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PERSONAL REFLECTIONS | EASTERN HORIZON 53

one is not satisfied with his or sheltered from bad weather and other negative emotions to a large
her current life and hoping for have air conditioners in their cars. It degree. In other words, technology
perfection. Our minds become is amazing!” advancement stops us from living
easily anxious, angry, and negative in the moment and having a simply
once there are challenges, delays “We had to walk for hours, life. We lost touch with our inner
and unpredictability in our lives. sometimes even days to meet. child who is curious, innocent,
In fact, having expectations and Meeting face-to-face is very and sensitive with a pure heart.
being envious bring us anxiety and convenient in the modern world. Instead, we are unappreciative and
irritation. Meetings can be arranged through unsatisfiable.
a phone call instantly, and possibly
Being well balanced may be a happen almost immediately Because of being trapped in traffic
difficult idea to grasp for us who afterwards. “ jams, our minds are filled with
must deal with the traffic nightmare blame and negative judgement. We
in Kuala Lumpur day in and day out. “In this modern world, people are blame our misery on other road
Having said that, many of us refuse more self-resilient. People of all users, the government, and the
to be dominated by our negative ages and genders are independent society. We then internalize this
thoughts and emotions; as we all and self-determinate. They build an hostility and blame ourselves for
wish to be free from them. extraordinary society through their living in this city and having no
own efforts.” wings to fly. We complain endlessly.
What would Buddha do?
This country is economically stable; What about pleasant rush hour
Would Buddha resolve the problem as a result, most citizens have memories?
by chanting sutras and reciting their basic needs met, and almost
mantras? everyone owns a car. Of course, there are some; however,
we tend to forget them. When I
Would Buddha meditate and use How come we have never rode in a car as a child, I paid full
the power of stillness to resolve the thought about these positive and attention on the rapidly changing
problem? appreciative statements? streetscapes. I could have never
noticed the beauty of raindrops
Or, would Buddha take this as an That is because of our never-ending dancing on the windshield without
opportunity to teach and give birth thirst for more. The more we enjoy being in a traffic jam whereby the
to the Traffic Jam Sutra? our convenient lives, the more we car remain stationary.
want to improve it. In the end, this
It is impossible for us to come up desire brings us more stress and I thank the traffic congestion for
with any answer for this question anxiety. The more technologically strengthening my friendships,
since we are not able to understand advanced we are, the less patient especially during my younger years.
the wisdom of the Buddha. We and tolerance for unpredictability Being stuck in the traffic, my friends
are full of vexation because of our we become. When our expectations and I had many insightful and
unenlightened mind; thus, our are not met, we become intimate conversations.
beliefs, values and thoughts are disappointed, and our minds are full
biased and delusional. of vexation. After working full time, I
What Buddhist sages would do, if participated in many phone
they came to this gridlocked city? Technology advancement is largely conferences, and listened to many
meant to improve the quality of dharma talks in traffic jams. These
“Modern people are lucky since our lives; however, it becomes the dharma talks comforted me for they
they have cars to drive. They are source of stress, anxiety and many are the chicken soup for my soul.