It's Vesak Eve once again, Vesak being an annual affair for Buddhists in Singapore and the region to observe and commemorate.
The Buddha was born more than 2500 years ago for the sole purpose of saving sentient beings from suffering. I identify myself as an agnostic albeit Mahayana Zen Buddhist, it's just a label that I take up without much meaning if you aren't a Buddhist.
Buddhism differs from Christianity in the sense that there isn't a closed canon of teachings such as the Bible i.e. New Testament. In Buddhism, there are all kinds of teachings supposedly spoken by the Buddha over 45 years of His ministry and followers are free to take up whichever teachings they prefer and find at home with. For me, I took up the Lotus Sutra and Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra as two somewhat fictional legacies left by the Buddha, and these two books have served as my primary scriptures of reference for me as I age.
Some Buddhists meditate, some Buddhists become monks, but for me I find meditation a drag and I tried to become a monk and felt that I am happier accompanying my family looking after their needs, so here I am, what we consider as a "layperson" or "householder" buddhist which is the appearance that I have taken up.
I don't see myself as a Buddhist preacher, more like a practitioner and devotee without much wisdom though I try my best to cultivate compassion. I am still trying to free myself from suffering though under all circumstances I am just a mediocre Buddhist trying to find my way through all that misery I am subject to. The only reason why I stay faithful to the Buddha is because when I was down and out, He didn't give up on me and the Triple Gem of "Buddha", "Dharma" and "Sangha" have been a refuge for me when I was totally lost.
During my youth, I have tried Christianity (and Catholicism), Islam, Hinduism, Taoism and Confucianism, and I'm happy to say that Buddhism has stayed by my side all these years. I'm ready to encourage others to stay true to thier own faiths i.e. I don't like to convert or evangelise people, but that is on the condition that others respect that I have my own commitment to Buddhism. My parents are agreeable to die as Buddhists and this agreement has been my salient purpose in life because I want to fulfill my duty as a son by undertaking their demises even though I am happy to see them live till ripe old ages.
Ok, nuff said, I'm heading to the temple now. It's time to get the show going tonight.