Feedback of First Session of Lord of The Rings

1) Let us know your impression you have for the first session of the reading club?

2) Recommend books that you want the Reading Club to share.

Feel free to pen down your thoughts on the comment tag.

Lord of The Rings – Hai Lee Sharing

Hai Lee’s Favourite Quote:

Sam looked at him and wept in his heart, but no tears came to his dry and stinging eyes. “I said I’d carry him, if it broke my back,” he muttered, “and I will!” “Come, Mr Frodo!” he cried. “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well.”

Excepts based on some of the themes Hai Lee shared :  

Friendship and Comradeship

What is friendship? True friendship implies a relationship where you empathize with your friends when they’re suffering and encourage them not to lose heart, and where they, in turn, empathize with you when you’re in the same situation and try to cheer you up. A friendship with those qualities flows as beautifully as a pure, fresh stream  

Fighting evil

Only by struggling against the extremes of evil can we live a life of extreme good. That effort will help us create a self that can transcend any obstacle or difficulty with ease and dignity. 

Each person’s uniqueness

Buddhism teaches the principle of cherry, plum, peach and damson, that all things have a unique beauty and mission. Every person has a singular mission, his or her individuality and way of life.  

Mission

A life lived without purpose or value, the kind in which one doesn’t know the reason why one was born, is joyless and lacklustre. To just live, eat and die without any real sense of purpose surely represents a life pervaded by the world of Animality. On the other hand, to do, create or contribute something that benefits others, society and ourselves and to dedicate ourselves as long as we live to that challenge – that is a life of true satisfaction, a life of value. It is a humanistic and lofty way to live. 

There may be times when life seems gloomy and dull. When we feel stuck in some situation or another, when we are negative toward everything, when we feel lost and bewildered, not sure which way to turn. At such times we must transform our passive mind-sets and determine, “I will proceed along this path”, “I will pursue my mission today.” When we do so, a genuine springtime arrives in our hearts and flowers start to blossom.

Leader

A leader doesn’t have to be anyone special, just a person who values and respects all people equally. A leader who is not one of the people will not be able to understand their hearts. A person bereft of simple humanity will not understand others’ feelings. No matter how high their positions, leaders have to remain of the people.

Feel free to discuss/ share any thoughts in the comment tagline.

12 Oct – Launch Of Reading Club

On the 12 Oct 2007, some 20 book enthusiasts turned up at SYC for the first reading club meeting. Our guest speaker for the night was Mr Chua Hai Lee who shared with us his love of reading and the buddhist lessons that could be learnt from them.The first book that we shared was Lord of the Rings.

Though the audiences were new but still views were shared and opinions were expressed. After about an hour of bookland adventure, we ended on a good note and probably a date for the next session.

As time is short for every session, this blog is created as a platform to continue where we have left off. Feel free to comment on the books and make this an interesting and enriching blog for everyone!