The Hadith says that every Muslim man should know archery, swimming, and riding. Horses and camels are of utmost importance to the Muslims. Hence it is no surprise that these animals are such a large part of their culture. Horses can be seen everywhere around the UAE, to the extent that they have a 3 week long festival dedicated to horses and horse culture. Sharing the love for horses myself, I have begun going riding to Al Jiyad stables in Dubai. Owned by Ali Al Marzooqi, the stable is one of the best in Dubai, training champions in endurance riding. This weekend Ali took me through his private stable to show off some of his champion horses. It was here that I saw the side of the man that is not usually associated with Arabs. His love for his horses was something I had never seen before. It is a love that has ruined every relationship he has been in, because there is no woman that Ali has loved more than his horses. Seeing the way Ali touched, cared for, and talked about his horses inspired me to show this side of him to the world; it was the purest love I had ever seen.
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Visiting Thai Buddhist temples can provide one not only an aesthetic and spiritual experience but also allows to learn the basics of Buddhism and its principles, which are explained sentence by sentence on metal boards also in English (rarely, with funny accidental mistakes). This is the collection of 52 such Buddhist pearls of wisdom captured on photos: 24 of them coming from Wat Phare Rachsamjammadhevesrnechai (Buddhist temple near Tham Chiang Dao cave complex), and 28 - from Wat Tham Pha Plong (Buddhist temple in Chiang Dao 500 steps up a beautiful mountain in the middle of jungles). Buddhist Pearl of Wisdom "Today is better than two tomorrows" in Wat Phare Rachsamjammadhevesrnechai, Thailand, 2015. By Kristine Sergejeva Buddhist Pearls of Wisdom from Wat Phare Rachsamjammadhevesrnechai Buddhist Pearls of Wisdom from Wat Tham Pha Plong Shaking Blood-Covered Hands with Respect: Finding Philosophy of Goodness in Brutality of Thai Boxers12/2/2015 When you visit a Thai boxing (Muay Thai) match either in a respectable Bangkok's stadium or in a shady place full with smoking and drinking tourists (mostly consisting of newly married couples in their honey-moon, when I was there), gamblers and ladyboy-waiters, located in Chiang Mai in the middle of warehouses, you might feel very, very far from the place of ethics and moral knowledge. But it might be a mistaken and superficial amorality you are seeing on the blood-covered hands and faces.. If you would like to dig deeper, you would find that in every fight there are at least two sanctuaries where goodness and highly moral principles are cultivated, and these sanctuaries are the bodies of the boxers. Wall picture "Scene from the court life" -- Prince Ransit palace (17th century), shows a Muay Thai match, accompanied by the music orchestra If we read books, which not only identify the basic forms of Thai boxing but also cover the philosophy of this martial art, we can notice that there are 3 basic features of character each Thai boxer has to develop and cherish: modesty, patience, and, most important, respect. Respect This is one of the features, which are visible immediately, also during the fight. At first, both boxers often smile to each other. And I do not mean contemptuous or mocking smirking, as they really have sincere smiles. They also "shake hands" (I mean - all the gestures and friendly interactions they try to do with their boxing gloves on them) and are very friendly to the team and coach of the competitor. As Jerry Heines and Amorndet Ranjanthuek in their book "Explosive Muay Thai" write: ... the real battle is within each of us; our opponent serves merely to help us conquer ourselves. For this reason, respect to our opponents and training partners is key to our success in Muay Thai, no matter the outcome of the match. Respect is paid not only to one's opponent, but also to teachers, parents and things, which fighters hold sacred and pray for their safety and victory. This respect should not be only internal, but it is also expressed in the external aesthetic ritual, the so-called "Wai Khru Ram Muay". The ritual usually differs for each fighter, however, this video on YouTube can provide you the general idea how it looks like: Modesty Modesty is a very important feature in order to grow and to develop one's (fighting) skills. The idea is the following - only if you recognize that your technique and skills are not as good as other's, only then you can see the need to improve and also the aim in front of you, which you can reach (with patience and specific attitude only, of course). Modesty also means an ability to ask for help from more advanced fighters, for example. Patience Patience is the must skill to be cultivated if one wants to reach certain level of mastery. But this is only one of potential benefits of patience. Maybe even more important is to be patient in your reactions towards external stressors and "irritants". As Thomas M. Steinfatt writes in his book "Working at the Bar: Sex Work and Health Communication in Thailand": ... violence is quite out of character in Thai society ... Smiling is equated with patience, and those who are patient are greatly admired in Thai culture. One Thai term for patience is jai yen (or cool heart). One may lose the respect of others through loss of temper and displays of frustration. Thais believe in hiding their negative