BUDDHA’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN KOREA

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Yesterday, May 27, was a day of celebration in Korea, on the occasion of Buddha’s birthday, according to lunar calendar. We too enjoyed the event by visiting Jikjisa Temple, which consisted of several small temples scattered in a wooden hill.

It is believed that this temple was established in 418 AD, under the reign of King Nulchi (417-458).

The place was crowded and free lunch was given to everybody. I entered one of the small temples in the area. There were hundreds of small Buddha statues inside. I bowed to the statues three times, to pay homage to Buddha.

We then had a walk in the area and to my surprise I found a labyrinth. I walked on it, as I had done in Canada a few years ago. There, I had learned the magic of this very ancient symbol. It is believed that by walking on it, you purify yourself.

We spent a beautiful, peaceful day in an ancient Korean temple on Buddha’s birthday. Happy birthday, Buddha!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

A SICILIAN PROVERB TO KEEP IN MIND: A FARINA SI SPARAGNA QUANNU A CASCIA E’ CHINA (FLOUR SHOULD BE SAVED WHEN THE CHEST IS FULL)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

This proverb was quoted by Great-grand-father to accustom his family members to leading a balanced and frugal life. As for me, since I was a greedy and always hungry child, my mother kept repeating it to me very often.

At that time, most of Enna’s families used to make bread in their home wood-burning ovens. Of course, even then there were bakeries that sold bread, but they weren’t as numerous as today.
To make bread at home, housewives kept a supply of wheat flour in a chest. It was also possible to make pasta from flour. Bread and pasta were the staple food of the population. In the more well-to-do families, meat was also eaten, but only once a week.

What does the proverb mean? It means, “Do not eat too much and soon, otherwise the flour in the chest will run out and you will run the risk of starving. In fact, you can save flour as long as there is some in the chest. After there is no flour, you will have nothing left to save.” The proverb is a call for thriftiness.

In modern terms, more understandable to our twenty-first century society, the saying goes, “You can save money as long as you have it. When you run out of money in your pocket you will have nothing to save.”

Is this old proverb still relevant in our consumer society, where advertising and mass media push us to spend more and more? In my opinion the proverb is still valid. I think humble life leads us not to run out of something we need. So we can enjoy our life moderately, in the middle way.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

A SICILIAN PROVERB TO MEDITATE ON: CAVADDU GASTIMATU CI LUCI LU PILU (CURSED HORSES HAVE GLOSSY COATS)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The Sicilian verb, ‘gastimare’ cannot be translated into other languages literally. It has a negative connotation, for it includes backbiting, curse, evil eye, and ill feeling.

The word, cavaddu (horse) is a metaphor for someone you hate. Since you rage mounts more and more, you cast curses against the person you hate, but the more you persist in acting this way, the more healthy and flourishing the one you curse grows.

It is a paradox! The gastima (curse and slander) instead of weakening the cursed one, weakens the one who casts it.

Words have vibrations. While good words are beneficial to everybody, bad words give rise to negative vibrations that poison the mind of the person who utters them.

What is the moral of the proverb? Your curses and backbiting have no effect on your enemy, rather they fortify him. Therefore, you had better talk to him and express your complaints face to face.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MY REVIEW OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI BY PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

In his superb book, Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda tells his life from childhood to old age.

What surprised me was his open-mindedness and his respect for all religions. Thanks to him, I learned more about a German Catholic woman, named Therese Newman. She had the stigmata and every Friday her body oozed blood. Furthermore, she did not eat or drink. Her only nourishment was a consecrated host every morning.

What attracted Paramahansa Yogananda to Therese Newman, who at the time was little known even in her own country, is a mystery. Perhaps, great mystic souls have the ability to communicate with each other telepathically.

The account Paramahansa Yogananda gives of his meeting with Therese Newman is so vivid and detailed that I cannot doubt it is not true.

In his autobiography, Paramahansa Yogananda tells many miracles. Most of them were performed by people who were initiated into the discipline called Kriya Yoga.

He exported Kriya Yoga to the West and gave rise to an interchange of ideas between East and West.

Deep down, Autobiography of a Yogi reveals that man is nothing but energy!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

A CARVING CLASS IN YOUNGCHEUN (KOREA)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Yesterday, I attended a carving class in Youngcheun, near the city of Daegu, Korea.

It was a completely new experience for me, because I had never used a chisel.

The teacher asked me to choose a theme to carve on wood. I just opted for the word ‘Love’. He then glued a small sheet of paper with the superscript word ‘Love’ on a piece of wood and asked me to chisel the letters. The other students in the class made more difficult carvings. They engraved Chinese characters on rectangular planks.

Carving is like giving life to a new object that spreads special vibrations. A carver is just like a novelist that writes a novel, or a painter that paints a picture, or a musician that creates a piece of music. They give life to something new and original.

