A Superhero

A SUPERHERO

Dear friends I hear,

From here and there…

A Superhero is a wonder-man

‘coz no one can do what he can

But I think differently

According to me personally

You don’t need magic wands

To break free from earthly bonds

Nor do you need big red capes

To make good your escapes

You don’t need to spin a web

Or use machinery that’s hi-tech

All the strength a superhero needs

To go through the life he leads

Within himself he’ll find

To control his heart and mind

He can fly with the wings

That his dreams to him bring

He’ll fight any trouble that may appear

With his faith without fear

Listen carefully to what I say

And remember it each day

That hero is there in you and in me

‘coz we can all be what we want to be

So why create an extra wonder-man,

When we can all do what he can?

"LEFT OVER" DELISH- CHEESE RICE FILLED TOMATOES

 "LEFT OVER" DELISH- CHEESE RICE FILLED TOMATOES

I found myself on a Sunday afternoon with an almost empty fridge ....one of those crazy weeks made crazier by the weather, health troubles, maid woes not to mention looming deadlines and therefore, the usual round of grocery shopping had just been skipped...All I had was a bowl full of left over rice, tomatoes, parmesan and capsicum in the refrigerator. The usual dal rice menu was met with a dull "oh no" from my two brats...feeling too lazy to step out and shop, getting no consensus on what to order in… I donned my chef hat and decided on recycling the left overs :-)

I took the larger tomatoes, cut off the tops and put them aside-scooped out the pulp to make cups. In a pan, added some olive oil, a few cloves of garlic, added in the rice, capsicum (chopped finely), the tomato pulp and salt and pepper- let the mixture cook for just about 4 minutes and added in the parmesan (I think any other cheese would work just as well). Luckily had some dry basil leaves that I sprinkled on the mixture and then, I had the kids spoon in this mixture into the tomato cups-then we closed them with their respective ‘caps’. We arranged these filled tomato cups on a grill tray (you can also place them in a baking dish), added a dash of olive oil on top and placed them inside the pre heated oven at about 150C for 25-30mins and viola….our cheese rice filled tomatoes were ready. The left over mixture of the left over rice-tomato pulp-cheesy mix was quite yummy by itself-and we decided not to let it be a left over anymore ;).

KALAMA SUTTA

Have you ever been at the receiving end of unfair treatment simply because people changed their opinion about you overnight based on hearsay??

It makes me wonder how people get swayed so easily by what someone else tells them and don't bother to reflect a moment before blindly believing what others say. Is it just easier to believe rather than exercise those brain cells a li'l bit and question...or perhaps, often, one is not bold enough to question the source for fear of upsetting them? Is it lack of belief in their own judgement, an overdose of belief in others or a little bit of both??...what everthe case may be, I think it akin to insulting one's own intelligence.

Having recently experienced something of this, I was pondering on it, and as usual poning the question to the powers that are...what do you say to people whose opinions sway like a flag in the wind, letting themselves be taken in any direction others carry them? Almost as if in divine response, I chanced upon the Kalama Sutta-or as it is called-"Buddha's charter of free enquiry"...

I thought it worthwhile to share, so here it is...THINK FOR YOURSELVES PEOPLE- don't just go blindly for hearsay!!
Much love.
N.

 (As taken from the net:)

 "The Kālāma Sutta is used for advocating prudence by the use of sound logical reasoning arguments and the dialectic principles for inquiries in the practice that relates to the discipline of seeking truth, wisdom and knowledge whether it is religious or not. In short, the Kālāma Sutta is opposed to blind faith, dogmatism and belief spawned from specious reasoning".

                                                                   KALAMA SUTTA

 

Do not believe in anything (simply) because you have heard it.  

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
Do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumoured by many.
Do not believe in anything (simply) because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
But after observation and analysis when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conductive to the good and benefit of one and all then accept it and live up to it.

 Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya Vol. 1, 188-193 P.T.S. Ed.)"