feelings, and public displays of anger are un-Thai. Irritability and loss of patience also leads to irrational actions during the fight. In the above mentioned book "Explosive Muay Thai" it is noted that Being patient makes one less irritable. When irritated, one is prone to irrational actions - which we typically regret later. Besides the respect, modesty and patience, there are also other qualities, which Thai boxers have to cultivate in them, for example, trustworthiness, politeness, on the one hand, and inward-directed elements, such as self-respect and confidence. Important thing is to remember that one should not be a Thai boxer to develop and cultivate these features. Either one is a fighter or a peacemaker, or someone in-between, cultivation of these qualities internally and using them externally could make the life of people around so much better and nicer/safer-to-live place. With this photography-based story, our new regular contributor, Latvian photographer Magda Jentgen who is currently living in Dubai, UAE, starts her series of weekly posts on exploring visually and conceptually the "strange" and different culture she is now living in. These posts will investigate the concept of "otherness" as well as similarities and differences between radically distant cultures, the one of the viewer, and the one of the viewed. Last night was spent at a friends' goodbye BBQ party in the Al Warqaa desert in Dubai. When we arrived at location, before us lay the trashed desert. While once it used to be the home for the Bedouin population, it has now become a popular hangout spot for the younger generation. The desert used to be sacred, but now it has become a dumpster for the used plastic cups and cigarette buds.
The term Badawî which is where the term Bedouin comes from, literally means plain or desert. They are the people of the desert. It is their home and was once their way of life. However, here in Dubai, with the boom of the oil industry, a large part of that lifestyle diminished in just a few decades. While it may be easy to transform the lifestyle of these people, it is much harder to change the culture and the mindset of them. I found that out last night, when I spent the night in the desert with the descendants of the Bedouins. While they did not grow up being nomads like their ancestors, the love for the desert is still in their blood. It could be seen in everything, from the way they set up camp, to the way they served their traditional tea. As an outsider it is always fascinating for me to see the few people left of the younger generation who still embrace their Emirati heritage and try to upkeep their traditions. However, it is sad to see the beautiful red sand dunes become trashed by the ones who do not understand just how much they used to mean to a Bedouin. Do you remember being bullied and/or being a bully during your childhood and school years? Have you ever wondered why did it happen; why children often seem to be more cruel than grown-ups; why you, such a good girl or boy, found yourself in one camp or another; and why, after all, these bullying practices were sometimes taken over even in our adult lives, for example, in our offices? Have you ever thought - how could you stop yourself from being a bully or being bullied? Bangkok, 2015, by Kristine Sergejeva I would like to share with you two experiences or my friends who chosen not to disclose their names - one of being a bully during her school years, and another one - about being bullied at his workplace; as well as their thoughts of what works or not to cope with bullying. Being a bully Now, when I am a "grown-up", I know that I was an unconscious bully during my early school years. I was one of those many children in my class who considered ourselves as the "cool" ones, the ones of the higher "caste", because I had the best marks, I was one of the best in sports, my parents were cool and adorable, I was loved by teachers, etc. And for some or another reason I behaved as if it would give me a power to laugh about those who had problems with their homework, who had weird clothes, whose parents were older or when they came to school, they smelled of alcohol. We were like a group of wolves who were sniffing weaknesses of others and were ready to torn apart the ones who had them. Being bullied Share with us how you have coped with being bullied or changed your own bullying behavior. Funnily enough, my one and the only (but prolonged one) experience of being bullied like a bad karma dropped on me in the most unexpected place (in the office of respectable international company) and in the most unexpected time (in the middle of my adulthood when one could presume that there is no place for children games and behaviors; and when I had reached a top of my career - becoming the youngest manager of the senior managers' team). On my map, the Chinatown district of Bangkok seemed tiny and walkable within one hour. But it took me a half day to stroll through it. So many colors; smell of rubber and fried food; little doggies, cats and also birds, which are treated as good as humans; entangled cables; Chinese symbols mixed with Buddhist and Hinduism icons and hideaways; canals covered with oily layer; roaring bikes, cars and buses mingling with bicycles and tuk-tuks; eyes feeling sticky from the heavy pollution; kind and non-inflicting smiles of strangers.. From time to time, almost everyone of us has faced shorter or longer term insomnia - an inability to fall asleep when you want