Karaniya Metta Suthraya_ Pitiduwe Siridhamma Thero_- කරනණීය මෙත්ත සූත්‍රය

Karaniya Metta Suthraya_--
Pitiduwe Siridhamma Thero_-
කරනණීය මෙත්ත සූත්‍රය
This is one of the great teachings of the Load Buddha, before 2500 years.Mostly suitable for today's life. If anyone can behave and make feel, according to "Karaneeya Meththa Suthraya" will win the entire life with soul.

I had to separate this video according to the Youtube rules. I've extracted the meaning in English by another site like this.
*****English Translation***********

(This is a fairly literal translation by Jayarava,
www.visiblemantra.org/metta-sutta.html )

This is what ought to be done by one skilled in the good
Having understood the path to peace
Able, straight forward and straight up,
polite, they should be mild and not arrogant

Contented and frugal,
with few responsibilities and easy going,
grounded, and not impulsive;
not chasing status

And not doing the slightest thing
which is denounced by the Wise in others
May they have happiness and peace;
May all beings be happy in themselves

Whatever living beings there are
fearful or fearless without remainder
Huge, large,
medium, small. Fine or coarse.

Seen or unseen,
Remote or living nearby,
Born or seeking birth:
May all beings be happy in themselves

Not humiliating,or despising
anyone anywhere
Though anger or experiencing repugnance:
[they] should not wish suffering for another.

Like a mothers own child,
[she will] protect that only child with her life
Thus for all beings should
the heart become infinite

And friendliness for all the world,
[should] the heart become infinite
In all the directions of space,
unobstructed, peaceable, without enmity

Standing, walking, sitting
or lying down, As far as possible without sluggishness
This mindfulness should be undertaken;
[It is like] dwelling with god here and now

Not falling into views,
ethical and with perfect vision
Having given up greed for sensory pleasures,
freed without doubt from birth.

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**************Part 2 of 2 *****************************

Asha Mal Peedee, A popular Sinhala love song, Sang by Rohann De silva with sunflowers.

Asha Mal Peedee - 90's Song

Rohann De Silva with Sunflowers

I always remembered one of my favorite song in my early childhood. But until now I was never able to get this song in the net specially in Youtube. Then I thought it's better to have a visual with this one and to make available in whole world via youtube. Let's enjoy with this beautiful Sinhala love song , Sang by, Rohann De Silva with new music by Sunflowers musical band.

Akon - Pepsi official song for 2010 Football world cup in Africa

Pepsi official song for 2010 Football world cup in Africa.
The singer is Akon. and featuring,
Current FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, Barcelona team-mate Thierry Henry, Chelsea duo Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard and Liverpool talisman Fernando Torres have teamed up with Pepsi MAX to show their true colours as part of the new bodypaint campaign.


The bodypaint campaign forms part of the overall 2010 Pepsi MAX activity, which includes the latest Pepsi MAX TV commercial set to launch this summer.

The new TV commercial was filmed in Africa and highlights the talents of the 'MAX football stars'.

"When Pepsi MAX first approached me with the idea of using bodypaint as a way to bring to life their campaign this year I thought it was brilliant idea," said Chelsea goal-machine Drogba

"In every football stadium around the world you see colour in the stands, but more so in African stadiums where fans often use bodypaint to show their support for their team.

"Putting paint on the players was a great way to show our love for the game and I think the results are amazing.”
Ahmed Abdel-Karim, UK Marketing Manager, added: “This year, we want to bring fans a campaign that not only features the best players in the world, but also presents them in a unique way that is entertaining and fun.

"The bodypaint images bring a modern look to a very traditional means of expression and showcase each of our players’ universal passion for the game.”

Earlier this year, Pepsi MAX launched the track, ‘Oh Africa’, which was recorded by Akon, Keri Hilson, the Soweto Gospel Choir and 16 aspiring musicians from around the world.

The track will be the anthem for the new football TV commercial.

The Pepsi campaign follows English model Abbey Clancy - partner of Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Peter Crouch - heading a list of football 'WAGS' sporting bodypainted national strips ahead of this summer's World Cup finals.

Clancy, as well as Bethany Dempsey - the wife of Fulham forward Clint - appear in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit 2010 shoot, having had a portion of their country's national shirt painted on to their skin.

