It took more time and effort to get back to blogging after I had strayed off the routine train of activities. Several things happened at the same time which upset my stability and sensibility. Partly this awful cycle happened during very difficult planetary alignments. The tangible expression of this phase of disruptive effects in my life was the death of my favourite orange cat, Kwan, over a month ago. Looking at the bigger picture in my country, the unexpected fightings broke out along the border of Thailand and Cambodia. The aggravation and expansion of local cinflicts has drawn in heavy weight observers: the Chinese, Americans, France, Russia and BRICS. Suddenly the sleepy Far East has become a candidate for the formal start of World War 3.
I got bombarded by amazing flows of information and updates on the situation. Most Thais have been carried away by social media campaigns and propaganda. Very few well educated Thais were aware of the diversion games and the hidden agenda of trying to make the justification of bringing in UN troops. Meanwhile, a cia sponsored uprising in Indonesia has erupted to destabilise the government. Thus, a major member of BRICS which expressed the shift to non-dollar system has been sabotaged while the Chinese and Russian leaders have given strong warnings about American government in trying to set up military bases in Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia. The whole situation has become so dynamic and engaging that most Thais were not aware of several new legislation which would turn the country into digital society with only digital money and the cetralisation of all data and dystopian society.
So, the energetic vibes in the city and social media have become very heavy and full of anxiety. Luckily, I had my weekly routine of feeding stray cats at the temple to keep me grounded and more practical in my approach to the impending changes and uncertainty. I realised that the reason why I was led to this temple and became moved by some cats that I had to feer them every week. Perhaps my guardian angels knew that future events would derail my calmness and vexed my inner balance. They knew that feeding stray cats would provide me with positive karmic shield against sudden attacks on my inner being. These stray cats and kittens had no idea that they were doing me a big favour.
During the last three months, there was a big shift in cat population at the temple. Several older cats had disappeared, especially those with fighting wounds. I had to grind medicine for mixing into wet food for these battered cats. Two old cats seemed to have completely recovered while the male orange cat had more wounds and couldn’t eat for several days. He seemed to recover and began eating again then he disappeared last week. I searched for the old orange cat around the pier. The fish seller told me he saw that cat dead several days ago. He told me that this cat often caught sick pigeons so he probably had the disease from those weak pigeons. It’s a pity that visitors continued to feed these pigeons at the pier.
Older cats disappeared while about ten new kittens were borned during the last eight months. Three black kittens could be seen playing around the piles of old wooden planks at the pier. Their mother has rejected them after they were three months old. These kittens were initially very timid and defensive. After two months of feeding, they have become very friendly and always ran to greet mr as soon as they heard my footsteps. It’s a pity that two ladies who used to feed stray cats no longer came to the temple. I have become quite fond of these energetic kittens.
The adult cats at the car park were as smart as ever. They could recognise my car and the sound of the motorcycle that came with fried fish in the afternoon. I was glad that these cats were quite tolerant of each other so I didn’t have to be worried about their fightings. I tried to give these cats extra wet food whenever rainy weather had postponed my schedule for feeding these cats. Some of these cats became very skinny in one week so I knew they weren’t fed by other people or monks.
I have been quite disappointed by most monks as they didn’t bother to give edible leftovers to stray cats. There were about two to three monks who fed stray cats around their lodgings. But I knew that some high ranking monks tried to discourage people from feeding stray cats. The skinny monk who was very fond of cats and has been under a lot of pressure from opponents who tried to have the superior to punish him for making the temple dirty with stray cats. I had to lend him a sympathetic ear from time to time. He warned me about being scolded for feeding these cats. But I was nonchalant and quite ready for open confrontation. I wasn’t shaken by any threat and my stern outlook sent out my strong attitude. I called their bluff.
The skinny monk had about three cages for small kittens. There have been three batches of new kittens. One batch of tiny black kittens, an older batch of assorted colours kittens and an older batch of cream kittens. He was afraid that these kittens would be run down by car and motorcycles so he only let them out during the night. Other monks nearby would surely report him for catering for more than ten kittens. This monk was quite bitter as other more powerful and high ranking monks liked to find his faults and weakness so he could be chased away from the temple.
I tried not to get involved in temple politics or get curious about monks’ wrongdoings. I could presume that they knew a little about my status by gazing at the stickers on my car as I could access some special or exclusive places. The temple staff who used to be quite aggressive towards me much earlier had turned quite polite and meek. That’s the benefit of knowing the right people and belonging to some old school networks. I resigned to the fact that most people or monks weren’t highly enlightened or wise; they still struggled in their ignorance and lack of understanding of Buddhist teachings.
These stray cats and their haphazard lives taught me a lot about being content with what we had and how to enjoy the good times everyday. These cats and kittens ate so little, as they were fed once ot twice a week. They didn’t demand for extra feedings but patiently waited for my arrival as they kept their watch around the car park and pier. Once they were full, they just lay down and groomed themselves. I tried to visit the temple twice a week. Sometimes I had to pray that the lady in white car would feed these cats while I had to be away from the city. Luckily, I saw some paper and plastic containers with cat food and water left behind by this lady.
I have been very luckily to have stumbled on these stray cats at this temple. I knew somehow that I had personal link to this temple and one of the old Kings in one of my past lives. There were too many coincidences and telling signs at this temple and old statues. I used to spend a lot of time supervising the construction of the Chinese ship model, under the King’s command. I could recognise old landmark which I saw in my dreams years ago. Finding this temple was like returning back to a well known locations over a hundred years ago. So, I hope I could continue to feed stray cats at this temple as a way to do good karma and show my gratitude to those soldiers who used to be with me years ago.
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.