or stay asleep, and/or waking up too early. But when it becomes a regular and chronic phenomena, different treatments are sought, such as drinking hot milk before bed or taking a pill, which your family doctor prescribed. But what to do if nothing helps and you still cannot sleep? Don't worry, there is still one rather vigorous method, which is very tough but is scientifically proved to help - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). "Le Lit" by Toulouse Lautrec Three months ago when I finally decided to quit my job that kept me in unbearable stress, I expected that my golden age in peace and harmony would start. But the reality was different - years of stress suddenly came to the surface and I started to have gradually worsening insomnia - it took me hours to fall asleep and, when I finally did, I woke up in 3-4 hours, not being able to fall asleep again. Strangely enough, sleeping pills did not help at all. I could maybe fall asleep easier but anyway I would wake up several hours after, not being able to drift back in my sleep. Either I could sit and wait, and do nothing while my insomnia would step aside (or not) by itself, or I have to find some solution. I decided to browse thought the Internet in search for treatments and, if possible, quick fixes, because my life without sleep was truly gloomy. As a hypochondriac, the first thing what I found on the Internet about insomnia and how much worse it can get, was an illness, which is considered to be the worst disease one can get - fatal familial or sporadic insomnia (brrrrrr, it is horrible disease, which has no known cure and involves progressively worsening insomnia, which leads to hallucinations, delirium, and confusional states like that of dementia). I freaked out even more, but at the same time I got even a bigger kick of motivation to find some solution. And then I found Sleepio - a CBT-I Programme online, which I decided to try. It took me 6 weeks to graduate it, and here are the main lessons learned: 1. You can train yourself to sleep like a Pavlov's dog! I always thought that sleep is something "natural", which cannot be forced. How wrong I was! It turns out that people can not live without sleep; more sleep tired you become, better conditions you create to fall asleep and stay asleep. One of the main idea behind this Programme is to associate your bed and your bedroom only and exclusively with sleeping (and a bit of sex), and nothing else. If you cannot fall asleep, then in 15 min you have to get up and move to another room. If you wake up, in 15 min you have be out of your bed, too.
Also, you are allowed to sleep only when you are sleep-tired. Not physically tired, but sleep-tired (when you are yawning, eyes are closing involuntarily, etc.) Torture, isn't it? But it works (as long as you have a bedroom separate from living room and kitchen)! For most people it takes more than 6 weeks to have this sleep-bed association, and when you establish it, you need to sustain it. The toughest part of the Programme is so-called Sleep Restriction - you are allowed to stay in bed only that amount of time, which is your average total sleep per night. Let's say, my average total sleep before starting the Programme was around 6 hours, therefore, I was allowed to stay in bed only these 6 hours. If I was not able to fall asleep and utilise this so-called Sleep Window, sorry, I had to wait for the next night! Therefore, conditions of slight sleep deprivation were created and the drive to sleep and to remain asleep was increased. As sleep became more consolidated and sound, it was possible gradually go to bed earlier or sleep later by about 15 minutes a week. For example, from original 6 hours I reached 7 hours of Sleep Window at the graduation of the Programme. 2. It helps both for chronic, so-called, primary insomniacs and for the ones, whose insomnia is only secondary symptom In my case, insomnia was only the secondary symptom of anxiety; however, this Programme is supposed to work well both for those people who are primarily insomniacs, and the ones, whose sleep is only temporarily disturbed. 3. Online therapy is not at all less effective than in-person therapy This is very interesting aspect, because one could presume that in-person therapy would always be more effective. But it is not the case. The research comparing both approaches concluded that Sleepio Programme was "about as effective as CBT delivered in person". 4. Community help has a power Sleepio online community is incredibly helpful both during the Programme and also after graduation. The Programme can become very, very tough, and there is always this feeling that you make two steps forward and then - one step backward. Therefore, it is great to know that you always can find someone who will support you virtually and who will remind you that the progress in this Programme is not totally linear, and that some temporary difficulties are expected. Finally, you might ask me if I am totally cured and if my sleep is perfect now. I must be honest - I am not totally cured, but it was my own choice to take a break. After the graduation I had to continue sleep restriction and to strengthen my sleep-bed association, but I discontinued the Programme and messed up my sleep hygiene. I concluded that while I am travelling around and almost every night spending in different hotel, it was almost impossible to follow these strict rules. However, I am defintely sleeping so much better now than before the Programme, and I am determined