A MAHAVAMSA STORY, Vijaya woos daughter of Pandu king

A MAHAVAMSA STORY: Vijaya is consecrated King of Lanka

Vijaya woos daughter of Pandu king

By Elmo Leonard

www.lakbimanews.lk

Vijaya, the son of Sinhabahu, from the land of Lala, in the Bengali region of India was now in the island of Lanka. His union with a yakkhini ( demon with supernatural powers) Kuvenna, bore them a son and daughter.
Vijaya’s ministers were intent on crowning him king. But he told them that it would not be so unless a princess of royal blood was anointed queen, with him.
The ministers then entrusted people with many precious gifts such as jewels and pearls. They set out for the city of Madhura in south India. Vijaya’s intention was to woo the daughter of the Pandu king. The Pandu king consented to send his daughter and beckoned his ministers to follow suit. The ministers agreed. A hundred maidens, heralded with drum beat and bedecked with ornaments, according to their ranks, got ready. They were sent with elephants and horses and wagons, worthy of a king. The Pandu king also sent craftsmen accompanied by a thousand prominent families, with a letter to the conqueror Vijaya. They landed at Mahatittha, now Mantota opposite the island Mannar.

Vijaya rids himself of Kuvenna

Knowing that the princess had arrived, Vijaya told the yakkhini to go away, leaving him with the two children, `for men are ever in fear of superhuman beings.’ The yakkhini, again and again wanted Vijaya to stay, but in vain. And Vijaya said he would give her an offering (bali for she was a yakkhini) to appease her and a thousand pieces of money.
The yakkhini went taking the two children with her to the city of Lankapura, for she feared some evil would come out of it.
The yakkhini sent the children outside and went into the city of Lankapura. When the yakkhas recognised the yakkhini, they took her to be a spy. There was a great stir among the yakkhas and a yakkha killed her with a single blow of his fist.
A maternal uncle of Kuvenna went forth from the city and when he saw the children, asked them whose children they were. So the yakkhini’s uncle told the children that their mother had been slain. If they wait, they too would meet the same fate. `Thus flee swiftly.’

The origin of the Veddah race

The children fled to Sumanatatu or Adam’s Peak. When the brother, the elder of the two grew up, he took his sister to be his wife. Here, they multiplied with issue of sons and daughters and dwelt in the Maya country with the king’s leave. The Mahavansa says, it is from there, in the mountains, that the Pilindu, barbarous tribes or the Veddahs originate.

King Vijaya reigns for 30 years

The Pandu king sent his envoys with the maidens. At their head was his daughter, with gifts to Vijaya. Prince Vijaya treated them with gracious hospitality and bestowed honour on the envoys. The maidens, according to rank were given to his ministers and retainers. Then according to custom the ministers consecrated Vijaya king of Lanka, amidst an assembly of great festivity.
King Vijaya, in turn, anointed the daughter of the king of Pandu, queen. His ministers were bestowed with wealth. Every year Vijaya sent his wife’s father a pearl-shell worth twice a hundred thousand pieces of money.
The Mahavamsa claims that Vijaya forsake his former evil way of life and that he ruled over all Lanka in peace and righteousness, in the city of Thambapani, for 38 years.

Binara Handata wedi Kaluwara - Sinhala Song now on You Tube

Binara Handata wedi Kaluwara
- by Chamara Weerasinghe


















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This song is from Chamara Weerasinghe, one of the greatest singers in Sri Lanka. I've heard this a long time ago, but I thought this will be vanished with the time If there isn't a visual for this wonderful song. Then using Hindi movie of Lagaan, I've created a simple visual to listen the song and to keep this song alive.
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Chamara Weerasinghe, is from Matara and I'm also from Matara, upto now we don't know each other but live in only around 2-3 miles away.
I hope, If Mr. Chamara has seen this video may be comment here or You Tube.

Congrat. Mr Mahinda, Happy Future and සුභ අනාගතයක්!

Our President,
Mahinda Rajapaksha has won the Presidential Election 2010 in Sri Lanka after the victory over the world's deadliest terrorist organization LTTE in May 2009. The most pure election ever in Sri Lanka , Mr. Mahinda has got more than 18 00 000 votes all over the country.We wish our hero of the era, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksha, have a wonderful and happy future ahead and May all his dreams come true in his way.
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Mr. General Sarath Fonseka, the 2nd place of the election , told the press he'll not think this election as pure one as every looser , who always not accepts after the loss victory as children. He was one time one of the war hero in Sri Lanka, faced loss after he Betrayed motherland twice to win the election but not happened. He was very greedy to grab the power with the election and almost he forgot the country and helped the JVP , who one time destroyed the country and government institutions and killing more than 50 000 people , most of the are innocent. Most people hate JVP and not voting for them other than uneducated poor people in rural *************************************************

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The main reason for the loss of both JVP and UNP, the main opposition party , was they were throwing mud for Mahinda Rajapaksha, who is the real hero of 30 years long war, and his brothers and his relatives. But not talking what they do and going to do to make Sri Lanka better place in the future. They didn't have a plan, that people knew. They only wanted the power and people didn't give.

