Passed by Sembawang Music Store in Plaza Singapura yesterday and there's an ongoing 50% discount storewide and seeing that, i popped in for a quick look to see if there are bargains to be gotten.
And guess what, i left the store with 2 DVDs, Hidalgo and Sunshine at the cost of $17. These 2 films are not immensely popular or well received but are films that i have good impressions about having caught them on the big screen couple of years back.
Talking about Hidalgo, you can read a brief summary about its plot here - Hidalgo. Its a film that has several meaningful messages that underlines it. One of the stronger messages that came across, is that breed and bloodline does not matter, what matters more is the spirit and determination of the the sentient being, regardless of man or horse.
Does it matter if a horse is mustang and not pure breed? And does it truly matter if a man is born of a lowly station and not a royalty? What matters more is the determination and effort made to reach the final goal. Even one born of the lowest station can rise to the occasion with the right effort. Buddha has taught this numerous times, over and over again that even the lowest caste is subjected to the law of kamma and can attain enlightenment with the right effort and determination.
Here's a good quote from Shirley,James that on how transient all earthly deeds are and how are men will be brought equal ultimately ~ "The glories of our blood and state are shadows, not substantial things; There is no armour against fate; Death lays his icy hand on kings: Scepter and crown must tumble down, And in the dust be equal made with the poor crooked scythe and spade."
So not matter if you have been born blessed or surrounded by hardships, it's wonderful merits to reflect and look beyond materials, making a constant effort to better ourselves so we can bring liberation, love, peace and joy to the people around us. With metta.
1 comment:
a friend of mine shared the analogy of the Chicken and the Eagle:
the Eagle is the only animal that can stare into the sun directly and not get blinded. it can also fly above all other creatures of the earth.
the Chicken however, is contented being on the ground and picking food off the floor, never turning its head or stretching its neck to see what's above in the sky.
some of us are born Eagles born into Chicken pens, while others are Chickens born into pens, but what really matters is not which kind of bird you are born as, but rather what you can do with what you were born with.
i do believe that Chickens can one day transform into Eagles, with enough effort, and most importantly the belief that others have for you as a result of you believing enough in yourself and what you do (you cannot expect others to believe in you if you don't even believe in yourself; just as a photographer cannot expect to touch someone with their photographs unless it touches the photographer him/herself).
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