compassion bodhisattva

compassion bodhisattva
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

Compassion bodhisattva (guanyin), about A.D. 580, in the 2nd floor Asian Wing at Museum of Fine Arts, today. Nice!

Bones of the Master

Bones of the Master is the amazing, true story of a Chinese ex-pat Ch’an monk’s incredible journey to honor his long-dead teacher.

I recommend reading the book all at once. I read the first 170 pages in parts, which took away from my enjoyment of the story, since it really requires full attention. The last 120 pages, which I read straight through, I found riveting. It helps that I love climbing mountains!

I found the spooky mysticism an added plus. As a fan of fiction like the X-Files, I enjoy that kind of stuff without having to make decisions about whether it’s bogus or not.

See more progress on: Read one book a month

A review of "Journey from Zanskar"

Journey from Zanskar

by Frederick Marx

The takeover of Tibet by China is yet another example of the attempt of a hostile, imperialist nation making a land grab, paving over any natives that stand in their way. History is filled with such examples, but in particular it reminds me of the way the US steamrolled the Native Americans, who are still struggling today.

The Dalai Lama has been very active in preaching to preserve Tibetan culture, religion, and language. Journey from Zanskar is a documentary about a couple of monks who take a dangerous journey with a small group of young children in an attempt to carry out these intentions. It’s a tear-filled documentary! The trip takes the children from their home in Zanskar, to Manali, where they can be educated in Tibetan schools. These children will be parted from their families for many years, because extreme poverty makes travel impossible on a regular basis.

The movie is very touching, and you get a feeling of how desperate the people are in this region. It’s definitely worth viewing.

After watching the movie, though, I had some misgivings. While it’s clear that the monks were well-intentioned, I had an uneasy feeling that they took excessive risks with the children. This is not to say that the monks were careless or clueless; they clearly had permission from the parents, who seemed grateful and happy that their kids were being given the opportunity. All involved felt that the risk was worth the gain. And it’s true that I’m comparing the risks taken here with the risks that typical American parents might be willing to take with their children; an unfair comparison, because Americans are so much more sheltered than these people.

It seems to me a wiser plan would have been to start a Tibetan school in Zanskar, and have the kids attend school there. I’m under the impression that there are, in fact, several schools underway. The problem with the movie, in this respect, is that it doesn’t present alternate solutions to the problem. Were there any alternative educational opportunities for these kids in Zanskar, at all? Might the monks themselves have set up shop in Zanskar as tutors for the Tibetan kids? So you’re not really clear whether the desperate journey was a noble cause or a hair-brained scheme. Probably it was a bit of both. Let’s hope good Tibetan schools come to Zanskar soon, so that no more families will have to make such painful decisions and face such terrible risks in the future.

See more about Journey from Zanskar

The Blade Wheel of Mind Transformation

The Blade Wheel of Mind Transformation
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

Many moons ago I ordered tickets to hear the Dalai Lama's teaching "The Blade Wheel of Mind Transformation", sponsored by Tibet House. Tomorrow is the first day.

Now, lately I haven't been feeling particularly Buddhist or enlightened, so I suppose this could work out to be a very uninspiring event. I hope it's the opposite. I have to get up at a truly ungodly hour to make it to the theatre at the suggested time of 8 am; this is the most unappealing part, including all the travelling I'll have to do to get back and forth from it each day.

I have no idea what to expect, but my mind could stand to get sliced and diced by a blade wheel these days. So it could be good.

Buddhist Temple

Buddhist Temple
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

After our hike, we went for a perfectly wonderful ice cream cone at Popey's in Morris, CT. I got a scoop of Moose Tracks (tiny peanut butter cups embedded in chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup. Drool).

We also picked up some fresh corn from a farm stand, and stopped at a fish truck where I got a small slab of tuna - these items made up my delicious dinner tonight.

On the way out of Morris, we passed this Buddist temple. Their sign reads "Lao Buddha Ariyamettaram Temple". It's quite a strange site in the middle of rural Connecticut.

And it's a fitting segue into my next post...