But the most fun seen was, every person we met told he was going to vote Mahinda, not for power hungry opposition.But in Facebook and in the net , "The Facebook President" was Sarath fonseka. Not in the real world. Then he must have seen a dream to be a President and after he used every single way to do that and finally, planed for the conspiracy to grab the presidency by force, but it was revealed, now investigations are going on.

Sarath Fonseka was a very good person up to the election time. He was changed by the vicious mind people like Somawansa amarasinghe ( A killer of one time), and JVP and power hungry UNP'ers. Finally he betrayed the Army itself and made a treaty with defeated LTTE to get Tamil votes.
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Still we have more elections and If still the opposition are going to sling mud, the only thing they'll get is defeat. What they do is to have a real plan to defeat the image of the government which is the most popular government ever with defeating LTTE.

Here are some photos from Facebook, after the defeat of Facebook president.

Rumours, Lies and damn Lies after the Election

Rumours, Lies and damn Lies

The date was 27th January 6.00 pm, the venue was Torrington Square (Independence Square). After a brisk walk for about one hour I started to relax with my usual friends at our meeting place. As I sat one lady said "It’s a real disaster" .I asked why. She said the results have been all manipulated by using computers. I asked by whom? Promptly came the reply; ‘by Basil’. I laughed and told her that it cannot be as there were counting agents appointed by all parties at every Counting Centre and also there were International Observers as well as local Observers; and counting is done in their presence and they are fully briefed on the votes received by each candidate. In addition, even at polling booths there were polling agents and also the Observers. They were allowed to accompany the ballot boxes to the Counting Centres so that there cannot be switching of ballot boxes. She wouldn’t accept. I then asked her as to who told her about it. "That’s what they say" was her prompt reply. I just laughed.

Then another one said that Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake had been held as a hostage till 5.30 pm. I asked for what purpose; "Well, to manipulate the results’ One said he was locked up at the Election Commissioner’s office. Another said No, No, It was at Waters Edge. Another said No, No it was at the Election Commissioner’s office. I told them that "You yourselves are contradicting each other, so how can any one believe these rumours"; they just laughed at me. I also told them that when Dayananda announced the results he was quite critical of state media and that he could have easily mentioned about this alleged abduction. They promptly said, ‘They would have shot him then and there’. I told them that I hope the Government should very soon ban the evil SMS system.

There was W.R.H, Perera, former Conservator of Forests and later Chairman of Timber Corporation, who was also an Advisor to various UN Organizations even long after retirement. He was one of the most respected public officers at that time. He was 200% honest and straight. He stood up to even his own Ministers when it came to injustice and wrong. To him, forest was his life and limb. He was seated next to me. Then he came out with an interesting story. In 1952, after election duty at Buttala electorate, he was resting at Moneragala Rest House with his wife. One candidate who contested was Mr. (later Sir) Leo Fernando from Panadura. Some of his friends and relations, of course the elite group, were at the next table discussing the elections. Perera had invited them to tea as he knew some of them. They joined him and his wife. One of these so called gentlemen told him "You know, they (Opposite side) have bribed the Presiding Officer with Rs. 10,000/- and the Assistant Presiding Officer with 5,000/-, Perera asked them who had told them this story. The answer was "Well they say". Perera had said, ‘Well I was the Presiding Officer and my wife was the Assistant Presiding Officer’. They had no place to hide their faces.

After this story, my friends seated around did not open their mouths. Well, these are the evils of rumours and lies. One can understand Somawansa and the JVP spreading all these as it is consistent with their policy. In addition, they are experts on slinging Mud. This time they resorted to the low level of calling people ‘pigs with excreta and pigs eating excreta’. Of course, having lost badly they may be now giving effect to it in style. Somawansa et al are responsible for the killing of 60,000 Sinhala youth in 1988/89. They destroyed public property worth billions. Murder, destruction and treachery is the order of the day for them. Apart from these JVPers, the strange thing is that the ‘Colombians’ are resorting to this type of rumours and lies without using their brains, if they have any. I cannot but agree with Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera when he said, at S.L. Gunasekera’s book launch that "It is the Sinhala vote that matters and not that of the English-speaking pariah who is fondly awaiting Sarath Fonseka to bring back the good old days."

