Phoenix born of ashes-Is it a reality?

When Linuxtracker Organization was attacked by the hackers and was emerging from the catastrophe they used this expression from rising from the ashes of Phoenix "to say they are reborn again" with vigor.

I have pasted the mythological story from Wikipedia below but to me fire was not a major concern till I started recording indoor temperatures.

In that period I have seen guppy fish die due to high temperature and saw flowering of some plants never seen in Kandy and its suburbs.

I have not been to the Botanical garden for some time and I am sure some plants there are dieing due to warm weather.

The Kandy City was known for mild weather for centuries and it was where many come to escape from warm weather of Colombo.

Not any more.

My discovery is that we cannot even make wine in Kandy city now since the yeast the major ingredient in wine and alcohol die above the temperature of 38 degrees C.

And we hit this temperature regularly for the last five years of my recording.

I decided to take a stock of fire hazard in our living rooms, especially because there is a guy who live below our house who habitually set fire to whatever he gets hold of, almost on daily basis and I see ashes in my room and bed room if I keep them open for ventilation.

Besides I fear sometimes my dog's fur would catch fire if he is let out of the house.

My fire hazard registry goes like this.

1. Cloths
2. Bedding
3. Books
4. CD/ DVD and their cases
5. Plastic containers (to avoid dust and ashes) buckets
6. Furniture including the bed and tables
7. All the wires that are connected to internet
8. My shoes
9. Computer utilities, keyboard, mouse and wires connected
10. Empty Cardboard boxes and last year's (remaining) Wesak lanterns.

In actual fact I have nothing except three items that would stand a minor fire.

My inventory was compiled when I was half asleep and the moment I got up I decided to collected all the items not useful and would catch fire to their final destiny, the fire itself.

So I took a leaf out of the guy who does it as a habit.

Set fire to them one by one and it took three hours to finish the lot and I stayed close to the fire till it was safe for the dog.

It was simmering even at midnight and I am pretty sure no Phoenix will emerge from the ashes.

Our electric switch board caught fire three times during the last six months once due to lightening and twice due to sudden surge of Electricity from the Board.

The guys come and say the supply is OK and do nothing inside as far as the checking is concerned and leave us to our own devices even at night.

Thank god we do not have little ones in our house except the dog who does not understand electricity, thunder and fire crackers.

So my obsession to fire is well founded.

Not only that I was very happy we lost the Cricket World Cup and I wish we will never win another world Cup till the Global Warming is taken care by our Buddhist Monks seriously.

Had we won it our guys would have burnt down (fire crackers to begging with and deliberate later) the remaining forest in no time by accident or by design to have free entry into CROWN Land and now the President's Land.

I have made a resolution not to light a lantern for Wesak this time round and I am sure nobody with sane mind would join me in my effort to highlight the global warming and its toll this small country is experiencing now. This does not mean one cannot light electric bulbs instead (with less hazard) but without overloading the system with many bulbs.

I hope if their are Buddhists out there who love this land should think of joining me as a gesture worth portraying without causing any harm to the principles laid down in Buddhism and its spirit of universal brotherhood.

Just think of the wastage I.P.L is making during the 20/20 games when some Indians are not having a square meal.
Make it a point to switch off the TV set during Wesak and think of the poor Indians who are struggling to make ends meet.
After all they are our neighbours (poor Indians) in need of spiritual guidance if rich Indians are neglecting them for a song and cricket.

We owe India the rich heritage of Buddhism and giving them something to ponder about is value added contribution on our part to the poor Indians who need not be poor in wisdom by default.

Fire Risk is there in this country but we do not have a proper fire brigade to cover the entire country and they come many hours after the fire without water and we have to provide them the water.

Fire wins and we lose everything and that is the name of the game.

Mythology
A phoenix is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet.

It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.

The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self.

In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song.


The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the offspring of the older one.

In very few stories they are able to change into people (who set fire to the entire world).