For those people who know me well, they'd understand that it is not my normal practice to celebrate birthday, but I appreciate these occasions because I know these are ways for my friends and students to express their love to me. So, besides the celebration for my Tibetan birthday, there was a birthday celebration for me in Hong Kong which was as usual very well-organised. I was very touched by the warmth and the harmony of the Drukpa Hong Kong Sangha and I pray and hope that this harmony is sincere and from the heart. I don't believe in superficial harmony, there is really no such need to be superficial in a spiritual relationship. In this sense, I feel quite fortunate that at least my friends and students in Hong Kong are trying their best to keep harmony and have positive thoughts of their own Sangha members, and to minimise their jealousy, unnecessary competition and negative emotions. This is one of the reasons why I am returning to Hong Kong a few times in a year, because I feel that at least whatever is taught is practised, hopefully.

We launched the "Live to Love" project in Hong Kong. I wish some friends and students of mine will be able to help me realise this mission of spreading the message of love, not only to Buddhists but also to everyone in our individual communities. For example, "Live to Love" will eventually take part in activities that help people in poverty, suffering from flood and famine, needing medical treatment, and etc. We really have to go beyond our own Buddhist societies and help others with love. Love is universal and without boundaries. This is how "Live to Love" project was born. We still need a lot of planning and working, and I am very happy that Hong Kong Sangha is leading in promoting this activity. Let's all pray that this LOVE will blossom in the future to help beings in our communities.

Right after Hong Kong, I attended another birthday celebration organised by my very old friend, Mr. Didi Dawis, in Jakarta and Borobudur. I didn't expect this to be such a grand occasion. It was a very pleasant surprise and I know that Didi and his daughter Aimee, together with the Mahayana Master Hui Hsiong and Mr. Darwin of the Vihara Mahagraha Pusat worked very hard to make all these happen in such a short time. Because of their hard work, more than 2000 people came for the dinner on 7th March, celebrating my birthday. So I celebrated my birthday at least 4 times this year.

I was very happy that my parents and my godfather, Felix Lim, were able to go with me to Jakarta and Borobudur. Besides being my parents, I feel that they are also parents to my friends and students, and in fact to everyone they come into contact with. I somehow believe that having them together to visit Borobudur with me would have helped restore some blessing for the holy stupa. This stupa was actually built by a disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni, and he was an Arhat who could fly from India to Borobudur to build this stupa so that beings in this region would benefit. Unfortunately, this beautiful stupa is no longer in its best condition, but we are still very fortunate to be able to pay homage to it.

As you must have read from the news that a plane crashed while landing in Yogyakarta airport. That was actually the plane that was supposed to take us back to Jakarta. It crashed when landing and exploded not long after. I was told that out of 130 people on the plane, more than 20 were killed, compared to the millions of beings being killed by human beings, this is actually very small number. I told a few of my friends that our selfishness and our desires to eat meat make us kill so many innocent animals and beings, this plane crash is one of the examples of what will happen when our killing karma ripens. As Buddhists, we don't believe in coincidences or accidents, everything happens as a cause or effect. Therefore, it would be much better if we can be vegetarians and even avoid taking eggs, not only for practising loving-kindness and compassion, but also for preventing traumatic deaths for ourselves. Besides praying for those poor people who were killed in the plane crash, we should also be praying for all the beings who are killed continuously to satisfy our desires for good food and our desires for comfort, etc, don't you think so?

Due to this incident, our karma took us to the next town to take another flight to Jakarta. I know Didi took a lot of troubles to get us on the flight, so that we would not miss the dinner. Because of going to this town, I was able to meet Mr. Lukminto, a good friend of Didi, and Mr. Lukminto's capable son. We Buddhists do not believe in luck or coincidence, the karmic connection had brought us together again and again, life after life. I was very happy to meet Lukminto and his son, and I pray for their success and good health.

That's all for now!