60. penang (part I) - kek lok si temple

So when we went for Sue's wedding, me and him managed to squeeze in some time for "touristy" sightseeings. We drove out of the way to Penang Hill to ride the funicular train, but it was closed for maintenance.

Lucky for us, the next stop was Kek Lok Si Temple, which was just a five minutes drive away from the train. After much confusion, we ended up to a cluster of colorful temples amidst the hills of Penang. I'll show why you need to make a pit stop at this beautiful temple.

Part of the view. The right building is actually a pagoda.

Compulsory portrait shot hehehe. 

If you're a tortoise lover you need to stop by here and look at the hoard of red eared sliders in one of the many ponds tucked away. This was just like a dot in the ocean, there was tortoise as long as a metre just chilling at the bottom of the pond.

Paid RM 5 per person to take this inclined elevator to see the huge bronze statue.

The huge bronze statue awaiting you at the top of the hill. It was a sight to behold. According to the reliable sources at Wikipedia:-

In 2002, a 30.2m bronze statue of the Kuan Yin was completed and opened to public. It replaced the previous white plaster Kuan Yin statue which was damaged due to a fire a few years earlier. The bronze statue is located on the hillside above the pagoda while the head of the previous statue which survived the fire is preserved and placed on the right hand corner of the new statue. 

Kuan Yin is the Goddess of Mercy, which can also be regarded as Avalokitheshvara, Bodhisattva of Universal Compassion.

One of the gazebos on a huge pond. Thanks to two French tourists who helped take this picture. Hope your visit to Malaysia was beautiful and amazing :)

Respect any house of worship. Be aware of any signs telling you to do certain thing(s). 

The intricate designs and patterns inside the temple.

Flower offerings for prayer purposes.

You purchase these wishing ribbons, each with it's own wishes, such as health, prosperity, etc, and tie it to a big tree around the courtyard.

The trees affixed with wishing ribbons from past visitors.

I'm not really sure the purpose of these jars. I think there's candles in it that visitors light up?

Incense stick offerings to Buddha.

Another magnificent view of Penang, not to be missed.

In front of the pagoda. We climbed 7 flights of steps to reach the top of the pagoda!

The view awaiting us once we got to the top of the pagoda. Yeah alright, it was worth swearing, sweating, and maneuvering over steps big enough to fit feet less than 5 inches long to have this beautiful, windy view.

With him :)

The Kek Lok Si Temple (simplified Chinese: 极乐寺; traditional Chinese: 極樂寺; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ki̍k-lo̍k-sī; Penang Hokkien for "Temple of Supreme Bliss" or "Temple of Sukhavati") is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam in Penang and is one of the best known temples on the island. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia^{[citation needed]}. The temple is heavily commercialised with shops at every level and inside the main temple complexes.

There was so many nooks and crannies to be explored, along with the beautiful views of Penang on top of the hill. It's definitely worth a stop, especially if you're someone who respects religion, and appreciate the beauty of the architecture.

27. what do you believe in?

Last weekend I took an impromptu trip to Ipoh, Perak with my close friend, Sarah & Sha Roose. My little brother tagged along too, amidst copping me for RM 20 to purchase Kinder Bueno chocolates, sandwiches, and Twisties, grr.

After a slow and steady 2 hours drive to Ipoh from Kuala Lumpur (most of time which I dozed off at the back and woke up just in time to see "Welcome to Ipoh" signs), we finally arrived and proceeded to look for FOOOOOOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD.

Prawns, prawns, and more glorious prawns. We're the prawn freaks. The power of prawn love runs deep into our veins.

 

The gorgeous temples built into the limestone caves we saw in Ipoh.

We were in for barely 5 minutes before the security guard came and shooed us away. Guess the temple closes early on Saturdays :(

I know many people question organized religions, but no matter what beliefs or faiths you have, I think it should be respected. It doesn't matter if you believe in 1, 2, 4, 8 Gods, seven steps to heaven, reincarnation, or karma; your beliefs are your blankets in life that guides you on your everyday behavior and attitude. Everybody has their own believes that they are entitled to. Even atheists believe in the non-existence of God. I am equally in awe of entering a Buddhist temple, as would I be entering a mosque or any other place of worship. These are people's dedication to their beliefs into building every foundation, rock, and statues for all these places.

But then there are those who take to their own misinterpretation of the religion, either through forms of bigotry or overzealousness. Those are the kind of people who give their own brand of organized religions a bad name. Not all Christian priests sodomizes little boys in churches. Similarly, how not all Muslims practice the killing of innocent women and children in the name of God. Not all Jews are responsible for the murders of Palestinians. 

In the end, it doesn't boil down to organized religions, it just boils down to what you perceive the meaning of life is. For me, life is too fleeting to be "all there is". There's the question of "is this it?" I do believe in the afterlife, that we will somehow live in a place far more remarkable and magnificent than the beauties of the world, henceforth dubbed "syurga" or "heaven" by many. I believe that our actions on earth will be judged by Him on the day of judgment.

I believe in Qada and Qadar, which is the concept of divine destiny by God. That is to say, everything in our lives have been predetermined by God before we were born. God alone knows when we were meant to born, who are our life partner(s) will be, and when our date of death will be. But it is up to us to determine how we live our life. Here's an excerpt from Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons"-

Omnipotent-benevolent simply means that God is all-powerful and well-meaning.' 

'I understand the concept. It's just . . . there seems to be a contradiction.'

'Yes. The contradiction is pain. Man's starvation, war, sickness . . .'

'Exactly!' Chartrand knew the camerlengo would understand. 'Terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems like proof that God could not possibly be both all-powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation, He would prevent our pain, wouldn't He?'

The camerlengo frowned. 'Would He?' 

Chartrand felt uneasy. Had he overstepped his bounds? Was this one of those religious questions you just didn't ask? 'Well . . . if God loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems He is either omnipotent and uncaring, or benevolent and powerless to help.' 

'Do you have children, Lieutenant?' 

Chartrand flushed. 'No, signore.'

'Imagine you had an eight-year-old son . . . would you love him?' 

'Of course.' 

'Would you let him skateboard?' 

Chartrand did a double take. The camerlengo always seemed oddly "in touch" for a clergyman. 'Yeah, I guess,' Chartrand said. 'Sure, I'd let him skateboard, but I'd tell him to be careful.' 

'So as this child's father knee, you would give him some basic, good advice and then let him go off and make his own mistakes?'

'I wouldn't run behind him and mollycoddle him if that's what you mean.' 

'But what if he fell and skinned his?' 

'He would learn to be more careful.' 

The camerlengo smiled. 'So although you have the power to interfere and prevent your child's pain, you would choose to show your love by letting him learn his own lessons?' 

'Of course. Pain is part of growing up. It's how we learn.' 

The camerlengo nodded. 'Exactly.” 

We have the destination, but we control our fates our our journey. But we should respect all who chooses to make their journeys in their own ways. In the end, we all end up as dusts and bones, and what we leave behind are the changes we make in our own world.