The so-called joint Opposition and their common candidate will never recover from the shock. It’s the post election trauma that drives them to tell fairytale stories.

Sometimes life is dull without these jokers.

Douglas Premaratne
----------The Island

Fixes for 3 common sleep problems

Sleep Routine Makeovers

Read expert advice for three common sleeping issues

www.yahoo.com

By Barbara Brody

Tired? You're not alone. About 20 percent of Americans get fewer than six hours of shut-eye nightly, and a growing number have to rely on sleep aids to fall asleep or stay that way, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Is getting more (and better) sleep possible without the help of drugs? To find out, we asked three Woman's Day staffers to share their nighttime troubles with the experts. Here's what they learned.

Problem #1: "I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep." -Marilu Lopez, group creative director

Marilu wakes up almost every night between 3:30 and 4 a.m. and is unable to fall back to sleep. To pass the time and try to make herself sleepy again, she reads The New York Times on her BlackBerry. She eventually falls back to sleep but then wakes up early in the morning and feels exhausted all day.

Advice: Step one is to break the BlackBerry habit, says Joyce Walsleben, RN, PhD, diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and coauthor of A Woman's Guide to Sleep. The problem is twofold: Not only is reading news articles too stimulating, but the light from the BlackBerry itself can get in the way of the production of hormones that are essential for sleep.

Dr. Walsleben's top tips:

1. Ban the BlackBerry from the bedroom. Also cover (or remove) clocks so that you're not disturbed by the light from them or tempted to stare at the numbers.
2. Stay in bed. If you wake up, keep your eyes closed and practice relaxation exercises that will hopefully lull you back to sleep. One to try: Picture yourself outdoors on a beautiful day with a jar of soap and a wand. Imagine that you're slowly blowing bubbles, and follow each one until it's out of sight. Keep blowing bubbles until there's no more soap in the jar.
3. Relax during the day, too. Take at least three minutes to practice the bubble exercise (or another relaxation technique, such as deep breathing) so that you're not overwhelmed by the worries of the day as soon as your head hits the pillow.

Did it work? "The bubble imagery didn't work for me--I found the concept more annoying than relaxing," says Marilu. "But I have fallen back to sleep a few times by just staying in bed and telling myself, ‘Do not open your eyes. Do not turn on the BlackBerry.'"

Problem #2: "I only get four to five hours of sleep a night." -Abigail L. Cuffey, assistant health editor

Abby's friends call her a vampire because she's such a night owl. She tends to get a second wind around 11:30 p.m. and ends up staying awake until at least 2 a.m. But she also wakes up early in the morning, so the bottom line is she's not getting very much rest. She relies on lots of caffeine to keep her going through the day. On the weekends Abby stays up even later but sleeps in later as well.

Advice: Too much caffeine and inconsistencies between Abby's workweek and weekend sleep schedules are preventing her from getting enough rest, says Michael J. Breus, PhD, a clinical psychologist and board-certified sleep specialist. If she's serious about improving her sleep habits, she needs to ease off the caffeine and stick to a regular schedule.

Dr. Breus' top tips:

1. Start "caffeine fading." There's no need to abandon coffee entirely--plus, going cold turkey can cause bad headaches. A better idea is to drink most of your caffeinated beverages early in the morning and taper off as the day goes on. If you're currently used to five or six cups of coffee a day, try having one or two cups of drip coffee in the morning, a latte (which has a higher milk-to-coffee ratio) or half-caf coffee midday, and a tea or cola in the afternoon if you're still craving caffeine. But after 4 p.m., no more caffeine!
2. Set your alarm clock or cell phone to go off 30 minutes before bedtime as a reminder to stop what you're doing and get ready for bed.
3. Take a hot bath or shower right before bed. This should make you sleepy because your temperature will rise and then dip--and body temperature naturally drops when you get sleepy.
4. Go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time on weekdays and weekends. (A shift of about an hour is OK.)

Did it work? "The advice was good but hard to stick to because life--the holidays, my birthday, etc.--got in the way," says Abby. "But when I did follow it, it worked really well, especially the hot shower at night. Whenever I took one I felt almost tranquilized once I crawled into bed."

