The spirits move among us

I have always known this, and I try to remember this. Sometimes I forget. But on that day when I covered the Buhay Babaylan event in UP Diliman, it was my very own central theme. Baylan Undin reminded me of what I know. An old friend I saw and talked to during the event also spoke about it. They are with us, moving alongside, maybe even through, us. They are in our homes, in our rooms. They watch us, listen in, try to touch us. Sometimes they get angry, and then we need to ask for forgiveness. I know there are many who don't believe this, but it doesn't matter. Those who do should be more careful, because we share this world with those who are unseen.

Here are photos from the event.


Baylan Undin, a Manobo babaylan from Agusan, with her niece Robilyn (left) and Grace Nono (right)


Robilyn is a Manobo youth leader and a master of traditional embroidery and beadwork. She has led her people through arts and crafts revitalization projects.


Baylan Undin with her niece and interpreter Robilyn.


Offering sacrifices for the spirits: betel nut, eggs, tuba

Here is the full story on GMA News Online:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/291441/lifestyle/people/brief-encounter-with-a-manobo-babaylan

Care ko?!

Sadly, many writers think that writing is a solitary activity.

We have been told this lie over and over. I believe that writing does not only involve the act of writing. In fact, that is just a small part of this great work that we do.

Writing includes the thinking process, the staring-into-space moments, interaction with people who will somehow find their way into the piece you are working on, the search for a publisher, market research, raising money for the writing project, and so on and so forth.

Every writer, therefore, must go out there and involve herself in the different activities and events that shape the landscape of this industry. Her voice must be heard and she must take part in change creation. She needs to be aware of relevant developments in her world so her writing can continue to be powerful.

I, and at least one other writer friend, therefore wonder why majority of local writers are usually disinterested about actually working to protect their various rights, in questioning biased laws, in participating in forums that tackle their welfare and other issues that affect them directly.

* * *

Here is an article that came out on Rappler recently. This event, among many others, should have attracted more writers. Unfortunately, they had better things to do. So there.

Do Pinoys wear the old coat and buy the new book?

I am a slow reader. I savor the words, let phrases linger longer in the mouth. But I read several books at a time. Sometimes, five or six. Sometimes, more. I cannot read before going to bed because it makes me sleepy, even if the book’s a thriller. The best reading time for me would be in the early morning, during waiting time, or while on travel.

These are some of my reading habits and behavior. And if you’re a smart book writer or publisher, you will find a way to get your hands on facts that pertain to your market’s reading attitudes and practices. If publishers and writers knew, for instance, that there is more demand for books written in local dialects, then they can (and they should) produce more books that will cater to this need.

Read the entire story here: http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/15176-do-pinoys-wear-the-old-coat-and-buy-the-new-book

It was belly, belly good!

Going to the AFP Theater in a cab is not a good idea. Especially at night. You need to walk to EDSA or Boni before you can get a ride going home. And you run the risk of getting a scolding from the military guys up there if you accidentally use the wrong gate or cross the street where you should not. I hate places like that. I guess too much order is not for me.

Anyway. I was there for the BellyFest because I covered the event for GMA News Online. Story is here: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/278204/lifestyle/culture/bellyfest-2012-celebrating-the-ancient-art-of-the-belly-dance

I also went because my friend Jofti was a recitalist. And because Irene used to do some belly dancing and we thought it would be nice to watch a live belly dancing show. And because I was looking forward to the food, which was a disappointment since they only had apple fries (is that even Middle Eastern?) and nachos. But the show was good naman, although the receptionists had no PR skills whatsoever: no press kit, etc.

Here's a recap of that night, in pictures.



BellyFest organizer, Jill Ngo Crisologo, seen here with Korean belly dancer Jinhee Kim.



In one of the afternoon workshops. The audience and recitalists joined the pocket classes.



Jinhee Kim teaching the audience some tricks.



There was a mini bazaar.



Impromptu performance



Jill's Goddesses of Bellydance



Bismark Naling's Hip-hop group



Jinhee during the evening show.



More of Jinhee in action



I liked this performance



The Goddesses during the evening show.



Jofti!



Even the kids were amazing.



This is one of my favorite numbers: Jill belly dancing to live drumming by Frances Escape



Finally, four pictures of the stripteasers

The first two pages of my Zen notebook

Zen is not intellectual. There is nothing to hold on to.

* * *

What, if not thoughts, will bring us to realization? Something deeper than thoughts. You will know it when it happens.

* * *

There is no right and no wrong in zen. What is right today may be wrong tomorrow, depending on circumstances.

* * *

Everything will pass away. So don't fool yourself.

* * *

The ultimate liberation is: no conflict, no struggle.

* * *

Real masters are decisive.

* * *

Discipline. Strong mind. Strong will.

