Early Bird

I have learned this much – Buddhists wake up early.

At the Bhavana Society, a large metal gong reverberates through the woods at five A.M., and should you somehow manage to snooze through that, the neighborhood dogs immediately explode into a barking frenzy.

I stumble down the hill in the morning darkness to the meditation hall, where we sit on our cushions from five-thirty to six-thirty.

- Dinty W. Moore, The Accidental Buddhist

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I think I live an unusual lifestyle.

In the city I live, it is typical for the folks to sleep at 2am on weekend, and wake up at 12 noon the following day. I typically go to bed before 12 midnight, and wake up at 7am.

Weather is one reason which explains my lifestyle. Malaysia is a very warm country. I jog in the park or wash my car in the early morning before the mercury rises to an unbearable level. I sometimes take an afternoon nap.

Perhaps, being a Buddhist is another reason I wake up early.

Furthermore, I am a photographer. Experienced photographers know that there are ‘magic hours’ for taking photos. These usually refer to early morning and late afternoon, when the sunlight is not that harsh. Apparently, if I want to shoot pictures at 7.30am, I have to wake up by 7am.

I may be different, but I don’t regret that…