Problem #3: "I have night sweats--but I'm only in my 20s!" -Ayn-Monique Klahre, associate home design editor

During the workweek, Ayn-Monique usually goes to bed around 10:30 p.m., but her husband often reads in the bedroom, so the light disturbs her about 30 minutes later. Once she's awakened, she tosses and turns but eventually falls back to sleep--only to be awakened around 3:30 a.m. feeling cold but scrunched into a little ball and sweating. She's exhausted when her alarm goes off in the morning and often hits the snooze button repeatedly. On the weekends she tends to stay out much later and sleeps soundly once she's finally in bed.

Advice: A medical issue could be responsible for Ayn-Monique's sleep troubles, but Dr. Walsleben suspects that her sleep cycle is simply out of whack because she goes to bed so much later on the weekends than she does during the week and because she's going to bed during the week while her husband is still reading.

Dr. Walsleben's top tips:

1. Normalize your weekday and weekend sleep routines as much as possible. That might mean going to bed slightly later during the week than you are now, as well as turning in a bit earlier on Friday and Saturday. The goal is to bridge the gap.
2. Embrace the darkness. Even if you fall asleep with the light on, it probably won't be quality sleep--and it's all too easy to be woken up. If your husband insists on reading in the bedroom after your bedtime, ask him to use a book light or wear an eye mask yourself.
3. Talk to your doctor. If you practice these lifestyle changes for a few weeks and you're not sleeping any better--and still waking up sweating--see your primary care doctor to make sure an unknown medical problem isn't to blame.

Did it work? "Staying up a little later during the week helped me sleep more soundly, and I've used an eye mask when my husband is reading in bed," says Ayn-Monique. "But I still woke up sweaty on occasion, so I'm not sure this issue has been fully addressed. I'll mention it to my doctor at my next physical just to make sure nothing else is going on."

Is the creator theory a possibility?

Is the creator theory a possibility?

It appears that some people are hell bent on believing in a ‘Creator’ theory. However, look at the improbabilities that weigh against such a belief. America is truly a great and beautiful country. Yet, when terrorists attacked on September 11th so many innocent people perished. America has also been devastated by many hurricanes, thus the question of a loving God is being questioned by many. Some believe that Satan is responsible for all the mayhem and calamities that take place in the world (earth quakes, tornadoes, mud slides, earth slips, volcanoes, and floods to name a few). It is also believed that Satan was an angel created by God who later fell from grace and is responsible for all the mayhem. Then the paramount question arises as to why the God couldn't give the angel who fell from grace a non abusive free will? And for that matter after the angel abused and became the devil, why did the all powerful God sacrifice his only son? I understand there are numerous theological explanations and interpretations to it. The political West call certain countries Satanic or Evil, while those countries in return call the west satan. Who is right and who is wrong? As for the free will supposed to have been given by the so called Omnipotent God, it is remarkable that Adolf Hitler was also given a free will to slaughter 30-35 million innocent human beings.One is also faced with the million dollar question why God created serpents to sting and kill humans? viruses to kill thousands of humans, germs to cause illnesses, mosquitoes to suck human blood! According to the Bible, God created man in his own form. Darwinian scientists say that man evolved from a common ancestor -common to the apes and us, humans. The Tsunami which devastated Sri Lanka along with several of its neighbours, took away the lives of thousands of innocent people. As a result, many families were torn apart. If one is to visit the Cancer hospital at Maharagama, there are little babies just a few months old suffering from cancer. So is it not that the so called Almighty, Omnipotent all loving Creator God has neglected his subjects on earth in the process? -A Mirror Reader

2010 – Chinese Year of the Tiger!

2010 – Chinese Year of the Tiger!

