Swastika: The Symbol of Everything Good

 What comes to your mind when you hear  the word “ Swastika”? Or when you plainly see the cross-like shape?

          Just recently I read a book titled “ Precious Jewels of Tibet: A Journey to the Roof of the World”. I picked it up it in a yard sale without knowing how much it would teach me- of Tibet and its people, their culture, their religion and more. Gah, that’s exactly why I love books. I get to learn new things while relaxing!

           Anyway, one of the things that I read in the book and had me researching online was Swastikas. All I ever knew was that it was a symbol used by the Nazis during World War II. It became a symbol of something dark and evil, a far, far cry from what it truly signifies. Here it is, the true meaning of swastika in Lobsang’s words.

“ The swastika is an old and significant symbol in Buddhism. It represents turning toward the path that leads to enlightenment when it turns in a clockwise direction, and turning within to develop the intention to relieve the suffering of others when in a counterclockwise direction.”

Buddhsist Swastika

One of the ancient symbols, the swastika can be found throughout the great cultures of the world. A common sign in Native American iconography, it was usually depicted rotating clockwise, from east to west, like the natural movement of the earth. The swastika is often associated with Buddha in India, where it is referred to as the “Seal on Buddha’s Heart,” and in Tibet is associated with good fortune and serves as a talisman. Swastika is a Sanskrit word meaning “ well-being” or “positive being”.

Pretty amazing don’t you think? So when you see this symbol, keep calm and smile. It might just be the sign of your lucky day!

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Instant Gratitude!

 I watched a simple experiment online about the science of happiness. It asks, "What makes people happy?" Really, have you ever wondered what makes us real happy or happier or better yet happiest?

Soul Activities

In a short list, tell us what you are most proud of in your life.

1. I help people in need the best way I can just because it is the right thing to do.
2. I gave my best in my studies.
3. I took risks in love, failed and stood up again.
4. I fought for my life.
5. My love for my family

Getting to Know IFUGAO

          A patient once asked me where I'm from and being a proud Ipuggo that I am, I confidently said, "Sa Ifugao po sir" ( From Ifugao sir). He was silent for a moment, seemingly confused, and then hesitantly asked, " Saan yun? ( Where is that?).

            I often get the same question whenever I tell people (mostly my friends from the lowlands ;) ) that I'm from Ifugao and honestly, I'm sometimes surprised that they don't  know where Ifugao is. It's not that they do not really know, they aren't just familiar with the place I guess. 

Here is a brief introduction of my birthplace, Ifugao.

         Ifugao is one of the six provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), situated in North Central Luzon, Philippines. It is a land locked watershed province bounded by a mountain range to the north and west that tempers into undulating hills towards the south and the east. The highest elevation is 2,523 meters above sea level (masl) with the rice terraces lying above 500 masl. The Magat River forms the south-eastern border that separates this hilly region from lowland provinces.

       

       Ifugao has 11 municipalities namely Lagawe, Kiangan, Lamut, Asipulo, Hingyon, Banaue, Hungduan, Alfonso Lista, Tinoc, Mayoyao and Aguinaldo with Lagawe as its capital town.

Ifugao men in their wano or G-string playing the bangibang

      We, the people, call ourselves Ipugo, meaning “from the earth”. The Spaniards changed the name to “Ifugaw” and the Americans revised it to “Ifugao”. An intransigent people, Ifugao are among the communities who refused to be subjugated when the country was colonized by Spain for almost four centuries. In this regard,we were able to retain  patrimony over the land that we inherited, according to custom. However, a long history of assimilation and integration into the dominant culture which started during the American occupation has left indelible marks on the political, economic and cultural landscape.

Tayo, the Ifugao native dance*

           Many theories abound the origin of Ifugaos. The first American anthropologist to set foot on the Philippines soil and in Ifugao, H. Otley Beyer, popularized the “three wave migration” theory which posited that the three groups of people populated the Philippines in successive waves. First to arrive were the Negritos with their dark constitution, curly hair and short stature. They were pushed inland by tall and lean Indonesians.Third were the stocky Malays who in turn pushed the Indonesians into the mountains. Beyer believed that the Ifugaos descended from the Malays and theoretically pegged the age of the rice terraces at three to five thousand years.

          Another theory advanced by Henry Keesing (1962) states that the Ifugaos were pushed by the Spanish in the 17^th century from their original dwellings along the banks of the Magat River to their present location. Thus the rice terraces would never have been built before their exodus. Extant archeological evidence puts the age of the rice terraces somewhere in between Beyer’s and Keesing’s proposals. (Maher, 1972)

( photo from nla.gov.au)

        When the pioneer Western explorers, particularly the Spanish, stumbled into Ifugao, there were no centralized political organization. The Ifugaos were organized in village-level kinship groups. Each household was a socio-political force to reckon with, counting on close relatives and cousins as allies. Disputes were settled with a go-between, the munkalun, who with his oral prowess exerted all efforts towards their peaceful resolution (Barton, 1969)

Praying with the Mumbaki. flickr.com

         Ifugaos have an oral literature. For countless generations, experts have transferred and transmitted indigenous knowledge, cultural practices and historic events. These oral practices facilitated the recording of Ifugao lore in modern times. The mumbaki or native priests, with their specializations in genealogy and folk traditions, are the main repositories of indigenous knowledge and culture.

