Have and Have-not

In my recent trips to Tibet and Xinjiang within half a year, I was impressed and disturbed by the fast pace progress.

I have two observations:


(1) In general, these areas are "poor economically" but not "poor in resources" 貧而不瘠, especially in Xinjiang. There are plenty of untapped natural resources. 


(2) They do not lack of imagination and brain-power 並不缺乏腦袋。They lack management know-hows and execution power. This statement is true for many HK SMEs.

One is simple and two is complex

To the Tibetans, one is simple and two is complex. To them, life is relationship to God and relationship with family and community. Two is complex indeed. Think of your relationship with spouse, and your business partner.

Three is the simplest of multiples. So, when they give illustrations, for example about polygamy and polyandry, they like to use a number of 3. One husband with three wives or a wive with three husbands. They like odd numbers

Formless Form and Timeless Time

In India, Hinduism uses forms to represent the formless God. God is without any attributes (name, physical appearance) that we can describe. However, man gives it a form which represents the formless being.  The physical appearance of the representation is signification to the individual. For example, when one is depressed,God appears to be strong and faithful. So he is a fighting shiva.

The above statements for the part of India that I visited are well recognized and documented. 


 When I return from Tibet, I wanted to write something that sticks. (A technique of blogging) I wrote the statement of "Timeless Time." The Formless Form statement identifies the structural aspects of religion in the part of India I traveled. I talked about attributes. The timeless time emphasize on the practicality of living.  To a modern man and to an author in HK, one of the most precious elements in living (living level, not life level) is time.

Tibetans (the more traditional, without post-modernism pollution yet) live their whole life for one single moment. This moment is what I called the timeless time. It is for this moment (Time), that his live becomes Timeless. What is Timeless? When time is not a resource, and not having any attached value, time become timeless.  Can you imagine and appreciate the moment that time is of no value? Let me give an example to illustrate : you want one year? I give you one whole year, just like that, without any string attached. You want ten years, I give you ten years, just like that.  Then time is of no value to me.


To the Tibetans, time is of no value when the one year can be exchanged for a moment that he can come to Lhasa, kneeling and falling on their stomachs every three steps along the highway for 4000Km and over a whole year is timeless. 


In summary, to the Hindus, form is formless and to the Tibetans,time is timeless.