* * *

In morning silence
is everything, and nothing
but the white stillness

* * *

Zen is the mind's poetry
It is the soul's poetry

* * *

Sitting is catching a moment
Sitting is owning a moment

* * *

From gray,
the wall
slowly
lightens.

* * *

When you silence the mind,
you silence the body
And when you let the mind fly,
the body grows wings

* * *

And the story that came out today on Rappler: http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/12710-zen-stillness-and-nothing-else

* * *

And the full, unedited text here:


Everything and nothing but the white stillness

To be happy, all you need is a cushion and a wall.

I believe I came up with this statement at a time when I was into Zen meditation around 2009. It was a trying time, personally, and I needed peace in my life. I found a zendo in Marikina. Or perhaps, the zendo found me.

I met Rollie del Rosario, who was to be my sensei. And I met Ada Javellana Loredo, who became a friend. Ada is a talented painter, a professor in Ateneo, and an aikidoka for all of 22 years. I have always marveled at her lightness. And I think she has that genuine smile—the kind that lights up a room.

For this short feature on Rappler, I met her at a cafe. On the day of our interview, I gave her a few purple vanda blossoms which, to our delight, matched her shirt. Over cups of Cafe Americano, we talked about how zen meditation has helped us and some of the people we know.

Just like magic

“Internally, there are changes,” Ada explains. “But people probably won’t see it. I rarely get mad now, I would still get angry once in a while, but it would go away quickly. I could blow the anger away.”

Is that a conscious effort, I ask her.

“It’s effortless,” she clarifies. “I can let go of the annoying things, minor irritations. I don’t worry about those anymore. It would take a lot to hurt me. Sometimes I also surprise myself!” Ada laughs.

As a professor, Ada usually checks essay tests, which is a challenge for many teachers. “I used to take lots of breaks to finish checking a set of test papers,” she confesses. “But one day, I finished all 35 papers in one sitting and I didn’t even notice the time! Before that day, it has never happened to me, ever.”

“It was like magic. The focus was there so I wasn’t thinking of anything else. I was very mindful of what I was doing.”

The monkey that is the mind

Zen meditation is not a religion. It is not a movement, nor is it a philosophy. Ada says that Zen meditation is a practice: what you do (one’s practice), and what you often do to master something (as in, practice makes perfect).

In Zen meditation, mindfulness is taught. “The goal is to be mindful of every moment of your life,” says Ada. One is supposed to form this habit of mindfulness by sitting in meditation for at least thirty minutes every day (zazen). One helpful technique is to focus on and count your breath from one to ten, and then count back to one again. Do that over and over for thirty minutes and you would have practiced Zen meditation.
This is easier said than done, and both Ada and I agree that we’ve rarely, if at all, managed to reach up to ten breaths without the monkey mind wandering off to God-knows-where.

Physically demanding

Zen meditation does not stop at taming the mind, it also works on the body. As a practice that originated in Japan, it strictly requires its practitioners to observe proper posture. The spine should be straight, the legs folded underneath, or held in a lotus or semi-lotus position, the shoulders thrown back, the gaze straight and softly focused on a blank wall in front, and the hands in a certain mudra (spiritual gesture of the hands).

“There was a time during a sit when I tried to stand up for kinhin (walking meditation) while my entire leg was still numb from sitting,” Ada recalls. “I injured my ankle and I had to use a cane for a time because of it.”

Zen practitioners are encouraged to take up tai chi or yoga to prepare the body for long sits, especially sesshins. A sesshin is a period of intensive meditation inside a zendo. Ada defines one sesshin day as “excruciating pain for nine hours, with breaks.” But she continues to go on these retreats anyway, for at least three times a year.

A glimpse of Zen

Founded in 1976 by Sr. Elaine MacInnes, OLM, and Yamada Koun Roshi, the Zen Center of Oriental Spirituality in the Philippines (ZCP), where Ada and I met, belongs to the Sanbo Kyodan (Three Treasures Teaching Group) lineage of Kamakura, Japan. According to its website: The Sanbo Kyodan zen sect combines the best of the Soto (sustained zazen) and the Rinzai (koan practice) schools of zen. It was founded by Yasutani Haku’un Roshi on 8 January 1954. Unlike most other schools of zen, the Sanbo Kyodan does not require its followers to embrace the Buddhist religion. Some of its masters and teachers are, in fact, Christian priests, pastors, or nuns.

Those who are interested to learn more about zen meditation are invited to attend Glimpse into Zen (introductory talk) on September 23, 2012. The event will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at 34 St. Claire corner St. Catherine, Provident Village, Marikina. For more information, please contact Lisa M. Pilapil through 0920.570.9709 or email her at lisa_pilapil@ yahoo.com

Whatever, they glow.