The Chinese use the lunar calendar for celebratory events which includes the New Year. This falls somewhere between late January and early February. The cycle of twelve animal signs originates from Chinese tradition as a way of naming the years. The animals follow one another in an established order and are replicated every twelve years. The rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig are the twelve animal signs. Every animal has particular characteristics and people born in a specific year are believed to take on these characteristics. According to the Chinese Zodiac, the year of 2010 is the year of the Tiger, which commences on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011. The Tiger is the third sign in the Chinese Zodiac cycle, and it is a sign of bravery. This courageous and fiery fighter is admired by the ancient Chinese as the sign that keeps away the three main tragedies of a household. These are fire, thieves and ghosts. Tigers are physically powerful, gracious, independent and brave, they are extremely bold animals. They are friendly and loving but can also selfish and short-tempered. Tigers seek attention and power; frequently they are envious in a relation. Tigers live dangerously which often leads to trouble. They are intolerant, take risks and are always searching for excitement. Tigers are also instilled with a good dose of courage. The Tiger has an overpowering attraction and is very kind and always takes on the character as a protector. The Tiger flourishes by power and attention and takes advantage of all circumstances it gets itself into. The tiger is a natural leader and loves to be the centre of attention. As a rebel it goes up against authority and speaks out about wrongs in society, and willingly puts up objections. Even if you don’t agree with the beliefs of the tiger you admire his way to protest. Just as how their counterparts in the jungle are impulsive, so too are individuals born in the Chinese Year of the Tiger. When people think of tigers, it is their vigour and power that comes to mind first. But it has also been noted that tigers are known to share and are unselfish animals. The reason people admire the tiger is due to the fact that they are ferocious and domineering on the outside, but they are just as noble and distinguished on the inside. These are the same personality attributes that persons will have who are born in the year of the Tiger. People that are born in the Year of the Tiger are generally well liked because of their charismatic personalities. Often, failing at a given duty or being unproductive in his personal or professional life can cause a Tiger to experience a deep sense of depression. A Tiger is always at their happiest when they endeavour to climb the ladder of success. Attaining the top spot is his foremost purpose; being in a position of power is her ultimate goal. They are quick learners, need to be challenged and often prefer to work alone. Some Tigers tend to change careers more frequently because they get bored quite easily. They are natural born leaders and perform at their best if working towards positions of power and influence. So once there is no further room for progression, they will often move on to something else. Anyone that is born in the Year of the Tiger is usually straightforward and outgoing by nature. They will never give up no matter how aggravated they may become. But, they are also full of suspicion and at times will take hasty action. Never lose sight of the fact that Tigers are smart and instinctive. People born in the Year of the Tiger always take pride in being different from others, and normally demonstrate their originality best in their homes. Their homes are typically filled with exotic possessions. It is no surprise that one of the Tiger’s favourite gemstones is the cat’s eye, but tigers also love the sparkle of rubies and diamonds. They like to spend money, and also to share it. They can be very impulsive spenders because they know they can at all times make more. The Year of the Tiger is the third year in the cycle of “Heavenly Branches”. Customarily, it is called “Yin”. Those born in the Year of the Tiger are compatible with the horse, dog, and dragons. The year 2010 is another Year of the Tiger. It is the ji-chou year. Jji is the sixth of the Ten Celestial Stems and yin is the third of the Twelve Terrestrial Branches and marks the Year of the Tiger. www.yearofthetiger.net)

Understanding the Chinese zodiac

Most people’s understanding of Chinese astrology and the Chinese zodiac doesn’t extend beyond what they see on the paper placemats that cover the tables of their favourite Chinese restaurants. But there really is much more to know about this doctrine that dates back more than 2,000 years. There are 12 animals in the zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. These 12 animals represent the rotating 12-year cycle that is the basis of the Chinese Zodiac. It also reflects several similarities to the Western zodiac: Both have time cycles divided into 12 parts, each labels, at least the majority of those parts, with names of animals, and each is widely associated with a culture of attributing influence of a person’s relationship to the cycle upon their personality and/or events in their life. Nevertheless, there are major differences: The Chinese 12-part cycle is divided into years rather than months; contrary to the association with animals implied in the Greek etymology of zodiac, actually four of the Western signs or houses are represented by humans (one such sign being the twins Gemini) and one is the inanimate balance scale Libra; the animals of the Chinese zodiac are not associated with constellations, let alone those spanned by the ecliptic plane. There are many legends to explain the beginning of the zodiac. One of the most popular reads, in summarised form, as follows: The rat was given the task of inviting the animals to report to the Jade Emperor for a banquet to be selected for the zodiac signs. The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat tricked him into believing that the banquet was the next day. The cat slept through the banquet, thinking that it was the next day. When he found out, the cat vowed to be the rat’s natural enemy for ages to come. A variation tells that the cat had asked the rat to wake him up the day of the Race. The rat agreed, but on the said day, he did not wake the cat in his greed to win. When the cat finally woke up and got to the racing ground, he found the race to be over. The cat then swore revenge upon the rat. Interestingly, the cat does make it into the Vietnamese Zodiac, in place of the rabbit.