I can't post any pictures and I have very limited time, but I'm in Da Lat. It's an old french resort town. I've been laughing a lot, meditating, practicing, enjoy the sheer presence of Thich Nhat Hanh. It's been BEAUTIFUL.
Sorry, soon!
Until Next Time, "One crowded hour of glorisou living is worth an age with no name."
28 February 2007
24 February 2007
Thich Nhat Hanh and Babies on bikes
So! A few days have passed and I can hardly keep it all in my head!
I'll start with a quick recap, I guess.
Wednesday was the first official day for Thich Nhat Hanh (whom I will refer to as Thay from here on out), so we went to pay our respects at Phap Van Temple. All the monks and nuns who came with Thay from France and America are staying there. However, Thay and the delegation quickly up and left in order to purchase gifts for the Buddhist society here, so the lay delegation listened to an older monk talk alternately in English and French about her experiences during the Vietnam war. It was moving and terribly sad. Many of her friends were killed by people on both sides of the conflict, friends who subscribed to Thay's School of Youth for Social Service. In otherwards, Nonviolent Buddhists. She had trouble sticking to the "Man is not my enemy. Cruelty and misunderstanding are my enemies" when so many were killed for no reason. Her friends. But a killer said "I'm sorry, I am forced to kill you," before shooting a few of the monks near the river, and she was able to revolutionize her practice. The people who are killing are threatened by those who work above them! They can be killed if they do not kill. It is the idea of killing that we must continue to fight!
Sister, speaking over a grave at Phap Van Temple
Then there was good food and I saw Thai Nghiem and Trung Nghiem! They're the sisters that I made friends with during my stay in Vermont. I was so happy to see them, I cried. Honest tears of joy. I was not preparing myself for the raw emotional experience of a Buddhist pilgrimage. It's intense. I was so happy! We hugged and cried.
Boy and fountain at Phap Van Temple
That night, dinner and a Sangha be-in. Essentially, we shared and discussed for two and a half hours! Buddhists sure can talk. It's like the UN here! We had a few small things to decide as a group, and it has to be done by concensus, but MAN! SLOW GOING. I breathe, I am at peace. You really have to use this practice to be in this practice, you know? ;-)
Monastics entering the temple Ao Quang
Thursday, we followed Thay to two different Buddhist temples in the city for welcome ceremonies. I'll be honest, it was a little boring. Lots of Vietnamese formalities. But being with Thay and the monks and nuns is really powerful. They carry an energy with them, it's hard to describe. Nourishing, somehow.
Baby on a motorbike!
And that night returned to Phap Van for a Dharma talk/teaching from Thay. It was pretty basic, I guess, about sitting meditation and being in our breathing and how this is Buddha nature, but there were so many people! Thousands! He's a fucking rock star! And I understand why, but it was really astounding, how many people came to hear him speak. He just sat in lotus on stage in front of thousands of people and talked quietly about the being peace. But something he said really touched me. We practice to be at peace and living joy in the here and now. We can be prefectly at peace every second, every moment. We don't think of being peace for the future or finding a solution later. We are peace now.
Monastics bowing to Thay
Today was a longevity ceremony, to wish Thay many years of teaching. Very beautiful ceremony, though mostly in Vietnamese. He's so funny! He was sitting on stage with 10 old, old Venerables, everyone was very somber and ceremonial, and Thay reaches out to one of the vases and extracts a single tulip. The noise it made over the microphone was like velcro ripping. He smiled, smelled the flower, and passed it to the ancient on his right. People laughed some, especially when the old monk sort of balked and set the flower down in front of him.
Thay
And that brings us up to speed I guess, event-wise.
Sarah and I, in our robes
What else! About Vietnam: hot. Tiring. A little scary (man on a motorbike tried to snatch my bag off my shoulder just a few minutes ago). But I was prepared for all that. I'm a little homesick, but I'm loving the newness and the practice. Also, people here are wonderful. French, American, Polish, Thai. You know, un peu de tout. Speaking lots of french. Eating fruits I can't even name! Some green milky thing with large seeds encased in jello. Beautiful dragonfruits, sweet and white and tender, full of tiny black seeds. Crazy, convoluted pears. Watermelon and oranges galore.