Finally, with the help of the teacher, I succeeded in engraving the word ‘Love’ on a small board of ginkgo wood.

I also carved a small heart. After all, love comes from an open heart. They are connected!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

U MURTU NSIGNA A CHIANCIRI (THE DEAD PERSON TEACHES YOU TO CRY)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The Sicilian proverb, U Murtu nsigna a chianciri (The dead person teaches you to cry), means that there is only one master in life. It is life itself. There is no better teacher than life! Just as the death of a loved one makes a person who has never cried cry, so the various life situations teach how to behave.

The proverb does not rule out the teachings you can get in schools and universities. However, if you do not live your life fully, all your learning will become a dead letter.

Even Gautama Siddhartha realized that living life would be much more instructive than the teachings he received in his royal palace. By living life, he stumbled upon suffering. He felt compassion for those who suffered, and in the end he became Buddha.

Suffering, fear, adversities are not always negative, for they fortify the one who comes across them. Some people learn the life’s teachings immediately, others later or even at old age. You never stop learning. Better later than never!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

A TRIP TO HOMIGOT IN YOUNGILMAN (KOREA)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

When one travels, it is easy to come across something new and special.

It happened to me when we arrived in Homigot in Youngilman, located at the eastern end of the South Korean peninsula.

First of all, I enjoyed the beautiful view of the large fields full of yellow rape flowers. The yellow waves of flowers were fantastic! The rape is not a common plant in my home-island, Sicily. In Korea, it is mostly used to make oil. The color yellow is a symbol of happiness! People enjoyed the magnificent view and took a stroll through the yellow fields.

Not far from there, we came across two sculptures that had been made twenty-three years ago to celebrate the dawn of the third millennium. They are two open hands. One is in the sea, the other is on dry land. They look at each other. The symbolic meaning is quite clear. Two parts of one body are separated, but they wish to be reunited. This can symbolize the wish for the peaceful reunification of Korea, but it can also be considered as a general symbol of peace. After all, all countries are parts of the same body: the world!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN KOREA

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

By the time we arrived in Korea, the cherry blossoms in the city of Daegu had already almost withered. In fact, these beautiful, delicate, and unique blossoms last for three days only.

While walking on the streets, we were showered with white and pink petals falling from the branches of the cherry trees. It seemed to be under a romantic snowfall. This reminded me of the caducity of human beauty and of the Panta Rei of the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus.

Hopefully, next year I will be able to see the Korean cherry trees in full bloom, but they will be different blossoms, and I a different man, for everything changes in life and nothing remains still. You cannot repeat the same experience twice, as you cannot step into the same stream twice.

The only unchangeable thing that never fades is the beauty of the human soul, but to see it you need an extra organ: the third eye!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

NYEPI DAY (THE DAY OF SILENCE) IN BALI (INDONESIA)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Yesterday was March 22, a holy day for the Balinese people. They call this day ‘Nyepi Holy Day’, dedicated to total silence. The day before, people go the beach to purify themselves with sea water.

The Balinese people spend Nyepi Day praying, meditating, and introspecting. Any activity is forbidden, even going to the street for a walk. Tourists must comply with this rule. They cannot leave their hotels or accommodations.

Nyepi Day starts at six am, on March 22 and ends at six am on March 23. During this time, it is forbidden to do any activity: no traveling, no cooking, no swimming, no surfing on the Internet, no watching television, and so on. No cars, taxis, or public transportation on the streets. Even Bali International Airport is closed!

What did I do on Nyepi Day? I decided to conform to the religiosity of the people of Bali. Therefore, I stayed in my room all day, meditating and introspecting. Today, I had a feeling of being reborn.

How about the powerful rulers of the world have a Nyepi Day too? Who knows, maybe something good would come of it!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MY REVIEW OF ON PERSEPHONE’S ISLAND BY MARY TAYLOR SIMETI

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Mary Taylor Simeti is an American woman that has lived in Sicily since her marriage.

Her book, On Persephone’s Island, is at the same time her diary and also an essay on life in Sicily as she sees it with her own eyes and ideas. Actually, everyone who describes a place, a situation and even a historical event adds something personal to the narration.

Of note, the parallel she makes between Sicily of today and Greek Sicily. Actually, Sicily was Greece, as the south of Italy and the western coast of today’s Turkey. Great Greece was made of city-states. All of them gave life to Greek civilization.

Very interesting is the reference she makes to the Eleusinian Mysteries and the Thesmophoria, both in honor of Demeter, whose most important temple was in Enna, Sicily. The Eleusinian Mysteries and the Thesmophoria were esoteric rites. Only the initiates were allowed to take part in them.

Overall, this book contains useful information about Sicily, its culture and traditions.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo