some colour onto their cheeks and make them look as though they are blushing the whole time through. Now if you are interested in making your cheeks pink and want it to last for more than a few hours, let me know. I’d gladly pinch it for you, and mind you, I’m pretty good at it you know. But if you want a more long lasting blush I’ll introduce you to my friend. She sure pinches like a lobster!
But if you want a less violent way and you don’t like your veggies then rather than chucking them down the bin when your mums not looking take that beetroot and apply it on your cheeeeks!
2)Lipstick
Lipstick is used to make the female lips more attractive and more pinker or seem more redder. Don’t spend your money for a stick for the lips .Just peel your lips for that soft pink look. You can even use a razor if you want .But if you want a less barbaric way for red lips try a strawberry lollipop and take your time with it. You don’t have time for it? No problem. Just have a Necto!
3)Eyeliner
Just use your kid siblings felt pen. Don’t worry .They most probably won’t miss it.
4) Gothic makeup
Now this is a type of makeup that seems to be pretty popular among some Hollywood artistes and achieved at quite an expense. But here in Sri lanka, it can be achieved free in the Maligawatte area right here in Colombo. All you got to do is to lift the hem of your dress a few notches higher and go start a brawl. You are sure to get a gothic look that would make a panda run for its money. So rejoice Lankan ladies, here’s your chance to achieve that Hollywood look all for FREE!!
That’s all the handy hints I can cook up for you girls. Basically because my knowledge of the different types of makeup is pretty much limited .But all of you out there are most certainly welcome to provide these make up donning ladies with more money saving makeup tips. So go ahead, help them. During these hard times I’m sure they are waiting for more…
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