Crazy cables!
I think we leave for the monastery in Bao Loc tomorrow, and I don't know what internet access will be like there. I may be out of contact for two weeks or so, hopefully not.
Peace!
I have so many more pictures but not much more time! Love for now, talk to you later?
:-) Thanks for reading, guys. I appreciate it.
Until Next Time, more information on Thich Nhat Hanh's reason for being here.
I'll start with a quick recap, I guess.
Wednesday was the first official day for Thich Nhat Hanh (whom I will refer to as Thay from here on out), so we went to pay our respects at Phap Van Temple. All the monks and nuns who came with Thay from France and America are staying there. However, Thay and the delegation quickly up and left in order to purchase gifts for the Buddhist society here, so the lay delegation listened to an older monk talk alternately in English and French about her experiences during the Vietnam war. It was moving and terribly sad. Many of her friends were killed by people on both sides of the conflict, friends who subscribed to Thay's School of Youth for Social Service. In otherwards, Nonviolent Buddhists. She had trouble sticking to the "Man is not my enemy. Cruelty and misunderstanding are my enemies" when so many were killed for no reason. Her friends. But a killer said "I'm sorry, I am forced to kill you," before shooting a few of the monks near the river, and she was able to revolutionize her practice. The people who are killing are threatened by those who work above them! They can be killed if they do not kill. It is the idea of killing that we must continue to fight!
Then there was good food and I saw Thai Nghiem and Trung Nghiem! They're the sisters that I made friends with during my stay in Vermont. I was so happy to see them, I cried. Honest tears of joy. I was not preparing myself for the raw emotional experience of a Buddhist pilgrimage. It's intense. I was so happy! We hugged and cried.
That night, dinner and a Sangha be-in. Essentially, we shared and discussed for two and a half hours! Buddhists sure can talk. It's like the UN here! We had a few small things to decide as a group, and it has to be done by concensus, but MAN! SLOW GOING. I breathe, I am at peace. You really have to use this practice to be in this practice, you know? ;-)
Thursday, we followed Thay to two different Buddhist temples in the city for welcome ceremonies. I'll be honest, it was a little boring. Lots of Vietnamese formalities. But being with Thay and the monks and nuns is really powerful. They carry an energy with them, it's hard to describe. Nourishing, somehow.
And that night returned to Phap Van for a Dharma talk/teaching from Thay. It was pretty basic, I guess, about sitting meditation and being in our breathing and how this is Buddha nature, but there were so many people! Thousands! He's a fucking rock star! And I understand why, but it was really astounding, how many people came to hear him speak. He just sat in lotus on stage in front of thousands of people and talked quietly about the being peace. But something he said really touched me. We practice to be at peace and living joy in the here and now. We can be prefectly at peace every second, every moment. We don't think of being peace for the future or finding a solution later. We are peace now.
Today was a longevity ceremony, to wish Thay many years of teaching. Very beautiful ceremony, though mostly in Vietnamese. He's so funny! He was sitting on stage with 10 old, old Venerables, everyone was very somber and ceremonial, and Thay reaches out to one of the vases and extracts a single tulip. The noise it made over the microphone was like velcro ripping. He smiled, smelled the flower, and passed it to the ancient on his right. People laughed some, especially when the old monk sort of balked and set the flower down in front of him.
Thay
And that brings us up to speed I guess, event-wise.
What else! About Vietnam: hot. Tiring. A little scary (man on a motorbike tried to snatch my bag off my shoulder just a few minutes ago). But I was prepared for all that. I'm a little homesick, but I'm loving the newness and the practice. Also, people here are wonderful. French, American, Polish, Thai. You know, un peu de tout. Speaking lots of french. Eating fruits I can't even name! Some green milky thing with large seeds encased in jello. Beautiful dragonfruits, sweet and white and tender, full of tiny black seeds. Crazy, convoluted pears. Watermelon and oranges galore.
