Vesak Morn

It's Vesak morn and here I am reading about Malaysia's second richest man, Ananda Krishnan and his only son.The billionaire, reportedly spent his seventieth birthday with him in Uma hotel in Paro, Bhutan, the very place where Hong Kong actor, Tony Leung Chiu Wai married Hong Kong actress, Liu Chia Ling. Ananda's son, AjahnSiripanno (inset), is a Buddhist monk. On Vesak morn, the duo had reminded me of Shuddodana Gautama, the head of the Shakyas clan and his son, Siddhartha. Prince Siddhartha, better known as Buddha, had, after discovering suffering, left a life of luxury to search for its antidote. On Vesak morn, let's contemplate his words:

When ignorant people see someone who is old, they are disgusted and horrified, even though they too will be old some day. I thought to myself:  I don’t want to be like the ignorant people.  After that, I couldn’t feel the usual intoxication with youth anymore. When ignorant people see someone who is sick, they are disgusted and horrified, even though they too will be sick some day.  I thought to myself:  I don’t want to be like the ignorant people.  After that, I couldn’t feel the usual intoxication with health anymore.
When ignorant people see someone who is dead, they are disgusted and horrified, even though they too will be dead some day.  I thought to myself:  I don’t want to be like the ignorant people.  After that, I couldn’t feel the usual intoxication with life anymore. (AN III.39)

Happy Vesak Day!