Chinese Zodiac & Horoscope: Animal Tributes

I want to share my tribute to the Chinese Zodiac since 2020 up to now. What will be the tribute for the Year of the Horse? 

Happy New Year of the Rat (Mouse): Space Exploration

 

Year of the Metal Ox: Sanyaku

 

Lofi and the Year of the Tiger 

 

Year of the Dragon: Winter & Spring Transformation

 

2025 Lunar New Year of the Wood Snake: Transformation thanks to Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism

 

 

2025 Lunar New Year of the Wood Snake 2: Top 5 Goshos by Buddha Nichiren Daishonin

 

Top 5 Goshos by Buddha Nichiren Daishonin

 Discover my new video showing the top 5 Goshos in Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism.

New Year of the Wood Snake 2 

1. “Reply to the Widow of Lord Ueno”: Those who practice ever more sincerely when they listen to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra are the true devotees of the Way. Tiantai said, “From the indigo to an even deeper blue.” In essence, this means that something dyed with indigo becomes increasingly bluer than the leaves of the indigo plant. The Lotus Sutra is like the indigo. When we deepen our practice, it is like the indigo blue that grows in intensity. (Gosho, p. 337)

2. Once we chant Myoho-Renge-Kyo, this sound calls forth and manifests the Buddha nature of all Buddhas, all phenomena, all bodhisattvas, all people in the world of learning, all guardian deities, such as Bonten, Taishaku, King Emma, the sun and moon, innumerable stars, deities of the heavens and earth, and all living beings—including individuals in the worlds of hell, hunger, animality, anger, humanity, and rapture. The benefit of revealing this Buddha nature is immeasurable and unfathomable. (Gosho, p. 1320)

3. “Reply to Myoho ama”: Face powder can change the color of black lacquer to white, just like snow. When living beings approach Mount Sumeru, they assume a golden hue. Those who embrace the title of the Lotus Sutra will expiate the negative karma that they have accumulated in this lifetime and since the remotest past—transforming negative karma into the great merit of positive karma. Certainly, all the positive causes from time without beginning will turn to gold. (Gosho, p. 1483)

4. “Letter from Sado”: When an evil ruler tries to destroy the true Law, and heretical priests support his efforts to do away with a person of wisdom, one who maintains the heart of the lion king will definitely attain Buddhahood. This is true of Nichiren. I say this not out of arrogance, rather because I have a strong mind to protect the true Law that I hold so dear. Fear always arises in the hearts of arrogant people when they encounter a strong enemy. They are like the arrogant asura who shrank in terror and hid in a lotus flower in Lake Anavatapta when he was confronted by Heavenly King Taishaku. If one practices even a single character or phrase of the true Law in accordance with the time and capacity of the people, one definitely will attain Buddhahood. On the other hand, even though one masters a thousand sutras and ten thousand treatises, if the teaching does not accord with the correct time and capacity, it will never lead to enlightenment. (Gosho, p. 579)

5. “Sado gokanki-sho: Incurring the Displeasure of the Authorities Leading to the Sado Exile”: As for the path to becoming a Buddha, it can be concluded that one can attain Buddhahood only by enduring an event that might put one’s life at risk … Only by going through such hardships could I read the Lotus Sutra with my life. With this understanding, I can summon up even more faith and look forward to my next life … If I can lay down my life, a life that would have been lost in vain, for the sake of the Lotus Sutra, it will be likened to turning a stone into gold. Thus, each one of you need not lament over my circumstances. (Gosho, pp. 482-483).

Royal Thai Armed Forces Day in Thailand: January 18 2564 2021

Remembering an old design I made back in 2021. May Thailand continue to be peaceful. Here is the original post and artwork:

Enjoy the Royal Thai Armed Forces Day with my illustration making a crossover of the classic animation character Calimero with the Thai Black Army, Thahan Phran (Thai Rangers) X Royal Thai Volunteer Regiment, Queen’s Cobras: Thaimero.

 THAIMERO

References:

Calimero. Created by Nino Pagot, Toni Pagot & Ignazio Colnaghi. 1974. Goodreads.

Black Army Facebook page

Royal Thai Armed Forces Website

 

Summer Reading Challenge 2025: Year of the Snake

I challenge my followers to complete my top 5 summer reading challenge for the Year of the Snake:

1. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)

2. Marked (P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast)

3. The Daevabad Trilogy (S. A. Chakraborty)

4. The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)

5. The Complete Robot (Isaac Asimov)

 

Take a look at my tribute to the Lunar New Year of the Wood Snake in my official YouTube channel:

 2025 Year of the Snake

 

Gargoyles: The Live Action Movie

Love to see a live action movie about the dark Gargoyles fighting for justice and surviving in the human world. It would be awesome if it was based on the style from Underworld or Resident Evil. 

 Here's one of my favorite fanarts by Diamonddead: 

Gargoyles Live Action Movie Fanart Poster 

Best Books 2025

 Follow my Reading Challenge in Goodreads. For 2025 I want to achieve reading 6 books! 

 

Reading Challenge - Goodreads

 

Science Fiction Ebook Novels in Amazon Kindle

Enjoy and prepare for summer with my science fiction eBook novels in Amazon Kindle. At the same time, as you can see, my style is similar to other cartoonists like Sophie Hei. I found out her work thanks to my interest in the 100 years Disney movie Wish. The protagonist Asha seems to be a mixture from classic Disney princesses like Esmeralda, Jasmine and Pocahontas. I share her page in ArtStation which I recommend everyone to visit.

The Guardians of the Earth Type Planets (2014)

Seven Stars City (2018)

Future Earth (2019)

-Disney Princesses by Sophie Hei 

Review of the Masterpiece Graphic Novel Batman Arkham City

 

To begin with, Paul Dini and Carlos D’anda did a wonderful adaptation of the original video game in Batman Arkham City. Since 2011, many movies and adaptations had been made of the classic Batman. Still, this comic achieves to present the “Batman” we all remember: Bruce is devoted to his mission to achieve justice and equality for everyone living in Gotham City.

In a way, it is similar to the series Batman Beyond (1999) and Batman The Long Halloween Part 1 & 2 (2021). The graphic novel shows the classic villains and at same time the eternal contrast between Good & Evil. Batman Arkham City achieves to portray this duality with villains like Two-Face and Cat-woman who are in the neutral side: They are not completely evil but rather survivors who might help Batman against a common enemy like the mad scientist Hugo Strange.

At the end of the comic, fan service is given through complete panels for each one of the main villains in the story like the Joker, Poison Ivy or Harley Quinn. Moreover, Robin also makes an appearance being the version portrayed in movies like Batman Forever (1995) and Batman and Robin (1997). It shows Robin’s struggle to be independent and not just a shadow by trying to catch Harley Quinn and the mad scientist.

Lastly, Batman Arkham City is also a story that reflects present United States with problems like freedom, politics, poverty and immigration. Furthermore, it describes a society in decadence where individuals are forced to give in to the dark side like in the case of Jenna; she is an ex-con who used to pertain to Virtual Wonderland. Other problems can be related to global issues such as mortality and modern medicine (Two-Face and the Joker’s deterioration and illness) along with gender inequality (Cat-woman and Poison Ivy finding their own power to be equal to men).

In my personal opinion, Arkham City and, its “mirror” Gotham City, can be compared to real life big cities like Bangkok, Thailand, where local communities have practically disappeared: It is a large metropolis that offers individuality and a personal journey but also everyone is an almost complete alienation from the traditional friendly society.