Irene and I sometimes talk about these people: the monks, meditators, some sisters and brothers, some of the religious, even martial artists. They are the very few whose faces are so unencumbered by stress or worry. Their eyes smile when they smile, their skin is clear, their smiles so sincere. Their faces literally light up the room. And when you talk to them, they look into your eyes. You feel they are there. More than what you see, they emit a powerful positive vibration. You feel light around them, or they feel light around you. Whatever, they glow.

I've been to Fo Guang Shan twice. The first time, I met the Head Abbess Venerable Miao Jing and talked to her in person. The second time, I saw her as well but didn't get to speak to her. Her companions in robes also have that glow, but hers is brighter and I know I shouldn't be saying this. But it just is.

Anyway, this is the Rappler story about an event I covered in Fo Guang Shan.

http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/10883-from-the-heart-the-calligraphy-of-venerable-master-hsing-yun

Meeting Gladys, Wushu champion

She’s young, fair, and feminine. She has long hair and a small frame. Her voice is soft, and she talks very little. In every way, Gladys appears to be a fragile girl.

But that’s as far as first impressions go. Gladys is a fierce creature. She is determined, focused and hardworking. At 18, she’s won at least seven medals in international wushu competitions in Zhen Zhou and Shanghai, China in 2010 and earlier this year, 2012. Look into her eyes and you’ll see a real champion there.

Wushu is Chinese for “martial arts”. It is a type of full-contact and exhibition sport that originated from traditional Chinese martial arts. Gladys C. Sia started with wushu in 2004, when she was only 10.

A first year Financial Management student in FEU Manila, Gladys joined her first wushu competition in the same year she started with the sport. She didn’t get any award but six years later, she was able to snatch three medals (Gold, Silver and Bronze) at an international wushu competition in Shanghai and Zhen Zhou, defeating athletes from China, Hong Kong, Russia, Malaysia and Singapore. In 2012, she won four medals: Bronze in Chang Quan (long fist routine), Gold in Jian Shu (sword routine), Bronze in Qiang Shu (spear routine), and a Silver in Xing Yi Quan (basic routine).

“Endurance is important in wushu,” Gladys says, “You shouldn’t run out of breath because you have to finish a routine in 1 minute and 25 seconds. If you go beyond that, you lose points.” Gladys trains for endurance by running and doing exercises like sit-ups. When she’s not competing, she still trains 2 to 3 times a week in Philippine Mei Cheng Shaolin Kung Fu Research Center in Manila, where she is a senior athlete and helps train the junior students.

In Mei Cheng, the students learn from the senior students like Gladys, but everybody refines their routines on their own. In the absence of a permanent wushu master, they are left to perfect their form on their own, with the help of the internet and each other. In this setup, cooperation plays a big part.

“When your team supports you, you will get better,” Gladys shares. “Our team members help each other.” In wushu, Gladys has learned to be more open minded and disciplined. She has also learned to trust herself and believe in her capabilities. “What you need is faith and trust in yourself, and of course, hard work.”

Gladys also observed that when she trained every day, she rarely got sick. But aside from the health benefits of wushu, she encourages women to take up the sport because it’s also a good way to learn self defense. She says, “At first it was easy, and then you learn to enjoy it even if it becomes more difficult when you learn the routines.”

Gladys will soon be preparing for her next international competition in Zhen Zhou, China in October this year. But in the meantime, she takes a break to climb trees and laugh with her friends.

(This article appeared in the August edition of the Sassa Activewear newsletter.)

My love affair with Ayurveda

I met Father Jacob around 7 years ago and since then, I have always come to him for my ailments. Even for advice. I support his projects and try to help whenever I can. On his birthdays, I am usually there to celebrate with him and the other friends who love him dearly. I learned to love all his spicy Indian dishes because he keeps on feeding me with super anghang food items. I've seen him through three clinic addresses already, and have met a lot of wonderful people through him. I cherish this relationship with Ayurveda and Father. He is really someone I can count on, during times of health and emotional crisis. He's a funny guy, very wise, and very kind.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed him for Rappler. This is the story.

http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/11074-a-season-of-sickness-ayurvedic-tips-for-healing

Photo courtesy of Jes Aznar.

A little backstory

In July, Bowi got sick three times. The first time, he was confined in St. Luke's for 5 days. Some days later, just after his birthday, he caught a cough and cold. And then towards the end of the month, he contracted parotitis, inflammation of the salivary gland. Similar to mumps or could be mumps, we didn't really know for sure.

He was sick for more than ten days. There was slight fever and pain in the area. On the day that I left for Makati to interview a foreign celebrity, there was a typhoon and it was very windy. And Bowi was feverish in bed. This is the story that came out of that short trip one stormy day.

http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/10725-simon-says-live-life-fearlessly