Ifugao Native House

Children singing the Hudhud, an oral and intangible Ifugao heritage

'Appu' or Grandma in her Tolge or Tapis

Back to the query of the patient of where I came from. Three words and he just beamed - Banaue Rice Terraces. He knew it all along :)

Source:
IMPACT: The Effects of Tourism on Culture and the Environment in Asia and the Pacific: Sustainable Tourism and the Preservation of the World Heritage Site of the Ifugao Rice Terraces

Why I Am Happy with SWA

           It was last summer when I first encountered SWA or Supreme Wealth Alliance. I was browsing the net, checking emails, scanning Facebook, reading some articles-the usual things most people do online. I don’t remember exactly how but I was able to watch an animated video of SWA posted on You Tube. I did some little research after I watched the vid and surprisingly it got my interest. After a few months, I joined SWA and it’s been amazing so far. 

         I am happy with SWA because the kind of support it gives to its members. I am with a team that continuously teaches you how to improve your skills and knowledge in online marketing so that you will also achieve what you truly want. In our team leader’s words we must invest in ourselves before others will invest in us. Makes sense right? The true power of Supreme Wealth Alliance comes from the people who made a choice to achieve financial freedom by helping other people. You might be like woahh...! wait, that is no way a business but it’s true. SWA is a helping-other-people business. Hmmmn..now you're curious. :)

             SWA also has a massive collection of ebooks and audios on its online library that SWA members have access to. What I personally like is the ebooks about self motivation, self help and health  Did you hear about the The Law of Attraction? Well, there are numerous books about it in the SWA library and you can download read them all you want!. I’ve been reading  The Game of Life and I am learning so much from it! According to the book, most people consider life as a battle when in fact life is a game – the game of Giving and Receiving. I bet you want to know more =).

           One more thing why I’m happy with SWA is that I was able to start blogging. At the start, I cringed at the thought of writing online because I do know what to write, more so, how to even start a blog. But as I’ve said I’m with a supportive team lead by Mr. Manny Viloria who I must say is a great trainor. So now, after  following his tutorials, tips and pieces of advice, I managed to write a few post for a start. It’s quite fun!

So there, a few reasons I find SWA swamazing. There’s still many things to learn and I’m enjoying it.
 

“Be grateful for what you have now. As you begin to think about all the things in your life you are grateful for, you will be amazed at the never ending thoughts that come back to you of more things to be grateful for. You have to make a start, and then the law of attraction will receive those grateful thoughts and give you more just like them.” 

― Rhonda Byrne, The Secret

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The Time Keeper (A Mitch Albom Novel)

“Consider the word “time.” We use so many phrases with it. Pass time. Waste time. Kill time. Lose time. In good time. About time. Take your time. Save time. A long time. Right on time. Out of time. Mind the time. Be on time. Spare time. Keep time. Stall for time. There are as many expressions with “time” as there are minutes in a day. But once, there was no word for it at all. Because no one was counting. Then Dor began. And everything changed.” 

       I first saw the book displayed at a bookstore. At first, I thought it was a weird site  because there was only one copy (the others were displayed in pairs) and it was awkwardly placed at a corner. I had to move closer to read the title through the glass and it said The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom. You see, I became a huge fan of Albom after I read his other novels Tuesdays with Morrie and Five People you Meet in Heaven. His stories are the awesome kind  that make you seriously  contemplate on your life and these are the types that I’m drawn to. (Weird? =) ) 

 The Time Keeper  is the story of three people’s struggle with so-called Time.  Victor Delamonte, a very wealthy man who desired immortality; Sarah Lemon, a teenage girl who wanted an end to everything, and Dor, known as Father Time, the one who started it all. It’s a great book I must say. The story played and replayed in my head days after reading it and for me it’s a sign of a well written book. I will not tell you what happened of course because it will spoil the whole idea of me recommending the book to you, yes?  

 Some morals of the story:

Do not count the moments in life, experience it instead. Be in the moment, be it good or otherwise. Feel it. Live it because just like everything else, moments pass.

   Have faith. It is when it’s supposed to be.

  Let us not deny ourselves what the future may hold for us. It’s too soon to quit.

 Money is not everything.  It helps but I repeat it’s not everything. 

Let time be a gift not a curse. Share it with others but more importantly have some for yourself.

 And perhaps a few more lines ...

  

“Try to imagine a life without timekeeping. You probably can’t. You know the month, the year, the day of the week. There is a clock on your wall or the dashboard of your car. You have a schedule, a calendar, a time for dinner or a movie. Yet all around you, timekeeping is ignored. Birds are not late. A dog does not check its watch. Deer do not fret over passing birthdays. an alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out.” 

“You had many more years,” he said.
“I didn’t want them.”
“But they wanted you. Time is not something you give back. The very next moment may be an answer to
your prayer. To deny that is to deny the most important part of the future.”
“What’s that?”
“Hope.” 

 

" Man rarely knows his own power." 

** I do not own the pictures.