I think we leave for the monastery in Bao Loc tomorrow, and I don't know what internet access will be like there. I may be out of contact for two weeks or so, hopefully not.
I have so many more pictures but not much more time! Love for now, talk to you later?
:-) Thanks for reading, guys. I appreciate it.
Until Next Time, more information on Thich Nhat Hanh's reason for being here.
21 February 2007
Another arrival.
I'm listening to some beautiful recorder or flute music that's playing somewhere in the hotel. I don't know where, but I'm so glad to hear it.
Thich Nhat Hanh arrrived today. The whole delegation went to meet him at the airport. It was really intense and emotional. He's a really diferent sort of person, I can't describe it. He glows, he exudes. The crowds just ate him alive, it was actually a little scary.
We'll celebrate Tet with him tomorrow at Phap Van temple. My monastic friends from Vermont are here! I'm so excited!
I'm sorry I don't have more pictures at the moment.
I got my robe today! I'm in!
What else. My new roommate is French, so I'm reviving the language skills. Walked around in Q11 on my own today. So hot outside. And sticky.
Little monks at the airport. 7 or 8 years old, maybe younger. Tiny faces with their heads partially shaved. It's a novice thing, I think. I don't know why yet, I'll find out.
Until Next Time, eyes open!
Thich Nhat Hanh arrrived today. The whole delegation went to meet him at the airport. It was really intense and emotional. He's a really diferent sort of person, I can't describe it. He glows, he exudes. The crowds just ate him alive, it was actually a little scary.
We'll celebrate Tet with him tomorrow at Phap Van temple. My monastic friends from Vermont are here! I'm so excited!
I'm sorry I don't have more pictures at the moment.
I got my robe today! I'm in!
What else. My new roommate is French, so I'm reviving the language skills. Walked around in Q11 on my own today. So hot outside. And sticky.
Little monks at the airport. 7 or 8 years old, maybe younger. Tiny faces with their heads partially shaved. It's a novice thing, I think. I don't know why yet, I'll find out.
Until Next Time, eyes open!
19 February 2007
A lot of luck to go around.
So here I am! Landed and happy and full of... sleepiness, I guess. For the moment at least. Flights were good. I was upgraded to business class on the Hong Kong-Saigon leg, which was heavenly. I've never flown above economy! It's a whole different experience.
Slept on and off during the travel and last night, but managed to go all day today without a nap! Triumph! My room is air-conditioned, plain, without a trace of hot water, but a dream to return to after the chaos of city center. I love my own space, I do I do.
Things I forgot to pack: a watch, a knife. I woke up in the middle of the night hearing noises, unable to sort myself out, completely lost without the time. I missed both at that moment.
The Tet celebrations have been incredible. The dragons above and below have made the day STUNNING really. Young men, dancing all morning through the hotel. Bringing Luck to all of us.
The parades! The decorations! The celebration is chaotic and beautiful here. Artistry, history, touristy ;-)
Town was slow and nice until around 5pm when the day cooled down and the crowds thickened like pudding. It was palpable. I spent the day with Anna and Flora, two kind-hearted British retirees. We had lunch and dinner, walking through flowered streets and a sea of motorbikes. We were flattened on a ferry ride across what we assumed was the Mekong river. We bought postcards. We laughed.
I have to say, I love my shaven head. It's the most liberated I've ever felt. Freedom from convention and comparison, in a strange but logical way. I understand the religious side of it, now that I'm here. It draws smiles, I think.
Now I'm exhausted. I can't remember when Thich Nhat Hanh arrives. Tomorrow, Tuesday? I've lived through Sunday. I think.
Until Next Time, Miss Saigon!
ps: Videos I shot of dragon dances here.
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