to follow strict sleep hygiene again when my life will stabilise. To learn more about Sleepio Programme, visit their website - https://www.sleepio.com I would not have noticed it, if our shy bicycle tour guide had not turned our attention to it. This small circular sun- or wheel-like symbol at the fence of one of the Buddhist Wat (monastery-temple) buildings. It represents Dharma - teachings given by the Buddha in three so-called turnings. If the first and the second turnings focus on truths and the essence of all phenomena (and are being too conceptual), then the third one for me has always been illuminating and promising: it says that every single sentient being possess Buddha nature. Everyone can and will become a Buddha at some point! In order to illustrate it, I would like to quote Khenpo Sodargye from his book "Mysteries of the World According to Buddhism": Bangkok, Thailand, February 2015, by Kristine Sergejeva
Can eccentrics, weirdos, outcasts, "crazy" ones, addicts and other fallen or not angels meet the right teachers, get the secret knowledge transferred to them, become teachers themselves and, at the end, become enlightened and even immortal? According to Daoism history, not only they can but a person has even bigger chances to become one of Immortals, if they are unconventional and slightly strange. Eccentricity is indeed one of the standard traits attributed to the protagonists of Taoist hagiography throughout the centuries, as indicates Stephen Eskildsen in his book "The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters". Not only many Daoist sages, magicians, diviners, alchemists, masters and disciples were well known for their eccentricity, but also the famous Eight Daoist Immortals excelled through their unconventionality, some even through their craziness. The most common forms of such behavior were conscious noncompliance with the usual social conventions; and hedonism, particularly, drinking. Freedom from Social Conventions Social conventions as such were considered as the greatest enemy of personal freedom and integrity, and they were replaced with authentic, spontaneous and also a symbolic existence. I would like to illustrate it with three amazing stories. Wang Zhe, the founder of Daoist Quanzhen movement, for several years was living in the grave, which he built for himself. In one village he made a high mound of dirt under which he dug an underground chamber. On top of the mound he placed a sign that read, "Here rests Lunatic Wang". He referred to this place as the "Grave of the Living Dead Man" and most probably the hidden meaning of this action was to put to death his old, worldly self. Wang Zhe actually was famous also for his alcohol addiction, which he managed to overcome and his violent behavior towards his disciples. Another story is about Zhang Guolao who is considered as one of the most eccentric Eight Immortals. He was usually riding on his white donkey seated backwards. Some have stated that he was sitting backwards, because he has discovered that going forward actually is moving backward. He was known to be also quite entertaining, often making himself invisible, drinking water from the petals of poisonous flowers, snatching birds in flight from the sky, as well as wilting flowers simply by pointing in their direction. Finally, in order to become one of Immortals, unconventional gender and sexual orientation was not an obstacle. As written in the "Myths and Legends of China" by E.T.C. Werner: Lan Ts'ai-ho is variously stated to have been a woman and a hermaphrodite. She is the strolling singer or mountebank of the Immortals. Usually she plays a flute or a pair of cymbals. ... She wandered abroad clad in a tattered blue gown held by a black wooden belt three inches wide, with one foot shoeless and the other shod, wearing in summer an undergarment of wadded material, and in winter sleeping on the snow, her breath rising in a brilliant cloud like the steam from a boiling cauldron. Hedonism and Alcohol Daoism (particularly, philosophical one) and the enjoyment of alcohol are rather linked together. Many well-known Daoist sages and also artists and poets associated with Daoism are noted for their love of alcohol and inebriation. The most illustrative example is the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. As it is noted in the "Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia, Volume 12", A group of disaffected man during a time of political turmoil, the Seven Sages delighted in eccentricity, conversation, and drunkenness. One of the seven, Liu Lung, wrote a poem "In Praise of the Virtue of Wine", in which he portrays himself as happily detached from the troubles of the world. ... For all those figures, alcohol and inebriation are symbols of the freedom from human convention and the spontaneous enjoyment of the moment - important themes of Daoism. Finally, I would like to mention one of the most famous self-indulgent Daoist - Yang Zhu. Describing his carefree and pleasure-seeking attitude toward life, he wrote: Half of [a man's life] is occupied with infancy and senility. Of the other half, almost half is wasted in sleep at night and naps in the day time. And almost half of the remainder is lost in pain, illness, sorrow, grief, death, and loss. ... Then what is the purpose of life? What is the joy of life? Life is only for beauty and wealth, and sound and color. ...Let us enjoy this life. Why be concerned with the hereafter? |
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